Scaling Up Kenyan Fair Trade Macadamia Exports

in partnership with various stakeholders. The project aims to improve the livelihoods of small-scale macadamia farmers in Kenya by increasing their access to fair trade markets and improving their production and processing capacities. The project's goals and objectives for the reporting period of April 1 to June 31, 2011, include relocating and improving plant equipment to achieve full food-grade processing capacity, increasing plant capacity to allow processing of 100 tons per season, purchasing macadamia nuts from Meru and Taita growers associations, and providing social premiums and fees to the associations. The project also aims to achieve fair trade certification and organic certification for macadamia, provide technical assistance to farmers, and export processed nuts to the US market. During the reporting period, the project achieved several milestones, including the relocation and improvement of plant equipment, the purchase of 44 tons of macadamia nuts from Embu/Meru/Taita, and the payment of social premiums and fees to the associations. The project also made progress in achieving fair trade certification and organic certification, with four groups receiving preliminary awareness training and two more groups scheduled for training in the next quarter. However, the project faced some challenges, including delays in the expected funds from Verde Ventures to upgrade the current status and the need for additional financial support to complete the organic audit. The project also experienced cost overruns, including an overspend of $690 on the organic audit and $371 on bank charges. The project's evaluation and analysis indicate that it is making progress towards achieving its objectives, but some goals were not met due to various reasons. The project's technical assistance to farmers is ongoing, and the hiring of a local coordinator to mobilize and coordinate farmers' groups has been a positive development. The project's export of processed nuts to the US market has also been successful, with a total of 5,988 kg exported amounting to $46,108. The project's financial situation is being closely monitored, and discussions are underway with Verde Ventures and SlovakAid to consider supporting the revision of the organic audit in 2011. The project's factory equipment is being upgraded, with an increase in drying capacity from 9.5 tons per batch to 20 tons by the end of April 2011. In terms of publications, the project did not produce any publications funded under the grant during the reporting period. However, the project's activities and achievements are being documented and will be shared with stakeholders in the future. Overall, the project is making progress towards achieving its objectives, but some challenges need to be addressed to ensure its success. The project's evaluation and analysis will continue to monitor its progress and provide recommendations for improvement.