- Kenyan cooperatives explore ways to shorten farm-to-market chains
- Nagano model links farmers directly with consumers
- Cooperatives could expand into retail and value addition
Kenya’s cooperative movement could play a bigger role in connecting farmers directly to consumers, following a benchmarking visit by the Cooperative Alliance of Kenya (CAK) to a farmers’ market in Japan’s Nagano region.
The CAK delegation visited the local agricultural market as part of its tour of Japan, examining how farmers can sell produce closer to the consumer instead of relying on lengthy marketing chains.
The Nagano model brings locally produced agricultural goods directly to consumers through organised market outlets, creating a shorter link between farmers and buyers.
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For Kenya’s cooperatives, the model presents an opportunity to expand beyond aggregation and collective marketing into areas such as cooperative-owned retail outlets, farmers’ markets, collection centres, branded shops and digital platforms.
Such systems could give farmers more direct access to consumers while creating opportunities for cooperatives to participate in marketing, distribution and value addition.
The Japanese experience also highlights the commercial potential of selling processed and branded agricultural products alongside fresh produce, allowing farmers and their cooperatives to capture more value beyond primary production
By Khayoyo Ian
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