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“ACCELERATING RURAL WOMEN’S ACCESS TO AGRICULTURAL MARKETS AND TRADE”

Project Progress Report

October, November & December 2014

|[pic] |[pic] |

|Woman farmers explains use of biocides during the opening ceremony of the |Women farmers receive cement bags in Kitui |

|UN Women regional Sharefair in Nairobi | |

|[pic] |[pic] |

|Women farmers in Kitui receive iron sheets |GK staff during the learning visit at one of CIDI’s sites in Kampala, Uganda |

Prepared by: GROOTS Kenya

January 2015

PROJECT BRIEF

1) The “Accelerating Rural Women’s Access to Agricultural Markets and Trade” project is a three year initiative, launched in July 2012 and funded from the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) through the World Bank, Kenya Country office. The project is being implemented by GROOTS Kenya Association.

2) The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to contribute to women’s economic empowerment and improve livelihoods through enhanced agricultural production and access to markets. The underlying rationale is to equip women with relevant knowledge and skills as well as enhance their leadership and organizational capabilities to enable them become drivers of their own social and economic transformation. The target beneficiaries are 3,400 rural women in two vulnerable areas in Kenya, namely 2,700 in Nakuru County in the Rift Valley and 700 women in Kitui County, Eastern Kenya.

3) Nakuru County is located in the former Rift Valley Province and is an agriculturally-oriented area, with a large number of subsistence farmers, who are mainly comprised of Kalenjin, Kikuyu and Kisii ethnic communities. It is the fourth largest county in Kenya and divided into nine (9) sub-counties. The project is being implemented in three sub-counties, namely Molo, Kuresoi North and Kuresoi South (for ease of reference, the 3 areas shall be called Molo). Historical settlement patterns, in which non-indigenous ethnic communities settled and farmed in the area, made this region become a conflict hotspot. Over the years, periodic outbreaks of inter-ethnic violence have caused deaths. Displacement of large numbers of people has become a common occurrence in this region. The county is traditionally known to be one of the high yield agricultural regions in Kenya. Nonetheless, farmers in the region have claimed to now experience unpredictable rain patterns characterised by unusual long dry spells, torrential falls and hailstorms as well as severe attack of crop diseases.

4) Kitui County is in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Kitui County is now divided into eight (8) administrative sub-counties but the project is implemented in three sub-counties, namely Kitui Central, Kitui Rural[1] and Kitui West sub-counties (for ease of reference, the areas shall be called Kitui). The climate in Kitui is semi-arid. A large majority of the residents belong to the Kamba ethnic group and are native to the area.

5) The “Accelerating Rural Women’s Access to Agricultural Markets and Trade” project is being implemented by GROOTS Kenya using the value chain approach with a focus on three enterprises, namely horticulture, dairy and indigenous poultry. Specifically, in Molo the selected sectors are horticulture and dairy while in Kitui, they are horticulture and indigenous poultry farming.

6) The project has five major components, namely:

a) To organize women farmers to work collectively in order to economically empower and improve their livelihood;

b) To enhance women farmers’ lobbying and advocacy capacities for essential services and factors of production;

c) To enhance women farmers’ business capacities and facilitate market linkages;

d) To empower women to increase access to microfinance facilities to improve enterprise performance;

e) Project management, monitoring and evaluation.

7) GROOTS Kenya (GK), which stands for Grassroots Organizations Operating Together in Sisterhood, is the implementing partner of this project. Founded in 1995, GROOTS Kenya is a network of community-based organizations and self-help groups that are women led. It was formed in response to the near absence of grassroots women in development processes and decision-making forums, which affect them and their communities. GROOTS Kenya’s theory of change is to shift the perception of the role played by grassroots women in rural and urban poor communities from vulnerable victimized recipients of goods and services to empowered and effective leaders mastering development mainly through movement building, leadership and advocacy.

A. PROJECT STATUS

8) This progress report is for the period October 2014 to December 2014. Annex 1 contains the updated project results matrix. Annex 2 is a selection of photographs of activities carried out during this period while Annex 3 and 4 contain activity reports and attendance lists respectively (due to the size of documents, annexes 2 to 4 are sent on a CD-ROM).

9) Increased men for women support in both Kitui and Molo as evidenced by the willingness of men to allow women to access and control production assets such as land. Women are increasingly involved in decision making at the household level as men now appreciate the increased yields and incomes resulting from their participation in project. In Kuresoi South for example, women are active participants in determining how much land will be used to grow animal fodder and the day to day management of the dairy animal. Additionally, upon issuance of BNF items, men have increasingly supported women through constructing improved poultry houses.

10) There is continued recognition of the different capacities of the women farmers by duty bearers and stakeholders. As such, women farmers are involved in processes within the Counties such as their participation in the World Food Day celebrations in Nakuru and Kitui Counties on the 16th October 2014. Their increased capacities has seen women leaders participate in international dialogues (UN Regional Sharefair 2014, between the 15th and 17th October at the UN Gigiri complex) to speak as the voice of rural women on issues affecting their agricultural production.

11) Women farmers, market champions and lead entrepreneurs have developed strategies to strengthen their collective marketing to ensure that profits are enjoyed by the producer as well as the marketer in appreciation of one another’s roles. They have also been actively engaged in obtaining markets for their agricultural produce following the training received in the previous quarter. During this reporting period, market champions supported by the project conducted a total of 10 market visits. Positive feedback from the visits indicates that women farmers will have contracts for supply of agricultural produce in the next quarter.

12) Lead entrepreneurs have undergone individual coaching to strengthen their enterprise development plans. Gaps identified will be strengthened with training in the next quarter. The lead entrepreneurs will provide guidance for other women farmers interested in establishing enterprises, even after the project period.

13) Women have continued with savings in their groups and provide small loans to their group members to improve their agricultural production. Moreover, eleven (11) groups in Nakuru and Kitui have qualified for UWEZO funds and have undergone training on its use. This will further increase their access to finance and growth of their farm production.

