Empowering women and youth: How NICE Project is boosting nutrition and economic growth in Kenya’s Busia and Bungoma
Sponsored by Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE) Project
Catherine Otaga, Chairlady of Otaga Farmers' Hub, stressing a point during a meeting.
What you need to know:
- Otaga Farmers’ Hub is a thriving community of women who are not only cultivating success but transforming their lives and the community around them.
- The journey of Mumbiri Self-Help Group, founded in 2006 by women farmers in Bungoma seeking mutual support in agriculture, highlights resilience, innovation, and the power of collective action in overcoming challenges.
- The inspiring successes of women-led agricultural initiatives in Bungoma and Busia highlight the incredible power of women to drive economic growth and transform communities
As the world celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025 on March 8, the Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE) Project shone a spotlight on the remarkable achievements of Otaga Farmers’ Hub, a thriving community of women who are not only cultivating success but transforming their lives and the community around them, echoing the IWD “Accelerate Action” tagline.
Otaga Farmers’ Hub is in Busia County, and their Chairlady, Catherine Otaga, has been at the helm of the inspiring initiative, guiding the group towards sustainable farming and healthier living through their participation in the project.
Under her leadership, the women have enhanced their knowledge and adoption of agroecological and good agricultural practices, with a focus on growing African leafy vegetables (ALVs) and orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (OFSP).
“We are proud to offer our community African leafy vegetables that are grown through agroecological practises such as composting, cover cropping and utilising integrated pest management techniques. Our women have benefitted tremendously, not just in terms of income, but also in improving their nutrition and overall health. Our work has created a ripple effect in Busia, inspiring others to join the cause,” Catherine Otaga informs us.
The group is also engaged in value addition for the orange-fleshed sweet potatoes into flour and other edible snacks such as crackers, and ensuring compliance and certification with the existing product standards (Kenya Bureau of standards).
African leafy vegetables from Otaga Farmers' Hub in Busia.
Empowering women smallholders: The success of Mumbiri Self-Help Group
We also recognise the remarkable achievements of women smallholders who are driving change and economic empowerment in their communities. One such inspiring example is the Mumbiri Self-Help Group, founded in 2006 by women farmers seeking mutual support in agriculture. Their journey highlights resilience, innovation, and the power of collective action in overcoming challenges.
Under the leadership of Chairperson Mildred Auma, the group has transformed lives through their dedication to farming and entrepreneurship. A pivotal moment came when they discovered the NICE project’s Small Grants Initiative, an opportunity that enabled them to scale their poultry farming efforts. Mildred recalls how they took the initiative to apply for a grant and were thrilled to receive support that helped them access vital resources, including chicks, fertilized eggs, and raw materials to produce feed locally. This eased the financial strain of rising costs and allowed them to sustain their farming activities.
The impact was immediate and transformative. The women successfully nurtured their poultry, reinvesting proceeds to further expand their ventures. With plans to acquire an incubator and hatchery, they aim to strengthen their economic independence and ensure food security for their families and communities.
Members of Mumbiri Self Help Group.
The inspiring successes of women-led agricultural initiatives in Bungoma and Busia highlight the incredible power of women to drive economic growth and transform communities. This has also been made possible through joint efforts of the county governments of Busia and Bungoma, where the project is implemented.
Both groups exemplify the spirit of International Women’s Day 2025, proving that investing in women leads to sustainable progress, and when women thrive, entire communities flourish.
Empowering women in agriculture: SAF-A’s legacy and impact
The Sustainable Agriculture Foundation (SAF)-Africa is a non-profit legacy organisation operating across Africa to improve smallholder farmers’ incomes and food security by providing relevant innovations, helping farmers access these innovations through markets, and addressing barriers in the agricultural value chain while scaling up the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices and fostering the empowerment of women, youth, and disadvantaged groups.
Our Vision: A world in which smallholders, communities, and nature thrive together.
Our Mission: Scaling up collective action on markets and innovations so that farming can better serve smallholder families, rural communities, and nature.
Our Impact
2023 | 2030 | |
Supported smallholders using innovations to increase net income by 20% (millions) | 1.5 | 3 |
% Women producers | 41% | 50% |
Value created from supported products and services ($m) | 41.3 | 100 |
Number of supported enterprises (000s) | 1.1 | 2 |
% Women agri-entrepreneurs | 35% | 60% |
Number of jobs created (000s) | 0.5 | 1 |
About the NICE Project
The Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE) Project is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). It is implemented and co-financed by a public-private Swiss consortium comprising the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), ETH Zürich (Sustainable Agroecosystems Group and World Food Systems Centre), Sight and Life, and Sustainable Agriculture Foundation-Bangladesh and Sustainable Agriculture Foundation-Africa.
Article by Lucy Kioko, Annette Wachira, Elizabeth Imbo, and Stephen Okeyo