His journey kicked off with a financial boost from his mother, courtesy of the Kenya Women Finance Trust. With this support, he purchased his initial batch of 300 improved day old kienyeji chicks. As fate would have it, all the birds except for two died after heavy winds blew the roof of the house. Undeterred, Moses persevered and nurtured the surviving birds and soon learnt that their egg production was quite impressive. Through his experiences in chicken husbandry, he employed natural incubation yielding promising results and all the while he was learning the ropes and gaining After gaining foot in chicken farming, Moses ordered his second batch of two hundred (200) day old chicks which he raised well to maturity and from then on, he has been steadily growing his business. Moses has diversified from the proceeds of chicken farming into hatchery operations, purchasing an incubator with a capacity of 1056 eggs, as well as fish farming. Moses first came into contacted by ASDSP-Kisumu when he was nominated by his group (Mondo E Mwandu) to attend an ASDSP training on climate smart technologies and has since attended several trainings and forums organized by ASDSP. Mr. Moses has undergone business plan training as well as business expansion workshops sponsored by ASDSP-Kisumu. Currently, Moses has adopted climate-smart technologies such as vermiculture (earthworm farming) and hydroponics to supplement chicken feeds. He utilizes a solar-powered egg incubator with a capacity of 1056 eggs and has established a kitchen garden for cultivating local vegetables. Additionally, he leases land near River Sondu Miriu for commercial vegetable and fruit farming. He uses vermi-compost from the vermi-bin to enhance soil fertility in the kitchen garden and the vermi-juice as an organic fertilizer, these practices enhance sustainable agricultural production. Moses is currently implementing a business plan he developed courtesy of ASDSP program on pond fish production. He has up scaled to four ponds from one pond he had prior to working with ASDSP II. He is currently excavating a fifth pond. The four ponds all hold 400 tilapia and 800 cat fish. He envisions himself evolving into an aggregator for fish produced by others, mentoring aspiring fish farmers and fostering collaboration with larger cooperatives to strengthen market access. Beyond his primary ventures in chicken, fish, vegetable, and fruit farming, Moses operates a restaurant in Kisumu town, offering fresh and fried fish along with chicken products. All these provide employment opportunities to other youth, hence contributing to economic well-being of the households. His success extends beyond personal gain, as he imparts his knowledge to youth in his community, serving as a role model and catalyst for agricultural empowerment.

It is while working for other farmers, in 2021, that he managed to come into contact with ASDSP II program. This was in the various value chain forum meetings that was organized by the program. In his interaction with other producers he learnt that there was an acute shortage of 3-4 week old chicks as the traditional input suppliers only sold day old chicks. Besides, they sold them in batches of above fifty (50) chicks. This was beyond many farmers who could only raise smaller numbers of chicks. Generally, the demand was for smaller batches of already brooded chicks was high. He thus seized the opportunity and started sourcing improved kienyeji birds and brooding them before selling to the farmers around Rota location. Geoffrey has since developed business to business linkage through ASDSP initiative and is selling to customers across the county. At the moment the proprietor is already buying fertilized eggs and hatching them. He has acquired an incubator with a capacity of one thousand (1000) eggs. He staggers his hatching services to hatch five hundred (500) every week. To supplement feed for his chickens, the VCA has adopted vermiculture, one of the climate-smart technologies promoted by ASDSP II. He is setting up a facility to rear red wriggler worms, which are a valuable source of protein for the chickens. Since protein is a major component in poultry feed and is quite expensive, this will significantly reduce feed costs and, consequently, production costs. Additionally, while the worms will be used to feed the chickens, the vermijuice, a byproduct, is utilized as an organic fertilizer in his backyard garden, the vermicompost manure is used in the kitchen garden as a source of nutrients to the vegetables. Geoffrey aspires to raise batches of a thousand chicks every week as he is raising improved indigenous chicken layer stock that will enable him to produce fertilized eggs in his own farm. Geoffrey has a dream of developing a chicken hub where he will have all the four nodes of improved chicken production under one roof. He aspires to employ ten people in his farm in five years’ time.at the moment he only uses family labor to run the venture.

