Farmers in the country have an opportunity to understand a certification process that allows them to explore market access for their produce.
This is thanks to Control Union of Kenya, an internationally operation certification body that carries out inspections, lab testing and certification for agricultural produce.
Speaking recently during a training to avocado farmers in Bomachoge, Borabu in Kisii County, the Managing Director of Control Union, Kenya James Mureithi said they were focusing on sustainable agriculture, sharing insights on certification, sustainability and market opportunities for farmers to empower them to thrive in global markets.
“As a certification body, Control Union is involved in checking the compliance. We check if the farms, producers and exporters are complying with specific market requirements. Basically, here in Kenya, we mostly focus on global gap for fresh fruits and vegetables,” he said.
Mureithi confirmed that there is a high demand for organic certification and thus they have been visiting locations where production is taking place to be able to check on compliance with requirements of the standards and once ascertained, they are able to get a certificate that enables to access the export market.
“Certification comes in as a bridge to access the export market and also for the domestic market. There are also certifications like Sh1758, the agricultural practice standard for the local market. We decided to change the way we approach certification by reaching out to farmers through a programme dubbed “Control Union Mashinani”, he added.
Mureithi explained that through the Mashinani programme, they are able to reach farmers who have not been reached at the farm level with information, training them on requirement and what they are supposed to do for their products to be accepted in the market both in the domestic and international markets.
“We have farmers in our country who know their products are harvested and sold in the export market, but they don’t know how or what happens between the time the product leaves their farms and when it leaves the market,” he said.
Mureithi said the benefits for certification ensures market access and better buyers and price, interaction one on one or directly with the markets thus getting rid of middlemen.
“Avocado is the green gold of Kenya and Africa. We know that the demand is increasing compared to other fruits that we have in the market. It does well in this area of Kisii but farmers have not embraced avocado family fully and that is why experts in the avocado value chain are here with us to sensitize farmers on the good agricultural production of avocado,” he said.
Mureithi called upon both national and county governments to come together, join other stakeholders in the industry so that farmers could get access to quality seeds, the knowledge required for them to sustainably produce avocado and other crops and finally be sensitize on the international market.
Joel Ongangi, an avocado farmer from Bomachoge, said he planted 1000 avocado trees at the beginning of last year and has been maintaining it well despite a few challenges such as pests.
“This training could not have come at a better time for me. I have listened and learned of so many things that I have been doing wrong in my land and will have to remedy on it so that I not only get certification, but I will be able to fetch better markets for my fruits,” he said.
A retired Kenya Power and Lighting Officer Joel Ongangi said he plans to move away from the conventional and practice organic farming having undergone the training that also showed him how to come up with organic manure and how to spread it across his farm.
He termed the future of avocado as promising and said he has been reaching out to his neighbours in the village to grow the fruit and together, they could move ahead.
“The money we get from avocado will be able to help us buy the maize that we keep on planting and does not have good returns and sometimes it disappoints,” he said.
The Founder of Riaima Empowerment Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (RECSA) Evans Nyakoni said communities in Kisii have very good fertile soil with predictable seasons and any type of crop could grow.
“What the farmers are lacking is the skills, good agricultural practices and production of crops that are sustainable and can bring in money in their pockets,” he said.
Nyakoni acknowledged the training by Control union saying RECSA would be the focal point on the linkages of the markets and would also help synergize the community in working together as a unit to be able to benefit from their produce.
“Coming together to share the products, considering the size of the farms that we have, bringing together our resources, harvesting and delivering for market together and ensuring that the Control union responsible for certification inspects our farms and certify farmers will yield us better returns,” Nyakoni said.
In Kenya, sustainable agriculture certification involves adherence to global standards like GLOBALG.A.P. and organic certification. The government has been promoting sustainable agriculture through national policies like the Agricultural Policy 2021 and the Agricultural Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy, alongside specialized standards such as Kenya Standard 1758 for food safety and good practices.
By Wangari Ndirangu
