Consortium Virtual Event @ AGRF

Effectiveness of Agri-Business Incubation in Emerging Markets:

Accelerating small & medium enterprise engagement in food value chains

Effective urban food markets must achieve two goals to serve Africa’s future: to provide essential food supplies and to be economic engines for growth. Excessive post-harvest loss is a chronic symptom of ineffective food supply chains. While improved technologies can reduce loss, sustained implementation of such tools has been disappointing. Dynamic small and medium enterprise (SME)-based food systems are needed to achieve sustained, scaled adoption. Based upon field research and experience, including the recent YieldWise Initiative, this session will document catalytic actions needed to accelerate SME engagement in food value chains. Initiative within and across the public, social and private sectors will be emphasized.

Panelists

• Ms. Betty Kibaara, Director, Food Initiative Rockefeller Foundation, Kenya

• Ms. Itiweni Luhwago, Director of Operations, Iringa Hope, Tanzania

• Ms. Tei Mukunya, Founder and CEO, Azuri Health, Kenya

• Dr. Rajshree Agarwal, Director, Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets, University of Maryland, USA

• Dr. Steven Sonka, Associate Director, Consortium for Innovation in Post-Harvest Loss and Food Waste Reduction, Iowa State University, USA