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Kenya 2010: Working in Partnership with Farming Collectives. Goal: Co-develop business practices with farming groups through development of two product lines: Amaranth grain Kanga cloth design
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Kenya 2010: Working in Partnership with Farming Collectives • Goal:Co-develop business practices with farming groups through development of two product lines: • Amaranth grain • Kanga cloth design • Information gathering & data collection: one-to-one interviews; focus group discussions; community meeting • Presentation of prototypes
Amaranth Grain • Conducted 14 interviews • 10 individual farmers • 4 group leaders representing farming co-operative • Community Meeting: 80 farmers from all 5 micro catchments in Gem District (Lake Victoria Region) • Collected information on production, production costs, market prices, storage and collection areas, milling, packaging, consumer demand, & selling of amaranth
Kanga cloth design • Conducted 7 interviews with women interested in their own exclusive kanga design • Interviewed 3 tailors - shop owners on buying & selling kangas, accounting & cash flow, consumer demand, & knowledge of design production • Presented prototypes of kangas at community meeting
Participatory Action Research: Presenting Prototypes • Amaranth Seeder (URI) • Hydrogeologic Measures (URI) • Ceramic Filter Press: Showed Lou’s powerpoint presentation to 17 Farmers (men & women)
Biggest Challenges: “The processors make all the profit” Pricing: grain/flour Bulk buyers are unreliable Milling (sieve size) and cost of mill Difficult to obtain certified seeds Create a systematic market/corporation among farmers Next Steps: Network & Work Together Increase Demand & Awareness (many ideas) Negotiate with/lobby millers (specific plan) Regular Group Meetings Intensify Production Determine how to obtain certified seeds (ideas)* Collect consumer data* Packaging & brochures* Look for ways to partner & obtain funding* Outcome of Community Meeting: Marketing of Amaranth * Collaborative efforts
Project Follow Up: 2010-2011 • Partner with Alour Widow’s Group & Other Farming Collectives via collaboration with Kenya Agricultural & Research Institute, ACESS, Gov’t Ministries, & Universities • Market plan for amaranth: Research regional pricing & conduct joint analyses of pricing: collect data on purchase cycle at individual and organizational level; test pricing & package design in community, mill proposal • Identify textile companies for producing kanga cloth design – develop, propose, & present plan • Hydrogeology study (for harvesting & aquaculture) – URI returns in Jan • Analysis of household survey data to inform project development (n =200, collected July 2010): baseline data on household structure, health, income, assets, agriculture, water supply & use, food consumption, farm equip, & market access • Grant Proposals/Fund Raising Efforts