The Export Promotion Council in collaboration with the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital through Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) and FINTRAC with the support from Small Enterprise Education Programme (SEEP) of US implemented the Value Initiative Programme (VIP) for Passion Fruits in Western Kenya. The Project sought to improve the passion fruit value chain by increasing the efficiency of the market linkages by helping small scale farmers in Western Kenya to form clusters commonly referred to as Export Production Villages (EPVs). The EPVs were then linked to markets, both local and international. The production clusters enabled small scale producers to combine their strengths so as to jointly take advantage of export market opportunities.
The project targeted beneficiary producer groups drawn from twelve (12) Districts in Western Kenya, namely; Uasin Gishu, Lugari, Busia, Bungoma East, Bungoma North, Kisumu, Trans Nzoia, Keiyo, Baringo, Teso, Mount Elgon and Nandi North.
The overall objective of the SEEP Project was to use the passion fruit value chain as an economic tool to enable the rural small holder producers to be linked to and compete in the local and international markets thereby making them viable and economically sustainable. Ultimately, the learnt lessons and success of the project would be replicated in other regions. The Council carried out profilling of groups with a view to establishing clusters (EPVs) and transforming them into company groups. Several EPVs/Clusters were identified and established.
Our work involved enhancing the management capacity of the EPVs established under the SEEP Project. We established EPV management models, developed training curriculum and conducted trainings to the EPVs.