14) The project team has rolled out the disbursement of the Basic Need Fund (BNF) in both Nakuru and Kitui Counties. The process is almost complete in Kitui and 594 women have received all items as requested in the individual BNF application form. The items were distributed on various dates between the 27th October and 2nd December 2014. Some of the items distributed in the poultry value chain include: construction materials for poultry houses (Iron sheet, doors, nails, roofing nails, chicken wire, drinkers and feeders), chicks, pullets and cocks. In the horticulture value chains, some of the items distributed include: Jembes (hoes), water tanks, horse pipes, seeds, spraying cans, wheel barrows and agrochemicals. Most women farmers have utilized the BNF items to harvest water and construct improved poultry houses. The project will finalize on the procurement of the BNF items in Kitui in the next quarter. In Nakuru County, the distribution of BNF items started on the 10th December 2014, and is ongoing; the initial distribution was for farm inputs to support the dairy value chain; construction materials for cow sheds (cement, iron sheets, posts, nails, troughs, wheelbarrows and many more). The remaining items are largely for the horticulture value chain; seeds and agrochemicals.

15) The women farmers have embraced the use of the project based Management Information System to document their progress and track their successes. The participatory monitoring has provided a suitable challenge for the individuals and groups as they can easily track their successes. However, there is need for a refresher training to strengthen their documentation .

B. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND HIGHLIGHTS

16) This section highlights the main interventions and results achieved by the project per component during the period October 2014 to December 2014. The project progress made under each of the five components to date is recorded in the Project Results Matrix as Annex 1.

17) Under Component 1 - Organize women farmers to work collectively in order to economically empower and improve their livelihood: Focus in this quarter was on strengthening the gender relations in agricultural production and access and control of agricultural resources. Another key area of focus was on collective marketing of farmers’ produce which necessitated among other activities, group governance strengthening workshops in Kitui (17th and 18th November) and Nakuru (24th and 25th November 2014).

18) Men workshops were held on the 2nd and 7th October 2014, in Kitui and Nakuru Counties respectively. The objective of the workshops was to assess the status of men for women support since the project inception, as well as the role of men in decision making with regard to access and control of project finances. These workshops provided a platform for women farmers and spouses, male relatives and leaders to engage in discussions on decision making and support in access to and use of finances obtained for project development. Testimonies were shared by men who had experienced transformation in their homes and especially in increased agricultural production urging other men to support women to not only access but also control production resources. The workshops drew a total of 83 participants from across the 6 sub-counties, 52 men and 31 women. Following the workshops, successful local to local dialogues were held in all the 20 locations whereby the same message was reinforced to larger audiences. The local dialogues were held on various days in the months of October and November 2014 reaching 500 men, 178 in Kitui and 322 men in Nakuru. The local dialogues were organized with the support of chiefs, village and church elders present at the men workshop.

19) Women farmers from Nakuru and Kitui Counties participated in the annual regional Sharefair organized by the UN Women Regional office for Eastern and Central Africa supported by other partners working in the agricultural sector at the international level. The Sharefair was held between the 15th and 17th of October 2014 at the UN Gigiri complex in Nairobi. The fair attracted 100 exhibitors from 14African countries with the objective to promote innovations and technologies adopted by rural women farmers. Eleven (11) women farmers were present at the fair, 4 from Nakuru, 4 from Kitui and 3 from other GROOTS Kenya regions. GROOTS Kenya exhibited climate smart and affordable technologies in use of zai pits and biocides.

20) On the 16th of October 2014, 62 women farmers in Nakuru (25 women farmers) and Kitui (37 women farmers) participated in the World Food Day celebrations in their respective counties as organized by the Ministry of Agriculture. In line with the theme of family farming, women farmers and their groups organized exhibits demonstrating the use of sustainable technologies in food production.

21) Women farmers from Nakuru and Kitui Counties, who participated in the exchange visit in the last quarter (10th - 13th September 2014), held feedback meetings at the group level to disseminate knowledge gathered to other members. Group members appreciated the various project achievements and challenged each other to apply knowledge gained to their farming activities for greater success. One of the farming technologies adopted from Kitui is serial and synchronised hatching to increase the number of bird flock.

22) Under Component 2 - To enhance women farmers’ lobbying and advocacy capacities for essential services and factors of production: Advocacy teams in the two Counties guided their communities to lobby and advocate for the implementation of promises and declarations made by duty bearers and stakeholders. They also paid courtesy calls to their leaders to discuss the status of road rehabilitation in Nakuru and water projects in Kitui County. Advocacy teams also held monthly feedback meetings at the group level to update members on progress of advocacy in their Sub County.

23) There has been an increased recognition and involvement of women leaders in decision making platforms in the County and the Ministry of Agriculture. This is evidenced by the involvement of women leaders in planning and participation in agricultural events such as the World Food Day celebrations and agricultural stakeholders meetings in their counties. In Kitui County, women leaders represent their groups in poultry and horticultural value chain platform meetings.

24) On 24th November 2014, a member of the Nakuru advocacy team had an audience with the Deputy Governor and the County Economics officer and discussed the provision of market space at the Wakulima (Farmers) market in Nakuru town for women farmers to sell their agricultural produce.

25) In recognition of the leadership capacity of the women farmers, the political leadership in Nakuru County selected one woman leader who is also a member of the advocacy team to facilitate at a conflict resolution workshop organized by the County government on the 24th and 25th November 2014 in Nakuru County. The workshop was held in Naivasha to discuss mechanisms to address arising issues on sharing of benefits accrued from geothermal power stations between the County government and the communities in Naivasha and Mahi Mahiu.

26) The advocacy team in Kitui West paid a courtesy call to their Member of Parliament to remind him of his promise to rehabilitate the Matinga dam in Kitui West Sub County on the 4th October 2014.

27) In Kitui County, the County Governor invited four women leaders to participate in a stakeholders meeting on the 30th October 2014 to assess the progress of projects within the County. He lauded the work of the women leaders and GROOTS Kenya in transforming the livelihoods of the Kitui people and emphasized on the need to involve grassroots women in policy and decision making on issues affecting them. He assured those present that his government would actively work towards creating space for women to undertake leadership roles. The meeting was attended by the senator, 5 members of the County Assembly, women groups’ representatives and the wider community. The political leadership reiterated his remarks, promising to ensure grassroots women participation in leadership.

