GLOBAL G.A.P., the internationally recognized certification standard for farm production, has partnered with Rootooba, a Kenyan, agriculturally-based technical support provider to hold its second TOUR stop conference at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi from March 28-30, 2023.
The GLOBAL G.A.P. TOUR stop will take place in Nairobi and will seek to promote good agricultural practices, safe and sustainable farming, market compliance, access to national and international trade networks, and responsiveness to consumer demands.
The three-day event is also expected to steer conversations around expanding opportunities for Kenyan produce into untapped regional and global markets. Discussions at the conference will focus on major issues that are currently affecting the trade in fresh produce in both regional and global markets.
These include changing pesticide regimes, implications of the lifting of the GMO ban on Kenya’s fresh produce export markets, testing solutions, harmonizing market standards for the benefit of producers and exporters and financing solutions.
The Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Mithika Linturi and GLOBAL G.A.P. Managing Director, Dr Kristian Moeller will officiate the first day of the event at Safari Park Hotel.
Participants will also have an opportunity to make site visits to enterprises with a proven record of globally-recognized best practices in production and handling operations.
The conference brings together an array of industry leaders that includes development partners led by USAID implementing partners, sector associations including Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya (FPEAK), Agrochemicals Association of Kenya (AAK), Avocado Exporters Association of Kenya, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), producers, and a wide range of private sector players.
“We expect a private sector-driven discussion on ensuring that the burden of compliance is practical and affordable. The private sector knows best how and where the shoe pinches most, and hence remains critical in providing solutions,” said Dr Charity Mutegi, the Technical Lead, of Rootooba and a GLOBAL G.A.P. Registered Trainer.
Some of the other expected outcomes from the TOUR stop include increased awareness on emerging global markets for Kenyan produce, with a special focus on the US.
The recommendations from the event are expected to form the grounds for a follow-up with relevant government agencies and the private sector, including National Horticulture Taskforce, GLOBALG.A.P. National Technical Working Group (NTWG) and Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), among others.
Since the first Kenyan TOUR stop in 2019, the interest in adopting GLOBALG.A.P. standards and compliance to other international market standards by local producers has increased in the country. Additionally, there has been efforts by major development partners to support market growth for agro-food products, as a means to foster local and international trade.
