Accelerate circular enterprises to design out food waste in East Africa
O-Farms Project
About The Project
In the coming decades, the East Africa region will have to produce enough safe, nutritious, and affordable food for an ever-growing population, while adapting to climate change and other crises.
By 2030, governments of the world have committed to ending hunger and achieving food security for all (SDG2). Where food security used to be addressed mostly by looking at increasing productivity, discussions around SDG2 are increasingly about how to feed growing populations in such a way that the planet can sustain this production.
And while many initiatives in the region have started to focus on mainstreaming circular principles in agriculture, the rate of adoption of these principles is falling behind the ever-increasing growth of food consumption and production across Africa. It is vital that we make the most out of food and the resources needed to produce it.
This project represents the continuation of O-Farms phase one, moving into its second phase, it aims to builds on results and learnings of O-Farms phase 1.
The project will scaleup the Accelerator activities that were successfully “piloted” with the 40 enterprises in O-Farms 1 and welcome another 100 circular enterprises in Kenya and Uganda.
Theory of change
O-Farms aims to strengthen the entrepreneur support ecosystems in Kenya and Uganda for SMEs to play a critical role in designing out waste from the regional food system (ie. our highest-level outcome shown in the Theory of Change below). A growing, maturing cadre of circular agribusiness SMEs will help reduce food losses, creating positive impact by easing the pressure that food production and processing puts on planetary boundaries.
Project strategies
O-Farms 2 is structured based on four main strategies.
- Strategy 1: Grow SMEs to improve the viability and impact of their circular business activities (target group: circular SMEs of medium and large size, and non-circular SMEs of medium and large size that are in the process of becoming circular)
- Strategy 2: Nurture small and starting SMEs to launch their circular business ideas in the market (target group: circular SMEs of small size and startups)
- Strategy 3: Bolster in-country entrepreneurial support capacity that is optimised for circular SMEs (target group: ESOs and individual business coaches)
- Strategy 4: Exchange learnings and influence policy change for circular SMEs to thrive (target group: policy makers and other ecosystem actors)
Vision and mission
Contribute to the mainstreaming of circular agribusiness principles in East Africa by working directly with pioneering enterprises and those following their footsteps.
Implementating Partners
Implementation Period
The total project duration is 5,5 years. With an expected start date of April 1st 2024, this means the project would end by September 30th, 2029.
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