Network analysis and Traceability along Organic Kales Value Chains, Kenya

Josphat Njenga, Msc Kenya

Among the organic products in the Kenyan markets, fresh vegetables are the most preferred since they are highly nutritious while at the same time acts as important source of income to peri-urban farming households.

To ensure consumers get quality organic fresh produce, stakeholders along the value chains need to be adequately linked and traceability needs to be in place. It is on this background information that I undertook this research to improve my understanding about the factors that contribute to development and maintenance of linkages within the organic fresh produce sector.

I found out farmers, traders and consumers along organic fresh produce supply chains were fairly networked. Lack of adequate linkages indicates that supply and demand were disconnected which point out insufficient development of the sector.

The positions of individual actors in the network varied rather considerably which means the benefits of networking are rather unequally distributed in the sector. Despite the weak network, traceability systems were fairly developed as short supply chains exist in the sector. Lack of a standard traceability system and incomplete records keeping meant that there were variations in the information traced. Monitoring, documentation, certification and training were seen to be the main factors that would improve traceability.


Find the thesis on Organic Eprints


More about the project



Josphat Njenga, MSc.

University of Nairobi, Kenya.

Enrolment date: Oct 2010

Main Supervisor: J. Nzuma

External supervisor: Kostas Karantininis/Paul Kledal


Josphat Njenga graduated as MSc in December 2012 and since then also got a PhD degree in September 2017. He is currently pursuing a postdoc position at Curtin University in Australia. He is a lecturer and departmental head at South Eastern Kenya University.     


Contact

E-mail: josphatnjengag@gmail.com 

Phone: +254 723 379055