At inception the market had 12 slabs, over the years the municipal council in collaboration with market committee team have progressively increased the slabs to their current number of 65 (Sixty-five). The increase in slabs has equally come with increase in population, at the moment the slab population ratio is 5 to 1 which has come with dangers some of which include, work place injuries, cross diseases infection, territorial conflicts etc. The county government of Kisumu has supported the market by waving of the stall arrears, building cold room and construction of the fish scaling and filleting unit. At Jubilee market, fish scaling and filleting was being done in the open under very unfavorable conditions where the processors worked under hot sun and or being rained on because of lack of shade, poor drainage, poor and inadequate work tops, and lack of flowing water leading to unhygienic fish handling conditions and therefore the need to construct the unit. Appropriate processing enables maximum use of raw material and thus contribute to increased economic profitability. A filleting operation offers a classic example of such an approach in which, apart from the fillets, minced meat can be produced from the waste material and the remainder sold as animal feed. Thus the process results in practically no unused waste material and at the same time, it is noted that production of value added products is obviously the basis of processing profitability and can be a decisive factor for the survival of many fish processing plants, especially the small ones. Fish is highly perishable and potentially hazardous food item if not handled properly. There are many fish borne diseases such as associated with the environment in which the fish is grown, and with the way it is handled after it is brought out of the water, particularly if it is kept at room temperature As an intervention, ASDSP established a fish scaling and filleting unit, which has helped the beneficiaries by improving general working conditions by providing shade, clean flowing water and security, besides this it has created more jobs to the youth both male and female which stands at 35 up from 28 with an increased income of the group (processors) from K.sh20, 000 to K.sh 25,000 which is expected to improve their living standards The innovation has enhanced market access due to improved hygienic standards for scaling and filleting and reduction in disease incidences associated with poor fish hygiene

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Result areas being; 1. Business development knowledge and skills of the Priority Agriculture Value Chain Actors (PAVCAs) and Value Chain Organizations (VCO) enhanced 2. Marketed volumes of Priority Agriculture Value Chains (PAVCs) products increased 3. Resilience of Priority Agriculture Value Chains (PAVCs) businesses to environment and climate change enhanced 4. Agriculture business development policy and institutional environment for Priority Agriculture Value Chains strengthened.

PIGOHEVECO is a community-based organisation (CBO) with diverse interests in livestock and crop production. The acronym PIGOHEVECO is derived from the nature of its agricultural activities which include Pig, Goat, Hen, Vegetable and Cow milk production. However, not all the activities are collectively undertaken by the members. Founded in 2018, the CBO’s goal is to improve the socio-economic status of its members through investment in agribusiness for income and food security. It has 42 registered members, 36 percent of which are youth. The organisation is based in Matopeni/Spring Valley Ward, Embakasi Central Sub-county.

Poultry farming is an important economic activity in Kenya. It supports the livelihood of many rural and urban households as a source of income and food and nutrition security. Poultry mostly provides eggs and meat, among other by-products. Several farmers find raising poultry specifically for meat (broiler farming) an attractive venture. Broiler chicken generally grow fast (4-6 weeks) and provide a quick return on investment and opportunities for food security. It is one of the most vibrant livestock production value chains in Nairobi City, where the farmers are predominantly women.

Lack of the group to produce high quality dried flowers due to lack of better drying methods necessitated the innovation of galvanized solar powered pyrethrum dryer construction. Most of the farmers were drying the pyrethrum flowers on direct sun using nylon bags. This led to loss of pyrethrin content and hence low prices. The group was only able to get 1% pyrethrin content attracting a price of Ksh 200 per Kg of dried flowers. ASDSP II in partnership with County Government came up with innovations to address the problem. Introduced a Galvanized solar powered pyrethrum dryer which was installed at one of the members home, who agreed to give out ¼ acre for the institutional pyrethrum dryer to be constructed. The dryer is able to dryer a capacity of 500kgs of wet flowers in two days. This gives 125 Kgs when dry. With the use of the Galvanized dryer, the pyrethrin content has increased from 1%-2% giving the farmers Ksh.350. The dryer also serves as an aggregation area where the processor comes to collect the dried flowers.

The group was also a beneficiary of ASDSP II Innovation grant in 2022 and were supplied with 5,000 pyrethrum tissue culture seedlings. At least each member harvests 30kg/1/4 an acre/month but marketing done individually. Currently they have decided to aggregate their pyrethrum and are selling to PPCK expected to be delivered by the end of June, 2023. They will be paid according to the pyrethrin content unlike current situation where they were being paid a flat rate of Ksh. 230/= per kg. The group has also established new nurseries of P4 seedlings. This is aimed at boosting the acreage under pyrethrum.

