The AgriFI Kenya Challenge Fund is a European Union initiative to support productive and market-integrated smallholder agriculture through the provision of financial support worth EUR 18,000,000 to agri-enterprises. The aim is to contribute to improvements in the capacity of smallholder farmers/pastoralists to practise environmentally sustainable and climate-smart agriculture as a business in inclusive value chains.
The Challenge Fund is funded by the European Union and co -funded by SlovakAid. The European Investment Bank (EIB, under the AgriFI Kenya programme is providing long term local currency financing to Equity Bank (Kenya) Limited for on-lending to eligible food and agriculture sector projects. This facilty is also available for match funding to the applicants.
In line with AgriFI Kenya Challenge Fund objectives, as well as recent field studies, agri-enterprises will be considered for funding based on a set of weighted criteria including its potential for positive impact on smallholder farmers. The specific areas for assessment include:
Economic Drivers/Viability:
This assessment area looks at business model fit and growth prospect in regard to profit, turnover, cash flow, efficiency and market potential. In addition, the business capacity is assessed in terms of governance, financial and risk management.
Environmental impact:
to include climate smart approaches both at farm and agrienterprise level.
Social impact:
how will the applicant include smallholder farmers and pastoralists and increase their incomes, create employment opportunities. Other social issues assessed include food security and improved nutrition as well as inclusion of gender and youth in the proposed project. Creation of opportunities in Arid and Semi-Arid counties.
Additionality and effectiveness:
This assesses whether the project would not proceed without AgriFI support and the degree by which the applicant is leveraging on the requested financial support.
Visit this link to learn more on AGRIFI challenge Fundhttps://agrifichallengefund.org/