AABFIM — Biofortified Foods for Institutional Markets

Advancing Availability of Biofortified Foods for Institutional Markets Project (AABFIMP) is funded by the Rockefeller Foundation through the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). The project is being implemented by Cereal Growers Association (CGA), Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) Seed Unit, and Harvest Plus in Elgeyo Marakwet, Bomet, Narok, Embu, and Tharaka Nithi counties.

The project’s overall goal is to improve nutrition by enhancing the consumption of biofortified crops in schools and the community through increased High Iron Bean (HIB) production and productivity and a strengthened market between farmers and institutional suppliers.

Key Outcomes

• Outcome 1: Increased production and productivity of biofortified foods for institutional markets
• Outcome 2: Strengthened market linkages between farmers and institutional suppliers, including schools, to enhance the availability of biofortified foods and food products for institutional markets

The project addresses major challenges hindering the commercialization of the High Iron Beans (HIB) value chain in the country, namely: low adoption of high-yielding HIBs, limited access to HIB seeds, limited access to extension services, inadequate linkages to structured markets and little knowledge or attention to nutritional value and high-yielding bean varieties by consumers.

CGA will facilitate profiling and training of 15,000 smallholder farmers with at least 15,000 acres of land under the HIB value chain, grown through a network of over 100 VBAs linked to input suppliers and output off-takers with a skew on institutional markets. Over 15,000 MT of HIB is to be produced and aggregated through the village-based advisors (VBAs), and over 400,000 school-going children will be consuming HIB in schools by the end of the project period.

Geographic Coverage

Elgeyo Marakwet, Bomet, Narok, Embu, Tharaka Nithi