ESTABLISHMENT OF 20 SEEDLING NURSERIES IN 14 FARMERS COOPERATIVES ACROSS BUNGOMA, NANDI AND KERICHO COUNTIES

PROJECT: The Traceable Organic Coffee from Kenya Project (TRACE Kenya – DANIDA – SOLIDARIDAD – ACR – TWISTED LEAF)

1. About Solidaridad

Solidaridad East and Central Africa is a not-for-profit organisation based in Nairobi, Kenya that strives to be an organisation that understands the signs of modern times. Established in 2008 Solidaridad ECA is part of Solidaridad Network, a Dutch based development organisation operating in five continents through eight Regional Expertise Centres. With its network secretariat in The Netherlands, Solidaridad has over 50 years of global experience working in the development of profitable supply chains and creating sustainable businesses and livelihoods. Solidaridad envisions a world in which all we produce, and all we consume can sustain us while respecting the planet, each other and the next generations. Solidaridad embraces the public-private partnerships in order to innovate, speeding up change and taking success to scale. Globally, Solidaridad works across 13 commodities / sectors. Coffee is one of them.

For more information, please refer to http://www.solidaridadnetwork.org

1.1 Introduction

Kenya’s coffee production continues to be increasingly smallholder dominated as large plantations, especially in the growing areas that border urban centres give way to housing developments. Both National and County governments are promoting coffee farming in non-traditional coffee growing areas as well as the rehabilitation of abandoned farms to ensure sustained production. The total area under coffee is estimated at 160,000 hectares, about one third of which is the plantation sector and the rest under the smallholder sector with an estimated 700,000 growers.

1.2 Project Summary

The shift toward sustainable food consumption patterns and preferences is attributed to the health and environmental risks associated with some harmful farming practises in conventional agriculture, including use of synthetic fertilisers or harmful pesticides. To meet this growing demand for sustainable products and services, more retailers are increasingly sourcing for organic produce. Through the Traceable Organic Coffee from Kenya Project (TRACE Kenya), smallholder farmers (30% women and 10 % youth) in Kericho, Nandi and Bungoma counties are gradually converting into organic coffee production. Our approach is focused on capacity building initiatives and interactive training on innovative farming practises, facilitating access to high yielding and disease resistant coffee varieties and promoting eco-friendly technologies in organic coffee production. Adoption of organic agricultural practises is slowly stimulating development of organic inputs supply chains and innovations as well as improved coffee quality and volumes increasing farmer incomes and creating new job opportunities. In addition, the youth are being equipped with the right skills to enable them to pursue economic opportunities on and off the farm in relation to coffee production. Within the Kenyan coffee sector, the trend towards organic and sustainable practises is a strategic move that allows more local farmers to access the competitive high value markets while contributing to reduction of the associated health risks and negative environmental impacts and promoting sustainable use of the earth’s resources. Our partner African Coffee Roasters EPZ Limited (ACR) is committed to adding value by locally roasting certified organic coffee and producing sustainable coffee brands for their clients in Europe and beyond. The project’s ultimate innovation is not only in the delivery of the first organic certified Kenyan coffee from smallholder farmer cooperatives to global consumers but also to improve their productivity and quality of coffee produced after the transition.

Through our new partnership (in 2022) with Twisted Leaf, the TRACE Kenya project will integrate interventions that will allow for utilisation of dried organic certified coffee leaves in the manufacture of beverages. This diversification approach will make it possible for smallholder coffee farmers to earn extra income from selling both certified cherry/green bean and dried coffee leaves. Implementing this new model alongside climate-smart farming practises and the introduction of smallholder coffee farmers to carbon trading through the ACORN Platform, will not only improve circularity and biodiversity but also create additional revenue streams for thousands of smallholder farmers in Kenya.

2.0 Assignment Objective (s)

The impacts of climate change are already widespread and the consequences have been witnessed all around the world. Any fluctuations in temperature, rainfall, humidity, soil nutrients, moisture, sunlight, aeration and soil temperature have a direct impact on the growth and productivity of coffee plants. Hence, adaptation of mitigation strategies involving actions to reduce global warming is an important option to overcome the impact of climate variations on coffee production.

In response, Solidaridad through the TRACE Kenya Project seeks to establish 20 seedling nurseries measuring 10m by 20m to facilitate smallholder agroforestry projects among over 15,000 smallholder coffee farmers in Nandi, Kericho and Bungoma. These nurseries will provide seedlings for recommended shade trees (Cordia sp, Leucaena sp, Sesbania sp etc.) which are suitable for use in coffee intercrops as shade trees, nitrogen fixing and also for use on the making of green manures. The propagators will be key in raising more coffee seedlings for farmers as a way to counter the seedling shortage that is eminent in the 3 counties.

Planting new trees is one of the most effective ways to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and limit global warming. As trees grow, they remove CO2 from the air through photosynthesis, representing a cost-effective solution for mitigating climate change working in addition to acting as a natural reservoir to store carbon. Trees and vegetation also lower surface and air temperatures by providing shade and through evapotranspiration. Shaded surfaces, for example, may be approximately 11–25°C cooler than the peak temperatures of unshaded materials; this reduces the adverse effects of prolonged drought to the crop.

As coffee can only be cultivated once a year and yield is significantly impacted by climatic changes, coffee farmers are vulnerable to external factors such as price volatility and weather changes. By maximising conditions for coffee plantations, agroforestry provides for a better quality and higher crop yield, stabilising the farmers’ main source of income. Agroforestry also diversifies the income stream of coffee communities, who can harvest other crops or benefit from their secondary products to generate year-long income opportunities. Additionally, crops such as fruits and nuts can be used for personal consumption, providing an added benefit of food security.

3.0 Expected outputs & Deliverables

The consultant is expected to deliver following outputs:

a) The service provider is to set up 20 state of the art seedling nurseries of 10m by 20m across the 3 counties in a period of 2 months.

b) The service provider will construct 20 coffee propagators within 20 nurseries, 1 propagator per site.

c) Train 10 ToTs per cooperative on the nursery management.

d) Carry out at 5 follow up and monitoring visits for each of the nurseries in the subsequent 4 months post set-up for assessment on seedlings set up.

5.1 Coordination and Cooperation

● The Consultant undertaking the study will work under the coordination of Solidaridad (ECA).

● Solidaridad will source for ready seedlings and seeds for planting of the various trees.

6.1 Inputs

a) Solidaridad shall provide the consultant with background information on the TRACE Kenya Project.

b) Solidaridad shall introduce the consultant to the relevant Project team for preparatory planning. It will be the responsibility of the consultant to make contact with any external relevant organisation while keeping Solidaridad in correspondence

c) The consultant is expected to refer and adhere to statutory regulations of the Cooperative Act in Kenya.

d) Solidaridad in consultation with project partners shall mobilise and avail trainees for the particular exercise as per the schedule shared by the consultant.

7.0 Duration of the Assignment

This assignment shall run from July 2022 to October 2022.

8.0 Experts/Consultant’s;

Develop a comprehensive expression of interest (E.O.I) outlining:

• A short profile of the firm/consultant, including photos of previous work.

• Firm/Consultants statement on the interpretation of the TOR, methodology of execution, work plan and budget.

• At least a references of similar assignments undertaken in the last 3 years

• It is desirable if the consultant/firm has previous experience in setting up s and managing nurseries.