This Policy Briefing is based on research carried out by Practical Action and the Biovision Foundation in 2023 and 2024 that explored consumer food preferences and investigated Kenyan initiatives that support the development of local markets for organic and agroecological produce.

Although most consumers in urban areas in Kenya exhibit a preference for agroecologically produced food, in part as a result of concerns over health, access to such food is still very limited. Moreover, supply of such food is low and most of it finds its way into, either high-end supermarkets where it can only be enjoyed by a wealthy minority, or to exports. Access to such food should be available to all and so systems are needed that enable farmers to transition to more sustainable agriculture like agroecology and which can deliver this food affordably to mass markets.

PGS schemes have already proven that they can achieve these two objectives and present an interesting opportunity for county governments to achieve sustainable agriculture and safe food supply objectives at the same time, benefiting large numbers of small-scale farmers and consumers. However, they are at an early stage of development and more government and donor support is needed to help them expand their current coverage of towns in Kenya and start to test business models that can reach larger urban areas.