Kilimo Makueni - Empowering Farmers through Data, Innovation and Knowledge

Sorghum Contract Farming, Farmer Capacity Building & Sustainable Agriculture Support Programme

Makueni County (Sorghum-growing zones)

Start Date: 2023
End Date: 2027

Contracting smallholder farmers in Makueni County for sorghum production as raw material for Senator Keg and other EABL brands.
Providing farmers with guaranteed market access through structured commodity off-take agreements.
Training farmers on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), climate-smart farming, post-harvest handling, and aflatoxin control.
Supporting farmers with access to improved seed varieties, recommended agronomic practices, and extension services.
Promoting adoption of digital agriculture tools (including the Farmforce App) for production monitoring and traceability.
Facilitating aggregation of sorghum through farmer groups, cooperatives and local aggregators.
Conducting field demonstrations on drought-tolerant cereals suited for ASAL counties like Makueni.
Supporting youth and women groups to participate in sorghum value chains through input access, training, and financial linkages.
Strengthening partnerships with the County Government of Makueni for value chain development and climate resilience.

Makueni farmers engaged in sorghum contract farming (direct and indirect).
Over 1,800 farmers trained on GAP, climate-smart production, and quality standards.
More than 1,200 MT of sorghum aggregated from the county for KBL beer production.
Improved access to certified sorghum seed for farmer groups and cooperatives.
Digital registration of Makueni farmers on the Farmforce platform for traceability and field monitoring.
Strengthened farmer groups and aggregation centres in Kibwezi, Makindu, and Nguumo.
Enhanced linkages between farmers and financial service providers for working capital and inputs.

Improved farmer incomes through guaranteed, stable, and premium market for sorghum.
Increased adoption of drought-tolerant crops, reducing climate-related crop failures.
Strengthened local cereal value chains and supported economic resilience in ASAL communities.
Reduced post-harvest losses through improved handling and aggregation practices.
Enhanced farmer productivity through GAP training and timely technical support.
Youth and women successfully integrated into commercial sorghum farming enterprises.
Strengthened public-private partnership between KBL and Makueni County.
Increased traceability and quality assurance through digital farm management tools.

Indicator	Achievement
Farmers Reached:	2500 farmers
Youth/Women/VMGs Engaged:	1400 (56% of total farmer)
Employment Created:	indirect (labourers, youth groups, service providers, input suppliers)
Value Chains Supported:	Sorghum (primary) Emerging support to pearl millet, green grams, and other ASAL cereals Aggregation, input distribution, and digital agriculture services
Productivity/Income Change:	Farmers earn Ksh 45–55 per kg, creating predictable annual income. Up to 40% increase in household income for farmers fully integrating into the contract farming system. Reduced post-harvest losses by over 25% due to improved handling and aggregation.

P.O. Box 78 – 90-300 Wote, Makueni

0800 722 715

ecmagriculture@makueni.go.ke

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