The agricultural industry in Kenya employs more than 40% of the total population and 70% of the rural population, but has gradually become vulnerable to climate change. This includes the Gum Arabic sector of Kenya’s arid counties, led predominately by women harvesters and representing an important source of income for thousands of Kenyan households.
Harvest yields, as well as the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and agricultural enterprises, are being negatively impacted as a result. But the effects are only exacerbated by harmful activities such as deforestation, a lack of skills in sustainable farming, and poor market integration.
Association of Green Champions (AGC) is on a mission to address this challenge, ensuring small holder farmers can take full advantage of the opportunities presented by the Gum Arabic value chain, while better protecting the region’s environment.
AGC is taking a multi-fold approach. The enterprise is training Gum Arabic collectors with sustainable harvesting practices to promote the continued lifecycle of Acacia trees, the source of Gum Arabic; and contributing to reforestation through the establishment of Acacia tree nurseries. It is also connecting the farmers directly with commercial buyers.
With TRANSFORM’s support, AGC will be able to scale up their training initiative to 1,252 people, introducing sustainable harvesting toolkits and promoting the potential economic benefits of Gum Arabic to local communities. The project aims to create 400 new collector jobs and create 1,000 connections to traders and distributors, while supporting the reforestation of Acacia trees.
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