During one of the Climate smart technologies trainings, ASDSPII invited VCAs from the Beaches among others who mainly use fuel as their main source of preparing meals and frying fish. Service provides from SCODE and a private service provider from Subukia were invited to train the VCAs with the expectation of linking the builders of energy conservation stoves with the VCAs. ASDSP II funded the construction of two stoves per beach to serve as demonstration to the traders along the beach. Later more fish traders constructed more stoves through the established linkages with the stove builders. A total of 18 stove pots were constructed to assist the fish traders around Lake Naivasha reduce wood fuel usage and eventually earn more. This led to reduced costs, increased competitiveness, increased turnover and improved profitability, reduction in the cost of fuel consumption thus reduction in the operational cost.

Kenyatta dam was constructed and handed over to the community to use it. The members decided to restock the dam so that it can also help to improve the nutritional status of the community members. Kimkasa is an ASDSP group which most of its members live along the dam. The dam wasfunded by ASDSP II and the County Government of Nakuru with 13333 fish fingerlings and the 15 HP Yamaha engine. This was to enable the group navigate easily in the dam and also to provide ecotourism to students from schools in the area. With this innovations, the group has been able to have an increase in production-from 120 kg valued at Ksh. 36,000/= to 600 kg valued at Ksh. 180,000/= per month. Reduction in post-production losses from 50 kg to 20kg per month due to value addition. Increase in income from the sale of fish Ksh. 36,000/= before the board was bought to Ksh.180,000/=. Have linked to Top market in Nakuru where we sale our fish

The group was issued with Tissue culture pyrethrum plantlets (5,000 seedlings) to multiply in the nursery and issue splits to the 18 VCAs (AM-3, FA-7, FY-2, MY-5, PWD-1) who are active received 2,900 material seedling and currently most of it is at production stage. The shortage of pyrethrum seedlings was a problem in the county leading to low productivity, ASDSP II in ASDSP II in partnership with County Government came up with innovations to address the problem. 5,000 High quality pyrethrum tissue culture seedlings were procured from pyrethrum processing company of Kenya (PPCK) and handed over to the group. The group established a bulking nursery and multiplied the 5,000 seedlings. After four months they splited the seedlings and shared amongst themselves each of 18 VCAs established a minimum no. of 4,800-5,000 seedlings of ¼ an acre (each seedling when split produced an average number of 18-22 splits=5000*18=9,000 splits/18VCAs=5,0000). Currently 4 acreage is under pyrethrum each producing 320kg per month. The VCAS sell their pyrethrum as a group to PPCK.

The group has 157 members (AF-138, AM-17, MY-1, FY-3), all of who are traders of fish. Mainly they are involved in fish processing at a small scale. The group was issued with solar powered freezer as an innovation to help then save on the cost of using electricity. And perverse fish during seasons when fish is in plenty as they look for market. One of the challenges the group faced was availability of cold storage facilities. The traders lacked chilling and cold storage facilities which results into post-harvest/fishing losses. This arose need for a cold storage, ASDSP II in collaboration with the county government procured a solar powered freezer equipment for the group which has significantly improved the shelf life of 14 days for 300 pieces of fish. With solar powered freezer ,it has resulted in increase in fish sale volume-The group members have been able to increase the number of procured fish stocks by 500kg per week valued at Ksh. 150,000/= from the previous 200Kg valued at Kshs. 60,000/= due to availability of storage and solar freezer (preservation facility). It keeps the fish fresh, change in income-Before freezer they used to store fish in a hired freezer at a cost of Ksh. 100/basin translating into an average of Ksh. 3000/= per month. Also, they have been able to increase fish sale volume by Ksh. 150,000/= per week from Ksh. 60,000/= which has increased their table saving volumes hence more income, Post-production-On average at least every member used lose 5kg of fish of fish value at 1,500/= per week due spoilage but currently this no longer happens since the freezer keeps the fish fresh, reduction in electricity cost- The cost of electricity has reduced by 40% from Ksh. 4,000/= electricity a current bill of Kshs. 2,400/=.

Kapchorwa youth group was started in 2010. It has 16 members (AM-2, FY-12 FA-2) The groups objectives included ; rearing poultry and planting Pyrethrum. Currently every member has ¼-1/2 acres of pyrethrum which is in production stage. Most members of the group are able to harvest 20 Kgs of dry pyrethrum per month. They sell their flowers to Kentegra where they are paid Ksh280-300/kg. The group has recently merged with Kiptagich pyrethrum group to form Kiptamalo Pyrethrum Cooperative. Capacity building has been done by the SPs on Good Agricultural practices, nursery establishment and management and production and maintenance of the tissue culture nursery and post harvest technique. The group benefitted from the Innovation of pyrethrum Tissue culture material, where it was issued with four thousand six hundred plantlets for multiplication in a group nursery. So far, each member has been able to get splits twice from the nursery and the nursery bulking site still has material to be multiplied during the long rains.