Transferable case-based lessons from value chain development in Kenya

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to critique a poverty reduction programme in the highlands of Kenya involving value chain development with 250 small-scale farmers. The paper will address how the knowledge derived from this project might be utilized to ensure the enhanced long-term sustainability of similar schemes in isolated rural areas. Literature relating to the implementation of rural poverty reduction initiatives will be integrated with the narrative of the project, the objectives of which were to support social, economic, and ecologically sound modes of production leading to a reduction in local rural poverty. A final section will relate these themes to some project-specific and transferable recommendations about the delivery of value chain projects with a particular focus on the concepts of governance, gender, and trust which are seen as central to the management of rural development projects.