Over the years, the Cereal Growers Association (CGA) has developed and implemented targeted food security initiatives to support smallholder farmers. These efforts have enabled farmers to access extension services, agribusiness support, and structured input and output markets primarily through the Farmer Service Centre (FSC) model.

In March 2025, with support from GIZ, CGA presented the FSC model as a key innovation using the Scaling Scan Tool. This included outlining the scaling ambitions and presenting a detailed implementation roadmap. The primary goal is that by 2029, CGA, working in partnership with AgriBora and other stakeholders, will scale the FSC model to reach 1.2 million farmers, up from 600,000. This expansion aims to boost productivity and incomes for smallholder farmers. To achieve this, CGA will identify and onboard new FSCs across 35 counties in Kenya. These FSCs will play a vital role in delivering advisory services, extension support, and agribusiness services to the targeted farmer population, with a deliberate emphasis on empowering women and youth.

The implementation roadmap by 2029 has six objectives

1. To increase the number of FSCs from the current 3,000 to 6,000 and smallholder farmers from 600,000 to 1.2 million
2. To institutionalize the FSC model through capacity building and anchoring it in the county extension systems in the 35 CGA counties   
3. To promote regenerative agriculture among smallholder farmers using the FSC model
4. To increase financial access to at least 30% of the 3,000 FSCs and 10% of the 1.2 million smallholder farmers
5. To create work opportunities for youth and women along the different value chains
6. To promote digitalization of FSCs for increased access to input and output markets

Phased Implementation Approach

The proposed interventions will be executed through a phased strategy.

Phase 1: Pilot Implementation (May 2025 to May 2026): The initial phase will focus on piloting the Farmer Service Centre (FSC) model in three counties of Kakamega, Kisumu, and Nakuru. The core objective is to institutionalize the FSC model within County Governments’ systems for advisory and extension services, establishing it as a viable first- and last-mile delivery mechanism. This phase also aims to leverage the FSC model to promote the adoption of regenerative agriculture and agroecology practices, aligned with the National Agroecology Strategy and the National Soil Management Policy. CGA will collaborate with county governments to co-develop policy frameworks that enable and sustain the FSC model. These sustainability principles will inform the creation of comprehensive manuals, guidelines, and operational frameworks for the model.

Phase 2: Scale-up (2026 to 2029): Building on the insights and lessons learned during the pilot phase, Phase 2 will expand the FSC model to 32 additional counties over a period of four years. The goal is to institutionalize the model across all 35 counties in Kenya, establishing a network of 6,000 FSCs, serving 1.2 million smallholder farmers. This scale-up will emphasize structured delivery of extension and agribusiness services, with a strong focus on the inclusion of women and youth throughout the process.