28) In November 2014, a new law on potato packaging in 50 Kg bags was enacted in Nakuru County. This is a result of concerted efforts of potatoes stakeholders, including women farmers involved in the project to reduce farmers’ exploitation by brokers. A similar law is to be adopted in other 11 potatoes producing counties to ensure its implementation, and that none of the counties lose out to those not enforcing the rule.

29) Under component 3 - Enhance women farmers’ business capacities and facilitate market linkages: Capacity strengthening was enhanced for lead entrepreneurs and market champions were supported to access markets for their produce. Collective marketing of produce was also emphasised to reduce transport costs incurred when produce is sold individually and increase profits based on their collective bargaining power.

30) Markets consultants organized market visits for market champions and lead entrepreneurs in the months of October and November 2014. The potential produce markets visited were in Nakuru and Nairobi for poultry, dairy and horticultural produce. Women farmers received positive feedback during the visits, after which the focus shifted to meeting produce requirements of said markets.

Initial market visits were held on the 27th, 28th and 29th of October in Nakuru town. The markets visited were Jumuia Hotel, Happy Cow Limited, Gilanis Supermarkets and Jomo Kenyatta High School. The second market visits were on the 5th, 6th and 7th November at Zucchini, Boma Hotels, Deepa Industries, Keitt Exporters, Fresh & Juici and City park hawkers market.

|Market |Market profile |Produce |Location |

|Jumuia Hotels |Hotel chain in the major |Dairy and horticulture produce |Nakuru, Limuru, Kisumu, Mombasa |

| |cities/towns | | |

|Happy Cow Limited |Dairy processors |Milk |Nakuru |

|Gilanis Supermarkets |Whole sale and retail |Horticultural produce |Nakuru |

| |supermarket | | |

|Jomo Kenyatta High School |Based in Nakuru |Horticultural produce |Nakuru |

|Zucchini |Grocery shops in Nairobi |Cabbages, carrots and potatoes |Nairobi |

|Boma Hotel |Horticulture and dairy produce|Potatoes, peas, indigenous chicken,|Nairobi |

| | |cabbages | |

|Deepa Industries |Tropical heat |Potatoes |Nairobi |

|Keitt Exporters |Export |Mangoes |Nairobi |

|Fresh and Juici |Juice processor |Mangoes |Nairobi |

|City park hawkers market |All kinds of horticultural and|Potatoes, carrots, cabbages |Nairobi |

| |dairy produce | | |

| | | | |

31) A meeting was held on 17th October in Nairobi attended by 8 women leaders, 4 from Kitui and 4 from Nakuru to discuss the status of Inter-county trade. It has been challenging to provide opportunity to the women farmers to earn decent revenues from their products as compared to the gate level prices by the brokers and yet deliver the same products to the other county for sale at a profit . Main ongoing discussion are on how to operationalize the trade and what produce to trade from each of the counties with a view of trade benefits to women.

Enterprise development consultants carried out coaching for twenty (20) lead entrepreneurs specific to their selected agribased enterprise (29th and 30th October in Nakuru and 18th and 19th November in Kitui). The coaching was aimed at offering insight to the entrepreneur to develop and grow a successful enterprise that would achieve their goals and solve a problem in their community.

The coaching approach adopted was the GROW model which looks at the Goal of the entrepreneur, their Reality that may affect their business and in turn provide the Opportunities for growth of their enterprise. This is then followed by a decision on what they want to do. Gaps to the development and growth of a successful enterprise were identified and recommendations made specific to the entrepreneur on how to address them. Coaching was done at the existing or proposed business point of the entrepreneur. The twenty entrepreneurs coached will mentor other women farmers interested in establishing enterprises along the three value chains. The lead entrepreneurs have since then identified potential markets, customers and business premises in readiness to start their business.

The identified enterprises are:

|Horticulture Value Chain |

|Entrepreneur |Enterprise |Location |

|Wairimu Kanyiri |Potato seeds multiplication |Turi |

|Agnes Chebet | |Amalo |

|Margaret Wairimu |Potatoes bulking and transportation |Temoyotta |

|Christine Asami |Potatoes Bulking |Nyota |

|Veronicah Mwihaki | |Temoyotta |

|Elizabeth Mulandi |Bulking (seeds, agrochemicals, farm tools and equipment) |Kanyangi |

|Grace Musyoka | |Kakeani |

|Margaret Vonza |Processing and value addition |Kwa Vonza |

|Agnes Mutia |Production of seedlings |Mulango |

|Purity Muli |Value addition of fruits |Chyuluni |

|Dairy Value Chain |

|Entrepreneur |Enterprise |Location |

|Elimittah Gitau |Milk Bulking and Milk Bar |Arimi |

|Hannah Wachira | |Nyota |

|Rhoda Cheruiyot |Milk Processing (Mursik) |Amalo |

|Rosevita Cheboi |Feed production/ Input supply |Cheptuech |

|Indigenous Poultry Value Chain |

|Entrepreneur |Enterprise |Location |

|Mary Muendo |Bulking (birds and eggs) |Nthongoni |

|Rhodester Mwende |Formulation of Poultry Feeds |Kakeani |

|Agnes Munyithya | |Kyangwithya East |

|Florence Mumbi |Input supplies / Paravet |Tungutu |

|Kavinya Kyalo |Inputs Supply |Kyangwithya East |

32) On the 17th and 18th and 24th and 25th of November 2014, workshops were held in Kitui and Nakuru Counties respectively targeting 72 women farmers, group leaders, market champions and lead entrepreneurs to strengthen the leadership structure of the women farmers to enhance their collective marketing of produce. The workshops were necessitated by the challenges encountered in establishing a working leadership structure that would champion the process as well as a conflict resolution mechanism within the groups.

33) At the end of the workshop, women farmers had come up with strategies for collection and supply of farm produce and profit sharing to ensure all farmers gain from the business. The women farmers came up with teams for marketing of horticulture and dairy produce consisting of group leaders, market champions and lead entrepreneurs drawn from across the three sub counties. Each team was mandated with sourcing for markets and giving feedback to their groups before any market decisions are made. They also understood the roles of the farmer, market champion and lead entrepreneur in market identification and linkage with the groups for produce bulking and marketing.

