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Kikuyu Organic Farmers' Market

Kikuyu Organic Farmers' Market (KOFM) comprises certified organic farmers from different areas in, around and near Kikuyu such as Ondiri, Baraniki, Regen, Gitaru.

The farmers are trained in organic farming from basic principles to the hands-on formulation of organic foliar and plant teas. The training takes between 2-5 days and certificates are issued to each farmer upon completion. In addition, there are several planned peer-to-peer practical sessions that occur on farms, where experienced farmers teach beginners how to go about organic farming.

They then grow various crops - fruits and vegetables on their own farms and sell the products at the farmers' market. The products brought to the market are free from chemical inputs and fertilizer residues. This is attributed to the fact that organic farming relies on bio-foliar and integrated pest control methods during food production. The farming practices are regenerative and purpose to improve the soil quality for the best yields.

There are 2 market days for fresh farm products - every WEDNESDAY and SATURDAY where clients can make orders or visit the market physically to buy their groceries. The fresh food products availed by the farmers include green leafy vegetables - kales, spinach, managu, terere, pumpkin leaves, comfrey leaves (mabaki), curly kales etc, potatoes, pumpkins, beetroots, turnips, sugarcanes, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, green and ripe bananas and many more.

There is also a shop for the value-added products brought to the market such as honey, peanut butter, granola bars, banana flours, baobab flour and powder, chia seeds, soothing chamomile tea, hibiscus petals and powders, and much more. The shop also serves as a base for client education and sensitization about organic farming and how to manage or wade off lifestyle diseases using food.

The fresh food markets have been in operation for more than 18 months and the shop has been operating for more than a year. We have received support from SGP the GEF small grants program, Both ENDS, MCDI, and Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN). This has been in form of training, finances, and resources used at the fresh food markets and shops and we are grateful for all the support we have gotten so far to enable us to scale our operations.

The farmers who market their products have various leadership structures that govern the working of the group. There is an executive committee that oversees all the activities of the group, a marketing committee, a production committee, and a quality guarantee committee. The whole group is governed by Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) principles that promote fair trade and implementation of good agricultural principles in organic farming. The group has experienced major milestones and growth since its inception and we trust that it shall continue growing and influencing more farmers and consumers to go organic!