KFIE Quarterly Progress Report - Quarter IV, 2013

- International Development Division under a hybrid fixed-price contract with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Kenya Mission. The program's overarching goal is to harness innovation for cutting-edge results through private sector-oriented strategies to generate significant measurable increases in household income and/or nutrition through efforts in selected agricultural value chains. KFIE serves as a mechanism by which innovations that support food security and nutrition are proactively sought, incubated, and scaled up for widespread impact, particularly across target populations within the Kenya Feed the Future (FTF) focus regions. The program announced its first open and competitive call for innovations in agriculture and nutrition in March 2013, in conjunction with the USAID/Kenya Horticulture Competitiveness Project (KHCP). Selected from a pool of 188 initial applications, 19 shortlisted finalists submitted in-depth proposals and delivered innovator pitches to the Innovation Engine's Investment Advisory Committee (IAC) in August. The innovations that are under final-stage consideration towards possible award include interventions for soil fertility, biological pest control, fusion farming, postharvest storage, and information and communications technology (ICT) platforms for farmer information services and supply chain management. Once approved by USAID, these award recipients will receive catalytic grant funding as well as tailored hands-on short-term technical assistance (STTA) and mentoring towards further development of their innovations and strengthening of organizational capacity. KFIE will actively promote and champion market adoption of these innovations, with sustainability and local ownership serving as guiding principles. The program team and USAID are presently undertaking due diligence on 8 of these finalists. The innovations that are under final-stage consideration towards possible award include interventions for soil fertility, biological pest control, fusion farming, postharvest storage, and information and communications technology (ICT) platforms for farmer information services and supply chain management. The KFIE team has been working to maintain program activity despite the recent terrorist attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, which forced the closure of offices within Peponi Plaza in Westlands. The team has been operating from offsite locations and is expected to return to the office by mid-October. The program has also assembled the Investment Advisory Committee (IAC) required to review in-depth proposals received from shortlisted finalists and make subsequent award recommendations to USAID. The IAC is constituted by principals and alternates drawn from Land O'Lakes, Dalberg, IDEO.org, the USAID/Kenya Agriculture, Business and Environment Office (ABEO), and USAID/Kenya Horticulture Competitiveness Program (KHCP) as well as independent agribusiness and investor representatives. The IAC has reviewed in-depth proposals received from shortlisted finalists and made recommendations to USAID. The program will convene a tripartite (Land O'Lakes/Dalberg/IDEO.org) working group to undertake preliminary needs assessments towards structuring of short-term technical assistance (STTA) delivery for selected innovations in the forthcoming quarter. KFIE team members have attended training programs, including the "Linking Farmers to Markets in Africa" training course organized by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) in Nairobi from 1st to 4th July. The program has also been working to strengthen the capacity of its team members, with several attending training programs in the past quarter.