Projects

Agriculture is the backbone of Kenya’s economy: the sector accounts for 25% of gross domestic product and 65% of the country’s total export earnings. Composed largely of small-scale production (75% of the total agriculture outputs), the sector faces structural deficits such as stagnant productivity, expensive farm inputs, poor storage facilities and weak market competition. 

Large- and small-scale horticulture is a key contributor to Kenya’s economy, but has a significant negative impact on the local environment, including through unsustainable water consumption and pollution from the use of fertilizers and pesticides.

The greatest challenges facing eco-enterprises are a lack of access to knowledge, networks, financing and high-quality business development services and poor enabling conditions, including a shortage of skilled people at the community level.

Kenya has 14 operating tanneries, most of which face challenges pertaining to limited modernization and effluent management. Approximately 95% of the leather produced is being exported in a semi-processed state (wet blue), earning approximately $160 million a year.

The problem of the collection, management and disposal of waste continues to feature prominently in major towns and cities across African countries. This has led to contamination of water bodies and to the spread of waterborne diseases and other health hazards. In most African countries, waste generation is the result of a rapidly growing urban population, along with the changing patterns of production and consumption inherent to a more urban lifestyle and the consequent industrialization.

Most micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and business membership organizations are necessity-driven rather than growth-oriented. They are constrained by low start-up capital, a low level of innovation, invention and skill investment, low value addition, an imitation culture, low survival rates, limited access to markets and/or saturated markets, inadequate training and inadequate access to appropriate, tailor-made business development services.

The Kakamega Forest Reserve is the only surviving rainforest in Kenya. The forest provides a unique sanctuary for a remarkable diversity of endemic plants, birds and insects not found anywhere else in Kenya. It is also an important watershed for some of the rivers that flow into Lake Victoria.

There is a global trend towards increased consumer and tourist demand for socially and environmentally responsible products, particularly in eco-sensitive destinations such as Africa. In over-saturated safari tourism markets throughout the continent, there is rising competition among local brands and businesses to win market share.

Nearly a million people visit Kenya each year. How can Kenyans capitalise on the country’s rich cultural heritage and stunning nature while also maintaining it? Community Based Tourism (CBT) allows Kenya to position their local communities as centres of economic development and social wellbeing.

Tourism is Kenya’s third largest foreign exchange earner and a major employer, accounting for about 12% of total employment and 13.7% of gross domestic product. The tourism industry is based on a diverse range of natural, social, human and physical resources, but faces challenges in terms of sustainable development. For example, over 80% of all visits are concentrated in seven parks, and the seasonal nature of tourism further aggregates the stress on natural resources during peak seasons and reduces the efficiency of infrastructure and staff during low seasons.