Quarterly Progress Report - Quarter III, 2013

- International Development 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 to generate measurable increases in household income and/or nutrition through selected agricultural value chains, including horticulture, maize, ruminant livestock, and staple food crops. The KFIE serves as a mechanism to proactively identify, incubate, and scale up innovations that support food security and nutrition, particularly in the target populations within the Feed the Future (FTF) focus regions. These regions include the High Rainfall Zone 1 (HR1), Semi-Arid Zone 2 (SA2), and arid counties of Garissa, Isiolo, Marsabit, Turkana, and Wajir. During the past quarter, the KFIE program team appraised nearly 200 applications received in response to the first solicitation wave, and 15 applicants at the proof of concept stage and 7 at pilot roll-out were invited to submit in-depth innovation proposals for funding and technical assistance consideration. The program also extended financial and logistical support for the inaugural East Africa Farmer-Led Innovation Fair (EAFIF) in Nairobi, showcasing the achievements of 50 smallholder farmers and grassroots innovators from Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The KFIE program is currently facing delays in determining a implementation path for implementing programmatic elements, particularly those relating to the selection of promising innovations and subsequent coaching/mentoring and evidence-based testing. However, the situation is expected to progressively improve and stabilize over the coming months. The KFIE program management team has undergone changes, with Nancy Amayo transitioning from her position in the USAID/Kenya Dairy Sector Competitiveness Project (KDSCP) to the Grants and Operations Manager position on the KFIE program team. Additionally, Dr. Mutuku Kavoi, Assessment and Evaluation Specialist, was granted a royal fellowship to attend a training course on monitoring and impact assessment of food and nutrition security programs at the Wageningen University. Other training undertaken by KFIE team members over the past quarter includes: * Dr. Mutuku Kavoi, Assessment and Evaluation Specialist, attended a training course on "Developing Private Sector Agro-Input Markets: Designing and Implementing Targeted Input Subsidies" organized by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) in Nairobi from April 8th to 12th. * Nancy Amayo, Grants and Operations Manager, attended an "Investment Manager Training Course" organized by the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) in Nairobi from June 24th to 28th. The KFIE program is committed to supporting innovations through various stages, from proof of concept to transition to scale, and will continue to work towards achieving its goals and objectives.