As the sun rises over Asinge Village in western Kenya, Josephine Okolodi checks on her fields of finger millet with a mix of worry and excitement. For years, Josephine and other smallholder farmers here, an hour-and-a-half’s drive north of Lake Victoria, have struggled to find a market for their harvests. That’s because finger millet has long been considered an orphan crop in Kenya, leaving farmers with more produce than they can sell. But no longer.
For about a year now, Josephine has been part of an innovative partnership that connects over 400 millet farmers in her region to a consistent market for the first time. That means she can finally make a profit, thanks to the partnership between global consumer goods manufacturer Unilever, the public-private partnership Farm to Market Alliance, which links smallhoder farmers to markets and solutions, and TruTrade, a social enterprise that does the same.
In addition to selling her own harvest, Josephine is now working as a sourcing agent with TruTrade, which earns her a commission.
“This season I have been able to buy more than 12 tonnes of finger millet,” she says, which is a first for her. The boost in production is “a result of good agricultural practices that farmers have learnt from FtMA,” she says.
Farmers like Simon Okedi bring their millets to Josephine’s collection point, where she performs quality checks based on market specifications. She then weighs the produce and makes a payment request through the mobile application weSource. The farmer receives a receipt and payment directly to their phone.
"We're proud of the market we've got,” says Simon. “We can sell our millets at any time and volume we want. If we have a school fees emergency, we just bring our millets to the Farmer Service Centre. And in less than 30 minutes, we get our payment."
It’s a far cry from previous years, when Simon had to walk long distances to find a buyer, who would only take a few kilos. And getting paid took days.
Steady demand now means a steady stream of income, which brings peace of mind to farming families. It also improves nutrition, since they can buy more diverse foods.
Now “even my health has improved”, says Josephine, “and I have gained weight".
Something else local women have gained is confidence to grow for trade and support their households.
“Currently, it's not only the man who does farm work or provides for children's education. Women have also started farming,” she says. “We plant knowing we have a market."