Conflict resolution mechanisms were established to address any matters arising in their business relations. The different teams were urged to be transparent in the dealings, any issues raised should first be addressed at the group level and if unresolved, it should be seconded to the sub county leadership. GK staff reminded them that they could approach the sub county seed fund committees, local administrators as well as the GK office in resolving these disputes.

34) Component 4 - Empower women to increase access to finance facilities to improve enterprise performance: The project team worked with the seed fund committees to disburse various basic need fund items as requested by the women farmers. Further, a field assessment visit organized for Equity Bank representatives was held on the 13th October 2014 in Kitui County. The delegation comprised of Credit manager, Kitui and Agribusiness Officer, Nairobi. The visit was necessitated by the failed talks on the MOU with Cooperative Bank. Equity Bank was impressed with the level of work and commitment of women farmers in agricultural production and their savings and lending processes. They therefore agreed to partner with GROOTS Kenya in providing loans to women farmers in Kitui. The draft MoU was further discussed with experts from the International Finance Cooperation (IFC) at the World Bank office in Kenya on 2nd December 2014. The experts strongly recommended hiring a short-term financial consultant to support GROOTS Kenya in the final negotiations with Equity Bank. IFC supported GROOTS Kenya in preparing ToR for the potential consultant and recruitment began in earnest. Unfortunately, GROOTS Kenya had to put on hold the ongoing discussions with Equity Bank.

35) Following receipt Basic Need Fund (BNF) request forms, the GK project team held meetings with the respective Seed Fund Committees to review their applications. The meetings were held on the 2nd and 7th October 2014 in Kitui and Nakuru, respectively where the committees gave their input on items requested and clarified the suitability of selected items especially on the seeds, agrochemicals and fertilizers.

This was followed by meeting with the women groups to rectify their requests with regard to their impact on the environment and their suitability for their regions. These meetings were held on the 8th and 9th of October 2014 in Nakuru and Kitui respectively.

36) Disbursement of BNF items started in Kitui with the distribution of water tanks for women farmers. The disbursement was carried out in the period between the 27th October and 2nd December 2014. In Nakuru County disbursement started on the 10th December 2014, with the remaining items to be disbursed in the next quarter. The items distributed in this period include cement, iron sheets, pipes, poultry equipment, nails, gutters, sprayers, bricks, troughs and wheel barrows among others. These items were disbursed to 1,127 women farmers, 534 in Nakuru and 593 in Kitui at the value of Ksh 8,309,940.60.

37) All groups (89) continue with the savings and lending by table banking. The average savings in Nakuru is at Ksh 100,000 with the highest group savings amount at Ksh 297,000 while in Kitui the average savings is at Ksh 40,000 and highest savings at Ksh 136,000. Women continue to access these funds for small loans to meet their production needs. The highest loan amount in table banking ranges from Ksh 9,000 to Ksh 25,000 to be repaid in 3 to 9 months based on an individual’s financial capacity. The loans have been used to purchase farm inputs, build poultry units and cow sheds, and increase poultry stock and to increase the land portion under farming. So far, no major challenges have been reported in repayment of the loans with group members adhering to group constitutions. Small loans of Ksh 3000 and below generally attract shorter repayment periods.

38) A total of 11 groups in Kitui and Nakuru Counties have been awarded UWEZO funds in this quarter. They have undergone training on the use and relevant accounting process of the funds. The groups will utilize the funds to grow their production and agribased enterprises.

39) Component 5 - Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation: A project status meeting was held between the GROOTS Kenya and The World Bank on the 6th October 2014 where the project team gave their updates on project activities. A similar meeting was held at the Embassy of Japan on the 27th November 2014 at which point, the proposed field visit with Japan Embassy representatives was discussed and postponed to the next quarter in 2015.

40) 45 tablets were issued to women farmers in Kitui and Nakuru (2nd and 7th October 2014) for use in documenting project progress in their groups. The tablets were received by the 90 women drawn from the groups’ monitoring committees and who were trained in the previous quarter on the use of the project MIS. One tablet is shared by 2 to 3 groups in a location. Using the tablets, the group will submit information on individual enterprise performance, visual photo tracking and their monthly savings and lending to a web-based common database. The information will be analysed by GROOTS Kenya’s M&E officer to provide further evidence on the progress of the project and for the project management to make corrective measures where necessary.

41) Two (2) project staff and one grassroots woman travelled to Kampala, Uganda between the 10th and 12th November 2014 for a 2 day interactive workshop on project monitoring and evaluation. This was a learning visit organized for the purpose of sharing experiences and best practices in project monitoring, documentation and reporting as well as capacity strengthening for GROOTS Kenya (GK) staff. The visit was organized in collaboration with Community Integrated Development Initiatives (CIDI) with the support of HORIZONT3000 (Austrian Development Cooperation).

C. LESSONS LEARNED

42) Women have embrace ICT and are now able to document progress in their activities. The ability to track their progress and monitor the change has inspired them to work harder to improve their livelihoods.

43) Women farmers, market champions and lead entrepreneurs have demonstrated huge capacity in obtaining markets for their produce and getting good prices for them by collective marketing. Collective marketing still poses a challenge as a result of broker interference but in cases where it works like in Kitui women farmers and community members have received better prices for their poultry compared to those offered by brokers. It has also translated to the development of enterprises and more income at the household level as farmers now sell their birds at Ksh 450 from previous price of Ksh 250. It has however emerged that there is need for continuous consultations with women farmers to guide them towards collective marketing.

44) Increased men support in agricultural processes such as building cow sheds, poultry houses and participation in decision making at the household level has resulted from increased production levels of milk and crops from uptake of best farming technologies by women farmers.

45) The disbursement of BNF items has given a fresh energy to the groups and communities at large and community members are now more willing to walk with the women farmers to learn new farming practices to increase their produce and income.

