As Phase II of the NICE Project takes shape in Kenya, key stakeholders in the secondary cities of Bungoma and Busia met to lay the foundation for the next steps. Drawn from across the food system, these stakeholders came together to plan how this next phase will build on the strong foundation laid during Phase I. The meetings brought together diverse stakeholder representation from farmers, agri-vendors, civil society organizations, government representatives, teachers, health workers, and private sector actors, women and youth all with one shared goal: creating healthier and more sustainable food systems.
Building on success: From vegetables to poultry
In Bungoma, the success of school-based vegetable gardens and nutrition projects continues to inspire hope. At Marakalu Primary School, teacher Rose Nambili shared how the 4K Club’s vegetable garden has become a model of learning and sustainability.
“We sold the vegetables to the school and to teachers,” she said. “Each pupil in the club also took home a few seedlings, and many have now started kitchen gardens at home. Parents and pupils are so involved that they even created a schedule for caring for the garden during school holidays.”
“Our vegetable garden that the NICE Project helped us set up has continued to grow from strength to strength,” she said. “We are now using part of the proceeds from the first harvest to scale up activities by introducing poultry farming; turning our success into a more sustainable and diversified project.” Rose Nambili, Marakalu Primary school, Bungoma.
From practice to policy: Influencing change in Busia
In Busia, the Multi Stakeholder Food Systems Platform (MSP) expressed deep appreciation to the NICE Project for supporting the County in developing and successfully launching two key strategic documents; the County Nutrition Action Plan (CNAP 2023/2024-2027/2028) and the County Agri-Nutrition Implementation Strategy (CANIS 2024-2029). These frameworks have been instrumental in helping the county mobilize resources and prioritise nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific interventions for the people of Busia.
The platform also emphasized the importance of continued collaboration with NICE in developing additional policy frameworks, including the Agroecology Policy and the Right to Food and Nutrition Security Policy. This reflects the projects strong support for the advocacy efforts that are shaping local governance and sustainability.
Phase II Overview
Phase II will focus on strengthening governance, promoting the production of local nutritious foods using agroecological practices, increasing demand for nutritious foods, and sharing lessons that shape gender-responsive food systems nationally and globally.
Engaging women and youth
The NICE Project will maintain its focus on women and youth, by recognising their vital role in shaping healthier and sustainable food systems. Through a systems approach the project will strengthen their participation across the entire food system, from production to markets and empower them in the championing of local food systems governance. By leveraging their participation in the local food systems platforms, they will enhance greater advocacy efforts and contributing to learning, knowledge generation and sharing and fostering entrepreneurship for inclusive and just food systems.
Looking ahead
Stakeholders emphasized the importance of knowledge sharing through field days, exhibitions, and participation in national and international celebrations.
Phase II will also focus more on health sector interventions tackling nutrition-related Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in line with SDCs global framework the project will be placing more emphasis on interventions anchored on the principles of behavioural sciences such as smart food tips, school-based play-based learning, and cooking demonstrations for women, youth, and school children.
Another exciting element in this phase is the wider peer-learning to other cities. These are cities outside the NICE network that are asked to join the cities network knowledge exchange platform to expand the project’s local and global impact. With communities already taking ownership and innovation thriving, Phase II of the NICE Project in Kenya is not just taking shape, it is taking root!
