Figure 4-2 – Local Aggregation Centre Flows

4.2.1.1. Aggregation and Services Approach

In order to address the entangled issues restricting agricultural productivity and resilience in Makueni County in a financially self-sustaining manner, an integrated approach to the Climate Smart Centres is proposed, based around a network of local aggregation centres supported from a central hub providing climate resilient services. Within this approach, the local aggregation centres would collect, pack and dispatch produce to markets and processors, as well as delivering farm inputs to producers (including seeds, feed and fertiliser). In their role, the centres would also be responsible for checking the quality of produce, introducing product traceability and acting as the payment point for farmers. The overall flows to and from the local centres are illustrated in the figure to the right.

The central hub would coordinate the logistics operations and provide technical advice on regenerative and climate resilient farming techniques, supporting farmers in raising both the yields and quality of their produce. The central hub would also be responsible for coordinating the development and delivery of targeted finance-insurance packages to farmers, and the provision of other information services (for instance, including centralised delivery of market information and tailored weather forecasts). These services would be provided both directly to farmers and through the local centres (depending on the size and capacity of the local centres). The central hub would also direct the development of model farms to be used as training centres. The proposed capacity building initiatives and extension services to be delivered through the Climate Smart Aggregation and Service Centres are detailed in Section 4.2.1.4.

Figure 4-2 – Local Aggregation Centre Flows