D. NEXT STEPS

46) Component 1: Organize women farmers to work collectively to economically empower and improve their livelihoods

a) Finalize the remapping of women farmers in the two counties. This involves the formal registration of about 1,550 women farmers as project beneficiaries by filling the revised vulnerability assessment tool (VAT);

Induction meetings will be held for the newly registered members and trainings organized on group dynamics, financial literacy and account opening. Other trainings to be organized will revolve around good farming practices in dairy, poultry and horticulture and they will be facilitated by the trained community coaches and GROOTS Kenya staff;

b) An exposure visit of Kitui beneficiaries to Nakuru.

47) Component 2: Enhance women farmers’ lobbying and advocacy capacities for essential services and factors of productions

a) The step-by-step community-led advocacy guidebook will be printed and distributed;

b) Community trainings on lobbying and advocacy for the newly registered members and groups;

c) Continuous feedback meeting at the group level on advocacy progress.

48) Component 3: Enhance women farmers’ business capacities and facilitate market linkages

a) Finalize contracts with potential markets for the produce;

b) Continuous sourcing for new markets linkages for their agricultural produce;

c) Capacity strengthening for newly registered women farmers in agribusiness and sustainable farming with support of GROOTS Kenya staff and community coaches;

d) Printing of trainer and user guides and disseminating to community coaches;

e) Continuous capacity strengthening of groups on best farming practices video viewing of “Shamba Shape-up” episodes at group level.

49) Component 4: Empower women to increase access to microfinance facilities to improve enterprise performance

a) Complete the distribution of BNF items in Nakuru County;

b) Hold meetings with seed fund committees to update on project progress and funds distribution;

c) Prepare groups to receive the Group Revolving Fund;

d) Finalize and sign the MOU on disbursement of project seed funds with the financial service provider.

50) Component 5: Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation

a) Hold refresher training for women farmers on use of the MIS;

b) Success stories and activity updates shall be recorded and documented on the project website ();

c) A joint field mission of the World Bank and the Embassy of Japan is foreseen during this quarter;

d) Preparation and publication of Terms of Reference for the project’s mid-term evaluation;

e) Finalize the development of the market application system.

ANNEX 1

Table 1: Summary of Project Progress Matrix (April, May, June 2014)

|NO |OUTPUT PER COMPONENT |MEANS OF VERIFICATION |STATUS |COMMENT |

|COMPONENT 1: Organize women farmers to work collectively to economically empower and improve their livelihoods |

|1. |Contents of Value Chains |ToRs for consultants, VC |TOR submitted, |VC studies reports finalized and used to guide|

| |identified in each locality and |reports |VC studies completed & validated |the community training. |

| |validated using community | | | |

| |consultations | | | |

|2. |Participatory community resources |ToRs, Mapping report |TOR submitted, study completed & |The mapping report was finalized in January |

| |mapping processes designed and | |validated |2014 and shared with partners. |

| |implemented in the two project | | |Remapping of additional project beneficiaries |

| |areas | | |planned for the next quarter (Jan-March 2015).|

|3. |A total of 3,400 target |Mapping report, Project |By end of December 2014, the project|The updated numbers are based on the |

| |beneficiaries identified in the |beneficiaries’ database |works with 1,846 women in the two |application for the project’s Basic Need Fund |

| |two project locations (2,700 in | |regions (1,252 in Nakuru and 594 in |(see component 4). |

| |Nakuru and 700 in Kitui County) | |Kitui). |The fallout of project beneficiaries can be |

| | | | |explained by the fact that some mapped women |

| | | | |farmers got discouraged because the project |

| | | | |did not provide for quick hand-outs. |

| | | | |As mentioned above, complementary mapping of |

| | | | |project beneficiaries, especially in Nakuru |

| | | | |County is foreseen. |

|4. |Community workshops held to |Workshop reports, List of |Five validation workshops organized |Accomplished. |

| |validate value chains and |participants |(3 in Molo and 2 Kitui) in Dec 2013 | |

| |community mapping in the two | |& Jan 2014 involving 220 | |

| |project areas with a total of 200 | |stakeholders. | |

| |stakeholders | | | |

|5. |5 community instructors trained to|Training workshop reports, |28 instructors identified and |These are 2 county, 6 sub-county and 20 |

| |assist in group formation and |List of names |trained for both regions |location group coordinators. Training done |

| |strengthening | | |using the curriculum (module 1) alongside |

| | | | |mentorship on using GK tested methodologies. |

|6. |250 community members trained as |Training workshop reports, |141 coaches trained comprising chair|Capacity enhancement will continue. |

| |coaches and drivers of community |List of community members/ |ladies, treasurers and secretaries |The number includes 58 women coaches on group |

| |organization |coaches |of the groups. |strengthening. |

| | | | |New coaches will be drawn from the newly |

| | | | |mapped members. |

|7. |Outreach training package developed|Sample training package |656 men champions (76 in Kitui & 80 |Local dialogues to continue in the next |

| |and implemented targeting 1,200 men| |in Molo) trained to carry out |quarter to mobilise more men for women |

| |and community members | |village dialogues. |support. Thematic training sheets, on aspects |

| | | |500 more men were reached during the|such as control of assets, inheritance rights,|

| | | |local to local dialogues held at the|etc. developed will be used in the process. |

| | | |location level in each County, 178 | |

| | | |in Kitui and 322 in Nakuru. | |

|8. |120 beneficiaries from peer |Reports from peer mentoring|77 benefit from peer mentorship & |Another cross region visit from women from |

| |mentoring & exchange visits |activities and exchange |best practice visits. 40 women from |Kitui to Nakuru is planned for the next |

| | |visits, Lists of |Nakuru participated in the exchange |quarter (Jan-Mar 2015). The objective of these|

| | |participants |visit to Kitui. |visits is to enhance peer learning. |

|9. |A total of 5,000 beneficiaries/ |Event reports and List of |2,048 community members previously |Field days planned at sub-county level to |

| |community members attending best |participants |attended lesson sharing platforms. |disseminate technologies for greater uptake of|

| |practice community events sharing | |In May – June, 2014, 400 community |best practices. |

