Impact story Transforming Food Systems in Kisumu: Sustainable Innovations for Nutrition and Food Security

Since its launch in 2020, HFA has been driven by the vision of creating sustainable, equitable, and resilient food systems that bridge food production and consumption. Through the establishment of FSLs, HFA creates collaborative spaces where food system actors - farmers, food processors, retailers, consumers, civil society organizations, policymakers and local experts - join forces to innovate and test solutions. These initiatives strengthen food systems against climate shocks while fostering health and well-being in African communities.

In Kisumu, Kenya, the project’s interventions have taken root in urban informal settlements, where the HFA team has focused on improving nutrition and sustainable food production.
 

The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT leads the nutrition and market system work in the Kisumu Food System Lab (FSL), focusing on enhancing diets in urban informal settlements. This lab promotes sustainable production, distribution and  consumption of diverse, nutritious and safe foods, particularly for low-income populations. To achieve this, they closely collaborate with diverse food system actors such as producers in rural and peri-urban areas of Kisumu, food distributors, retailers, consumers and policymakers to develop game-changing innovations especially targeting African Leafy Vegetables (ALVs) and fish value chains. The key activities in the Kisumu FSL include:

• Urban Gardening: Introducing urban gardening techniques for ALV production such as vertical, hanging, tin and sack gardens, trained by agricultural extension officers and the urban garden ambassadors
• Aquaponics Systems: Setting up integrated systems for fish and vegetable production trained by the agricultural extension officers and experts from the fisheries department
• Strengthening Value Chains: Piloting value chain governance models that reinforce ALV and fish value chains
• Nutrition Education: Providing essential knowledge and skills for healthy eating practices through community trainings by community health promoters and nutrition ambassadors

These interventions are not being imposed top-down, but rather have been co-created with the community. Consolata, the nutrition expert leading the education efforts, shares: “Our work in Kisumu is rooted in understanding the needs of the local population. The nutrition education sessions are a two-way process where we learn as much from the community as we teach them. This collaboration ensures that our messages are not just heard, but truly embraced.”

Similarly, Joseph, the lead for aquaponics systems in the Kisumu FSL, emphasizes the community-driven approach: “When setting up the aquaponics systems, we worked closely with local farmers and residents to tailor solutions that fit their unique needs. It’s not just about introducing new technology, it’s about ensuring the community takes ownership over the process and the results.”
 

The Kisumu Food System Lab is already demonstrating measurable impacts on dietary diversity among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) and children under five years in the community. Preliminary findings from the project reveal a positive shift in both the percentage of individuals meeting recommended dietary diversity and their mean dietary diversity scores (DDS).

Overall, 41.3% of the women who were interviewed at the start of the project (baseline), were consuming the recommended minimum dietary diversity. After the implementation of project activities, this has increased to 51.3%. A similar trend is observed with the intervention group, with an increase form 41.7% to 52.0% between baseline and endline. The mean dietary diversity scores for women already increased between the baseline and endline studies.

Similar trends are observed for the children.

These improvements reflect the tangible benefits of the project's interventions, including nutrition education, improved value chain structuring and governance for ALVs and fish, and innovative urban gardening practices.

Lilian - a mother and beneficiary of the project - shared how these changes have positively impacted her family: "Since we started participating in the project, our children are eating better, and the family’s health has improved. We don’t have to visit the hospital as often anymore. It has truly made a difference to our lives."

Her experience highlights how improved nutrition and healthier diets can transform lives, reducing healthcare needs and fostering well-being within the community.

Christine Chege - Coordinator of the FSL - highlighted the importance of the food systems approach used in Kisumu in achieving the project impacts: “The approach used in the FSL-Kisumu has been instrumental in achieving the improved dietary impacts we are observing. Using a holistic approach that addresses challenges at different stages of the value chain including consumer challenges and ensuring that the process is inclusive for all food system actors is key in any food system programming."

A standout feature of the HealthyFoodAfrica project has been the emphasis on co-creating community action plans. The project has engaged local communities in the design and implementation of interventions, ensuring that they have a say in how the systems are structured and maintained. This collaborative approach has not only fostered a sense of ownership, but also led to more effective, sustainable outcomes. The community action plans address key challenges such as nutrition awareness, food production and local value chains, creating a model of empowerment that can be scaled.