This entrepreneurial initiative started with the goal to reduce food waste and empower 1,500 small scale women farmers while providing affordable food options to Waruku, Mathare, and Kibera slum dwellers in Nairobi, Kenya. Inua Damsite community-based enterprise buys fresh farm products that are deselected by wholesalers, slices them into cooking-sized portions, applies preservation or processing techniques, and delivers them through microentrepreneurs to underserved slums consumers. Its processing hubs serve as both training centers and workspaces for local women and youth, where they can transform their products, via a pay-per-kilo flexible system.

 

Climate impact
Saves carbon emissions through avoiding farm food waste: 10 tons /day are processed.
Ensuring a consistent year-round supply of fruits and vegetables to slum dwelers.
Gender impact
Providing free training and workspace for marginalized women workers.
Enhancing women farmers’ income and ensuring decent revenue.
Reducing the unpaid domestic care workload of women.
Scalability/replicability
Fostering local economy via the creation of a group of 60 micro-entrepreneurs working as slum retailers to sell food packs.
Innovative technological investments were secured to ensure sustainable scale up.