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O- Farms Accelerator Program

Closing the Food Systems Loop in Kenya

Overview

Kenya loses at least Sh72 billion in food waste and post-harvest losses at different stages of the value chain (FAO and USAID Report, 2020).  By 2050, it’s estimated that the Earth’s population will be 9B hence the urgency to find a sustainable solution to feed the growing population without depleting the earth’s resources.

Agri-circularity creates a more sustainable food system that drives innovation through developing innovative business models that reduce agricultural losses thereby creating new economic opportunities and jobs in the region. In this regard, Kenya is able to sustainably feed its growing population, without depleting the natural resources.

About the Program:

O-Farms is the first African SME accelerator completely focused on circular agribusiness.  It is an initiative supported by the IKEA Foundation to help scale circular agribusiness innovations in East Africa.

O-Farms, led by Bopinc and Village Capital, is focused on accelerating the next generation of innovative circular agribusinesses in Ethiopia and Kenya. In doing so, O-Farms will build innovation support infrastructure that enables circular agribusiness to grow and develop. 

In Kenya, E4Impact Accelerator will implement the O Farm’s Agri-circularity Accelerator Program targeted to SMEs within the agribusiness circular economy that aims to support the SMEs to refine their innovations, strengthen their business models, access financing opportunities and create a founding community advocating for better adoption of a circular economy and supportive policies & legislation.

E4Impact’s Agri-circularity Accelerator Program implemented with the support of Village Capital and BopInc is a 6-month program targeted to SMEs within the agribusiness circular economy. The program aims to support the SMEs to refine their innovations, strengthen their business models, access financing opportunities and create a founding community advocating for better adoption of a circular economy and supportive policies & legislation.

The O-Farms accelerator program seeks circular agribusiness in Kenya that meet the criteria as described below to apply  for the program that officially runs between October 2021 and  March 2022

Program Benefits:

Grow and scale your business with the support of Agri-circularity Accelerator Program Accelerator by accessing the following services:

  1. Customized training program on agri-circularity businesses
  2. Technical Assistance to embed circularity principles in the business model including strengthening the systems and processes.
  3. Coaching and Mentorship – personalized and group coaching to unpack training into business implementation
  4. Links to financial and investment opportunities
  5. Networking and peer learning to strengthen innovations and build a community of best practices in agri-circularity.
  6. Competitive peer-to-peer awarded seed grants of up to Euro 25,000 (for 2 selected enterprises)

Join the O-Farms Accelerator TODAY!

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SME Criteria

To be part of the Agri-circularity Accelerator Program, the SMEs should have:

  • Must be in the agricultural sector
  • Must be an innovative solution / business model for reducing food losses, or valorising the by-products generated in food production or processing, back into the food system..
  • Existing customer base (post revenue)
  • Enterprise is registered in Kenya and and Founders/Co-founders MUST be Kenyan

Innovation Criteria (Guidelines)

If you are entrepreneur tackling the food waste/loss challenge in any of the following areas and with the potential to scale (in order of preference) 

  • Food losses /waste   → human-food e.g soya chunks from soya cake by-products
  • Food losses  /waste → animal feeds e.g. sweet potato vines to animal feed
  • Food losses / waste converted → raw material for the Agri- industry eg  food waste to biodegradable food packaging
  • Food losses  /waste→ animal fertilizer (through cofermentation or composting)
  • Food losses to Bio-Energy → Briquettes

How to Apply & Deadlines

The period for applying to the program will be open for 30 days running from: 3rd September 2021-3rd October (close)

Begin your application here: https://bit.ly/38tr703

Any queries? Please send an email to accelerator.kenya@e4impact.org

Program Partners