Kilifi County Launches Agripreneur Model, Injects KSh 25.6M to Boost Farmer Cooperatives
H.E. Gideon Maitha Mung’aro formally inaugurated the Agripreneur Model in Kilifi County and disbursed a total of KSh 20.7 million to Ward Community SACCOs and KSh 4.9 million to Value Chain-Based Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs). Furthermore, he supervised the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) between the FPOs and the County Government.
This initiative is supported by the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP), currently being implemented by the Kilifi County Government. It focuses on five primary value chains in Kilifi County: indigenous chicken, dairy, cashew nuts, mangoes, and apiculture.
In Kilifi County, more than 200 Agripreneurs will provide integrated services, including farm services (mechanization), financial services (credit and insurance), market linkage services, and advisory/information services, to approximately 300 crop and livestock farmers at the ward level.
Selected youth will undergo a one-month boot camp followed by an 11-month incubation period, during which they will receive a monthly stipend of KSh 15,000. After one year, the Agripreneurs will earn commissions by facilitating access to inputs, credit, and markets for crops and livestock.
Seventeen Ward Community SACCOs will each receive a KSh 1 million inclusion grant, while seven existing SACCOs will receive KSh 900,000 each. The seven value chain-based Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) receiving a KSh 700,000 grant are:
- Mibibo Farmers’ Cooperative Society (Cashew Value Chain) in Matsangoni
- Pwani Ufanisi Farmers’ Cooperative Society Ltd (Cashew VC) in Kiwandani
- Malindi Farmers’ Cooperative Society Ltd (Mango Value Chain) in Malindi Town
- Manyeso Dairy Farmers’ Cooperative Society Ltd (Dairy VC) in Gede
- Adu Dairy Farmers’ Cooperative Society Ltd (Dairy VC) in Adu Centre
- Magarini Poultry Farmers’ Society Ltd (Chicken VC) in Gongoni
- Jibana Farmers’ Cooperative Society Ltd (Apiculture VC) in Mwandaza
This investment aims to improve smallholder farming by promoting the transition from subsistence to commercial agriculture, with a strong emphasis on value addition and market participation.