| |lessons learned | |members attended the trainings | |

| | | |organized by coaches alongside the | |

| | | |mapped women. | |

|10 |25 different flyers and simple |Sample of flyers |Nine flyers on the three value |2 fact sheets for advocacy (see component 2) |

| |documents produced in local | |chains have been adopted from the |and one newsletter on the project have been |

| |languages, printed and disseminated| |partnership with CCAFS (‘Shamba |printed and disseminated to the community. |

| | | |Shape Up’) | |

| | | | |One brochure was developed on indigenous |

| | | | |poultry production and the zai-pit |

| | | | |technologies utilized and exhibited by women |

| | | | |farmers in Kitui County during the Kitui |

| | | | |County Agricultural trade fair in July, 2014. |

| | | | | |

| | | | |One brochure was developed to present two |

| | | | |technologies (zai pit and production of |

| | | | |biocides) that are applied by women farmers in|

| | | | |Nakuru and Kitui. These technologies were |

| | | | |presented at the Sharefair on Rural Women's |

| | | | |Technologies in Nairobi in October 2014 |

| | | | |exhibit (See Annex 5). |

|11 |100 women farmer groups formed and |List of groups with names &|89 groups formed (60 in Molo and 29 |All 89 groups are duly registered. These |

| |registered with the Department of |registration (database) |in Kitui), comprising of btw. 15 & |Common Interest Groups are organized according|

| |Social Services | |25 members. |to the three value chains (37 dairy groups, 30|

| | | | |horticulture, 21 poultry and one mixed group).|

| | | | | |

| | | | |Number of groups to increase in the next |

| | | | |quarter with registration of the newly mapped |

| | | | |members. |

|12 |At least 2,040 individual and 100 |Project beneficiaries’ and |At least 80% of the women have bank |Group account numbers and signatories |

| |group bank accounts |group databases |accounts. All the registered groups |documented. |

| | | |have bank accounts and deposit their| |

| | | |group savings in their bank | |

| | | |accounts. | |

|COMPONENT 2: Enhance Women Farmers’ Lobbying and Advocacy Capacities for Essential Services to Improve Production |

|1. |Advocacy capacity and training |Reports |Advocacy needs and issues are |Women started actively advocating for |

| |needs identified | |identified. |essential services. |

|2. |100 women farmers groups trained to|Training reports, List of |60 advocacy champions identified and|Advocacy champions trained their groups on how|

| |lobby and advocate for change |participants |trained (30 per region, among them |to lobby and advocate for change. |

| | | |21 women & 9 men). | |

|3. |2 viable plans of actions for |Plans |2 advocacy strategies developed (one|Leaders at county level attended the |

| |advocacy initiatives developed (one| |per region) |stakeholders’ dialogue and fledged their |

| |in each project area) | |Participation of women leaders in |support to the project. |

| | | |decision making as recognized by |Continuous advocacy processes ongoing |

| | | |duty bearers. |facilitated by courtesy calls to duty bearers |

| | | | |and stakeholders. |

|4. |3 sets of information packs on |Sample of info packages |Tools to be used include county |Two advocacy fact sheets developed. The |

| |advocacy issues developed and | |advocacy fact sheets (1 per region) |community advocacy guide was developed. It |

| |disseminated to project | |and a community advocacy |will be printed and disseminated in the next |

| |beneficiaries | |step-by-step guide. |quarter |

|5. |3,400 beneficiaries participate in |Reports of dialogue |Dialogues ongoing at group level; to|Local dialogue meetings ongoing as follow up |

| |12 local to local dialogue meetings|meetings, Lists of |be coordinated at sub-county level. |to the advocacy. |

| | |participants | | |

|6. |Regular dissemination of |Sample newspapers, radio |The two stakeholders’ dialogues that|Newsprint used to guide discussions on |

| |information to communities through |footages, website |were held in Nakuru (10/06) and |agricultural innovations. Radio listening |

| |radio, newspapers, community | |Kitui (10/07) were covered by the |sessions planned. |

| |centres, websites, and mobile | |local media. | |

| |options | | | |

|7. |6 informal project advisory board |Minutes of the meetings |Officials in the two counties have |2 Seed fund Committees formed and meetings |

| |meetings conducted | |been approached for potential |held on 2nd and 7th October 2014. |

| | | |nominees to the board. | |

|COMPONENT 3: Enhance Women Farmers’ Business Capacities and Facilitate Market Linkages |

|1. |40 local community-based |Sample training curriculum/|59 coaches trained (31 from Molo & |Coaches trained their group members |

| |coaches/instructors trained and |manual, Training report and|28 from Kitui). | |

| |equipped to train others on |List of participants | | |

| |business skills | | | |

|2. |3,400 beneficiaries trained on |Sample training curriculum/|All mapped women (2,150) attended |Coaches continue training their groups at |

| |business and entrepreneurial |manual, Training reports |training sessions at group level by |meetings. |

| |skills, using a group-based |and Lists of participants |either sector experts or group | |

| |approach | |coaches. | |

|3. |3 specialized packages for |Sample packages (Kiswahili,|Financial literacy and business |Specialized packages to be developed based on |

| |financial literacy and business |Kikuyu and Kamba and |skills are key areas of module 2. |identified gaps and to prepare women farmers |

| |skills developed in local |Kalenjin ) | |for the project’ seed funds (component 4). |

| |languages, printed and disseminated| | | |

|4. |40 local community-based |Sample training curriculum/|41 coaches trained in Nakuru on |Further equipping of coaches planned through |

| |coaches/instructors trained and |manual, Training report and|dairy development. |best practice visits. |

| |equipped to train others on dairy |List of participants | | |

| |development | | | |

|5. |2,500 beneficiaries in 70 groups |Sample training curriculum/|Members of all 37 dairy CIGs trained|Training by the trained coaches ongoing at |

| |trained on dairy development |manual, Training reports |(approx. 644 women farmers) |group level. |

| | |and Lists of participants | | |

|6. |1 specialized package for dairy |Sample packages (Kiswahili,|Package developed (module 3) |Management practices summarized as handouts |

| |development developed in local |Kikuyu Kalenjin and Kamba) | |for dissemination. |

