Kenyan farmers supported for better access to 'smart water' products and services

Dutch development organisation SNV has announced the Smart water for agriculture (SWA) programme for Kenya which will increase water productivity, income and food security by developing climate-smart and market-led ‘smart water' products and services.

This six million euro four-year programme is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kenya.

SNV Kenya will manage the overall program and responsible for the implementation is a consortium with match making foundation Aqua for All, research and consultancy firm MetaMeta, business development organisation Practica and Royal Tropical Institute (KIT).

More crop per drop
Kenya smart water for agriculture programme will promote market-led water management solutions to support 20,000 farmers in five countries to increase their yields without increasing their costs.

By using less water and energy to decrease their input costs, these small and medium-sized entrepreneurial (SME) farmers are expected to increase the income and profitability of their farms.

Developing a sustainable market for such products by enabling private sector business growth is also an important objective.

Therefore the programme will support the development of 'smart water' products, processes and services which are financially accessible to SME famers, in particular women, and which facilitate off-season production.

Irrigation acceleration platforms
The programme will focus on stablishing Irrigation acceleration platforms that engage and foster collaboration between farmers, suppliers and other stakeholders.

Furthermore it aims to improve the accessibility to and adoption of 'smart water' products and services by SME farmers, including an increased range of climate-adaptive and profitable smart water options.

This includes the support of the SME farmers for better access to finance so they can invest in solutions.

Brokering business linkages between Kenyan and Dutch companies are to catalyse investment in smart water services, processes and products scaled for SME farmers.

This news item was originally published on the website of SNV and Aqua for All.

Read also on this website
● Via Water supports three Kenyan water start-ups to roll out their business plans, 18 March 2016
● MWA launches ambitious Kenya RAPID project for WASH facilities and healthy semi-arid rangelands, 19 February 2016
● Tahmo and MetaMeta selected to further develop their solutions on rainwater prediction and road water harvesting, 23 February 2015
● Unesco-IHE leads public-private initiative to bring sustainable change in Mara river basin, Kenya, 11 August 2014
● Country: Kenya

More information
SNV Kenya
Nairobi, Kenya
+254 203 873 656
www.snv.org/country/kenya