Bountifield International Announces New Project in Kenya
Bountifield International Announces New Project in Kenya
Market-led project expected to improve the lives of over 16,500 farmers in the first year.
Minneapolis— February 24, 2020 – Bountifield International, a U.S. -based NGO that provides sustainable solutions for ending hunger in Africa is announcing the launch of a new project in Kenya. The project will focus on creating opportunities for rural African entrepreneurs with tools and services to efficiently process, save, and sell more food. Bountifield expects that over 16,500 people will use services provided by partner entrepreneurs within the first year, further impacting 50,000 people in rural households with more access to quality food.
“This program will help to increase the availability of much needed postharvest processing technologies that will improve food production, increase employment opportunity and create more equitable, sustainable growth across Africa,” said Alexandra Spieldoch, CEO of Bountifield International.
Despite Kenya having experienced a recent period of economic growth, hunger and poverty remain persistent particularly in rural areas, where over a quarter of children under five suffer from malnutrition-related stunting. Around 30 percent of crops are lost before being eaten or sold, often due to inefficiencies in postharvest processing among small-scale farmers. Many farmers lack access to resources like efficient processing tools, information on food safety, business best practices, and financing which can severely limit their ability to process, save and, sell food. By bridging the gaps separating them from resources, small-scale farmers have the potential to process millions of dollars’ worth of additional food per year that would result in more income for them and more food security in rural communities.
Market-Led Approach
The Kenya project will further Bountifield’s market-led approach, which invests in the power of local entrepreneurs to create businesses utilizing a portfolio of tools and services. Small-scale processors will work with Bountifield to develop tailored businesses models incorporating onsite processing, where farmers bring their crops to the processor, mobile processing, where the processor travels to farmers, and/or equipment rental, where processors might rent equipment to nearby end-users. These businesses will increase the amount of locally available food and greatly bolster economic activity, and therefore incomes, in rural communities.
About Bountifield International
Founded in 1981 as Compatible Technology International, Bountifield International is a U.S.-based nonprofit whose mission is to create opportunities across Africa for rural entrepreneurs with tools and services to efficiently process, save, and sell more food. The result is small businesses and farmers increase their incomes, more jobs are created, and Africa feeds herself and the world.
Bountifield International is a 501(c)3 organization headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota with offices in Senegal and Malawi.
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For more information, press only:
Ricardo Romero, Communications Manager
651-632-3912
Ricardo@Bountifield.org
For more information:
www.Bountifield.org