| |languages, printed and disseminated| | | |

|7. |20 local community-based |Sample training curriculum/|49 coaches trained on horticulture |Coaches trained on the developed training |

| |coaches/instructors trained and |manual, Training report and|development (25 in Nakuru and 24 in |content by sector experts. |

| |equipped to train others on |List of participants |Kitui). | |

| |horticulture development | | | |

|8. |400 beneficiaries in 15 groups |Sample training curriculum/|Members of all CIGs engaged in |Training by coaches continues. |

| |trained on horticulture development|manual, Training reports |horticulture (23 Molo and 8 Kitui) | |

| | |and Lists of participants |trained on horticultural development| |

| | | |(approx. 744). | |

|9. |1 specialized package for |Sample packages (Kiswahili,|Package developed (Module 5). |Management practices summarized in handouts |

| |horticulture development |Kikuyu, Kalenjin and | |for dissemination. |

| |developed in local languages, |Kamba) | | |

| |printed and disseminated | | | |

|10. |20 local community-based |Sample training curriculum/|24 coaches trained on poultry |Coaches continually backstopping their groups |

| |coaches/instructors trained and |manual, Training report and|development |on technical issues. |

| |equipped to train others on |List of participants | | |

| |poultry development | | | |

|11. |500 beneficiaries in 15 groups |Sample training curriculum/|456 women farmers trained. |Trainings on-going by the coaches. |

| |trained on poultry development |manual, Training reports | | |

| | |and Lists of participants | | |

|12. |1 specialized package for poultry |Sample packages (Kiswahili,|Package developed (Module 4). |Key management practices summarized as |

| |development developed in local |Kikuyu , Kalenjin and | |handouts for dissemination. |

| |languages, printed and disseminated|Kamba) | | |

|13. |National training workshop for 20 |Workshop report, List of |Training of Trainers (ToT) for 40 |The main objective of the ToT was to train the|

| |agri-based experts from each of the|participants |lead agri-preneurs (20 from Kitui |entrepreneurs to develop enterprise |

| |two project areas | |and 20 from Nakuru) organized on 22 |development plans (EDPs). |

| | | |& 23 September 2014. | |

|14. |Enterprise development roadmaps |Roadmaps |Strengthen enterprise plans for lead|Individual coaching is for 20 lead |

| |developed | |entrepreneurs with identified gaps |entrepreneurs to strengthen their enterprise |

| | | |for individual capacity |held on the 29th & 30th October 2014 in Nakuru|

| | | |strengthening. |and 18th & 19th November in Kitui. |

|15. |7 sets of publications prepared, |Sample of publications, |Not yet done. |To be developed based on the enterprises |

| |printed and disseminated for |Dissemination lists | |supported by the project. |

| |promotion of women farmers | | | |

| |entrepreneurs | | | |

|16. |10 market champions and 10 lead |List of beneficiaries, |A group of 60 market champions’ |Market visits held on the 27th to 29th |

| |entrepreneurs identified and their |Training reports |identified, initial training done. |October 2014 and 5th to 7th November 2014 in |

| |capacities strengthened | |A total of 86 market champions |Nakuru and Nairobi respectively. A total of |

| | | |trained on 15th & 16th September 2014|19women participated, 12 from Nakuru and 7 |

| | | |in Nakuru and 18th & 19th September |from Kitui. |

| | | |2014 in Kitui. Market visits | |

| | | |conducted for market champions and | |

| | | |lead entrepreneurs in Nairobi, Nakuru| |

| | | |and Kitui to source for potential | |

| | | |markets for their agricultural | |

| | | |produce. | |

|17. |3,400 beneficiaries specifically |Workshop reports, List of |The trained market champions (approx.|Feedback meetings from the training as well |

| |trained in division-level workshops|participants |one per group) have been equipped to |as market visits held at group level during |

| |on market linkages and market | |enhance the collective marketing |group meetings |

| |information sources | |capacities of their group members. | |

|COMPONENT 4: Empower Women to Improve their Production Capabilities on Specific Commodities and Enhance their Access to Microfinance to Strengthen |

|Enterprises |

|1. |4 specialized MFI packages on |Sample MFI packages, |Seed Fund/Grant Operations Manual | |

| |lending guidelines developed, |dissemination list |(SGOM) approved by World Bank on 18th | |

| |printed and disseminated | |June 2004. | |

|2. |Administrative grant provided to a |ToR, MoU |Official negotiations with two |Negotiations with Equity Bank are still |

| |selected MFI/Bank to administer the| |financial service providers (Equity |ongoing and IFC/World Bank have recommended |

| |seed funding mechanisms | |Bank for Nakuru and Cooperative Bank |GROOTS to bring on board a professional |

| | | |for Kitui) began this quarter. Field |banker/micro-finance expert to support the |

| | | |assessment visits were organized on 15|finalization of the MoU. |

| | | |August to Nakuru and on 10 September | |

| | | |to Kitui. | |

| | | |The draft MoU is with the legal | |

| | | |department of Equity Bank. | |

| | | |Field assessment visit to Kitui with | |

| | | |Equity Bank representatives on 13th | |

| | | |October 2014 folowing failed talks | |

| | | |with Cooperative Bank. | |

|3. |2 Seed Funding Advisory Committees |ToR, List of members, |SGOM explains institutional framework |6 project seed fund committees have been |

| |established (one in each project |Minutes of the meetings |for the administration of the seed |created (one per sub-county). Member of the |

| |area) | |funds, incl. sub-county Seed Fund |SFC include technical agricultural experts, |

| | | |Committees. |women representatives, FSP and GROOTS Kenya. |

| | | | |Meetings held on 2nd and 7th October 2014 in |

| | | | |Kitui and Nakuru Counties respectively. The |

| | | | |Committee members reviewed and approved BNF |

| | | | |items to be procured for women farmers. |

|4. |40 community instructors trained to|Training report, List of |SGOM provides operational guidelines |Inductions on the two other project funds |

| |support communities utilize and |participants |for the administration of the three |(Group Revolving Fund and Lead Entrepreneur |

| |backstop lending guidelines | |project funds. |Fund) shall be carried out in the next |

