Preserving Food and Profits in Kenya: Marikiti Cool Room Commissioned to Empower Traders and Reduce Food Waste
On 15th January 2025, the bustling town of Machakos in the lower eastern part of Kenya witnessed a transformative milestone in food systems in Kenya; the commissioning of the Marikiti Market Cool Room. This state-of-the-art facility was officially handed over by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) to the County Government of Machakos in an event graced by H.E. Governor Wavinya Ndeti and GAIN Kenya Country Director, Ms. Ruth Okowa.
Nutrition Impact at Scale Profile
- 06/01/2025
NUTRITION IMPACT AT SCALE (NIS) Through the Nutrition Impact at Scale project, GAIN seeks to scale the impact of its work to increase access to safe and nutritious foods, especially for low-income consumers. By working with other organisations (Enterprise Support Organisations) that are willing and have the requisite capacity to attach a 'nutrition lens' to their work with small and medium enterprises (SMEs), Nutrition Impact at Scale (NIS) will enable a large-scale and accelerated nutrition impact for the larger African population. Funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, NIS uses a market systems development approach to improve food systems, increase inclusivity, and, ultimately, nutrition outcomes. The project leverages on the extensive experience GAIN have developed over the years of providing quality technical assistance, networking experience, knowledge sharing, building capacity of partners, and the provision of various tools and resources to MSMEs, to attach a 'nutrition lens' to the work of ESOs in Nigeria, Benin, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Kenya.
From fast food to fresh: How to shift Kenya's eating habits to nutritious, farm-to-fork foods
Kenya is grappling with a triple burden of malnutrition where undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overnutrition and associated diet-related non-communicable diseases coexist. An estimated 23 million Kenyans are undernourished. The Kenya Demographic Health Survey (2022) revealed that 18% of children under age 5 are stunted, 5% are wasted, and 10% are underweight. The survey found rates of obesity that were equally alarming—17% of women and 4% of men. These figures are far above global health targets, indicating that we still have a long way to go.
Sustainable Healthy Diets for Kenya's Tea Workers
- 28/10/2024
GAIN saw an opportunity to establish a workforce nutrition programme designed and implemented for both tea farmers and employed labourers of tea farms in four tea factories in Kericho County, Kenya. The programme was implemented between January 2020 and December 2022 in collaboration with the Ethical Tea Partnership, and aimed to reached 26,000 workers.
GAIN Kenya Vegetables for All Project Brief
- 09/10/2024
Vegetables for All is a Dutch Government-funded five-year project aimed at improving dietary diversity for 1.1 million urban and peri-urban Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) consumers by increasing vegetable consumption in alignment with global guidelines. The project is being implemented across five counties: Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, Nakuru, and Mombasa, and it specifically targets families with children aged 3-12 in the lower-income group, Living Standard Measure (LSM) 3-7, who earn between USD 1.9 and 3.2 per day.
Consume diverse vegetables for improved nutrition
To boost growth, development and future wellbeing, a range of diverse fruits and vegetables should form part of all our regular meals. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, and lower the risk of eye and digestive problems. Non-starchy vegetables and fruits, like apples, pears and green leafy vegetables may even promote weight loss.
Healthy Diets for Tea Communities - Kenya Results
- 09/08/2024
Poor diets are the leading cause of global ill health, resulting in malnutrition and deficiencies such as anaemia, decreased energy levels, diminished health, and decreased productivity. A diverse diet containing a wide variety of food types is more likely to provide the vitamins and minerals needed for good health, to boost brain and body development, and bolster resistance to infections. However, in 2021, more than 3.1 billion people in the world—or 42 percent of the global population—were unable to afford a healthy diet. Tea workers and farmers, predominantly women, often contend with high rates of malnutrition due to diets lacking essential nutrients. Healthy Diets for Tea Communities is a public-private collaboration between the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP), and eight leading tea companies, which aims to promote healthy diets in tea supply chains in India, Malawi, and Kenya. This document summarises programme results in Kenya.
Kiosk Vendor Training in Kenya
- 16/05/2024
GAIN, along with the Kenya Tea Development Agency Foundation (KTDA Foundation) coordinated and implemented a training package for the vegetable kiosk vendors within the community. It was targeted at food vendors and small traders around tea factories and other stakeholders around their business sites.