Freshlink (Vegetable Marketing Organisation)

From Promoting Growth in Africa: trade - A DFID factsheet
Access to International Markets
"If you’re a Kenyan farmer, how do you know what European shoppers want and demand? In Kenya, the DFID Business Services Marketing Development Project, supports ‘Freshlink’, which links small farmers with vegetable and fruit exporters. Freshlink provides technical training to farmers groups’ and helps the groups to establish quality control systems which enable them to comply with EurepGap, a European supermarket code of practice. Prior to the project, Freshlink was selling produce to only one exporter but now has contracts with 3 exporting companies. The number of farmers exporting produce has tripled and many have diversified into other crops such as passion fruit and snow peas. "

An interesting presentation on the work of Fresh Link "Breaking Barriers ­ - ­Freshlink Vegetable Marketing Organisation Producer Groups Experience" finishes by describing the challenges they face:

1. Low growth of market size
2. Markets failure to recognize and reward effective management through price incentives
3. Weak commercial contracts
4. Weak producer group management and governance structures
5. High costs of implementing Eurepgap Standard and no commensurate increase in returns on investment

and asking for contributions (the presentation pdf)

A Nation (Nairobi Paper) describes the experience of one farmer and why he is switching from growing coffee to growing vegetables for Fresh Link (see here).

Not to be confused with fresh link .