| | | |178 group leaders (2 per CIGs) have |quarter (Jan-Mar 2015). |

| | | |been inducted on the principles and | |

| | | |application process of the Basic Need | |

| | | |Fund (BNF). The training in Nakuru took| |

| | | |place between 25 & 28/08 and in Kitui | |

| | | |on 01 & 02/09.2014. | |

|5. |3,400 beneficiaries trained in |Training reports, Lists of|1,616 farmers from Molo received |FSPs & financial literacy consultant to |

| |financial literacy using a |participants |initial Financial Literacy Training. |provide further financial capacity building.|

| |group-based approach | | | |

|6. |3,400 beneficiaries trained on |Training reports, Lists of|As mentioned 180 group leaders have |Individual and group applications for the |

| |lending guidelines and loans |participants |been trained on the BNF and they have |BNF have been developed, distributed and |

| |application and utilization using a| |inducted their group members on the |filled by mapped women farmers. A total of |

| |group-based approach | |same. |1,846 applications received in initial phase|

| | | | |of BNF; 594 from Kitui and 1252 from Nakuru.|

|7. |100 Group Loans amounting to 2,500 |List of group |Not yet started. |Disbursement of the project Group Revolving |

| |USD each disbursed through the |beneficiaries, MFI/Bank |However, groups formed within the |Fund planned for the next quarter (Jan-Mar |

| |Community Agribusiness Venture Fund|records |project do table banking; in Nakuru |2015). |

| | | |average group savings amount to KES | |

| | | |100,000 and the highest saving amount | |

| | | |is KES 297,000. In Kitui, the average | |

| | | |group saving is KES 40,000 while the | |

| | | |highest group saving is KES 136,000. | |

|8. |1,360 Individual Lead Entrepreneur |List of beneficiaries, |Not yet started. |Disbursement planned for the next quarter |

| |Funds of 400 USD each disbursed |MFI/Bank records |As above (component 3), lead |(Jan-Mar 2015). |

| | | |entrepreneurs are finalizing their | |

| | | |enterprise development plans that will | |

| | | |form the basis for their loan | |

| | | |application. | |

|9. |3,400 Individual Basic Needs Funds |List of beneficiaries, |1,846 BNF applications have been |Procurement and disbursement ongoing. Farms |

| |of 100 USD each disbursed |MFI/Bank records |received by the end of September (1,252|inputs, water tanks, and construction |

| | | |from Nakuru and 594 from Kitui). |materials for dairy shed and poultry units |

| | | | |disbursed to 1,127 women farmers, 593 in |

| | | | |Kitui and 534 in Molo. The items disbursed |

| | | | |are valued at Ksh 8,309,940.60 |

|COMPONENT 5: Monitoring & Evaluation and Project Management |

|1. |Project coordinating and |Staff ToRs & contracts |Project unit in place. |Finalization of the MoU with the FSP to |

| |implementing unit effectively in | | |administer the seed funds to completed in |

| |place comprising project manager, | | |the next quarter (Jan-Mar 2015). |

| |two local project field-based | | | |

| |assistants, local contractual FM | | | |

| |and procurement staff and project | | | |

| |accountant | | | |

|2. |Baseline survey carried out |ToR, Baseline report |DONE (July 2013 final report) | |

|3. |Annual work plans developed |Work plans |DONE. | |

|4. |Participatory Monitoring and |M&E system/ framework |M&E strategy in place |Project Management Information System (MIS) |

| |Evaluation system in place | |Community coaches familiarized. |developed. |

|5. |Community-led visual mapping |Mapping tools, database,|Community members take photos and use |MIS to systematize data collection and |

| |systems in place and utilized for |monitoring reports |records to track progress. |analysis. |

| |self-monitoring | | | |

|6. |Documented progress in economic |Database, mapping |Initial photographs of mapped farmers |As per point 4, project MIS developed |

| |status as a result of the |reports |stored. |(). |

| |community led visual tracking | | | |

|7. |Timely Semester Progress Reports |Reports |Done | |

| |(physical and financial progress, | | | |

| |and progress in achievement of | | | |

| |Development Outcome indicators) | | | |

|8. |A system for reports and |Database |Reports are well stored. Web-based MIS to| |

| |information management and storage| |professionalize storage developed in this| |

| |established | |quarter (access through | |

| | | |) | |

|9. |Timely project supervision, |Reports |World Bank implementation support mission|Next WB mission foreseen for February 2015 |

| |comprising visits by GROOTS Kenya | |took place in Oct 2013, | |

| |per year | |Internal monitoring mission in March | |

| | | |2014. | |

| | | |Monthly project status meetings organized| |

| | | |with the World Bank in July, August and | |

| | | |October 2014. | |

|10. |Website developed and properly |Website link |Website developed: |

| |maintained | | |

|11. |30 case-studies developed, printed|Copies of 30 case-studies |4 case studies recorded. |Case studies recorded in project newsletter.|

| |and disseminated | | | |

|12. |3 community videos produced and |Copies of videos |Women farmers’ success stories from the| |

| |disseminated | |two regions recorded. | |

| | | |DVD with video documentaries | |

| | | |disseminated. | |

|13. |500 stakeholders attending a |Workshop report/s, list of|Nakuru stakeholders meeting held on |Both stakeholder meetings were a big success|

| |national workshops where results |participants |10th June 2014 with 254 participants. |in terms of participation (numbers and |

| |and case studies are presented | |Kitui stakeholder meeting held on 10th |level). In Nakuru, the County governor and |

| | | |July 2014 with 130 participants. |his team attended the forum while in Kitui |

| | | | |the County Minister for Agriculture and a |

| | | | |number of partner NGO participated in the |

| | | | |meeting. |

|14. |Mid-term evaluation |ToRs, Report |Postponed |ToRs and recruitment of consultant planned |

| | | | |for next quarter (Jan-March 2015) |

|15. |Final implementation completion |Report |Planned for 2016. | |

| |report by GROOTS Kenya | | | |

|16. |Final impact evaluation |ToRs, Report |Planned for 2016. | |

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[1] The former Lower Yatta sub-county has been renamed Kitui Rural

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