New Course Empowers Kenya’s Organic and Agroecological Change Agents
Between 29 September and 4 October 2025, the Organic Academy of IFOAM – Organics International and Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT) officially launched the Agroecology and Organic Agriculture Leadership Course (AOLC) in Nairobi, Kenya.
Over the five days, 25 participants representing civil society organisations, as well as the public and private sectors in Kenya, came together to strengthen their leadership capacity and exchange knowledge. Their learning journey is guided by four local trainers and experts:
- Martin Kimani, Specialist in Agriculture Value Chain and Organic Market Intelligence
- Sylvia Kuria, Founder of Sylvia’s Basket, African Food Fellowship Fellow, IFOAM Ambassador
- Esther Kigai, Community Sustainable Agriculture and Healthy Environment Program (CSHEP)
- James Nyaga, Agroecology Development and Climate Change Resilient Officer, Department of Agriculture, Murang’a County Government.
- Day 1: Principles of agroecology and the organic movement; participatory action research; transformative impact chains
- Day 2: Territorial markets and value chains; Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS)
- Day 3: Healthy, sustainable diets; agroecological entrepreneurship
- Day 4: Policy transformation; strategic communication; field visit
- Day 5: Networking and cooperation; reflections and next steps
Across 17 sessions, participants explored critical questions, including how to ensure access to organic food in the face of a growing population. Through an in-depth fishbowl discussion, they examined this challenge from multiple perspectives, considering the key activities and partnerships, value propositions, cost structure, revenue streams, and customer relations and channels.
Participants also worked on their Canvas Business Plan, identifying innovative business opportunities. One group, for example, turned a local cabbage surplus into the idea for a sauerkraut enterprise, recognising its nutritious value and potential as a “wellness product”. They took advantage of a hands-on fermentation workshop to deepen their understanding of organic food processing.
Another highlight was the field visit to Sylvia’s Basket, the farm and enterprise founded by the local trainer Sylvia Kuria. Kuria shared her practical approach to success– timely planning, a seasonal farming calendar, thorough documentation, and an emphasis on self-sufficiency.
I’m inspired by the diversity and level of organisation in one farm. It almost has everything all at once, from the production of its own fertiliser to fodder for animals, renewable energy, honey, agroforestry, nursery of indigenous trees to worm composting.
The in-person session concluded with the development of individual personal action plans, enabling participants to design projects that translate their vision into practice. In the coming months, participants will continue their journey through monthly webinars and self-paced study materials available on IFOAM Academy's online learning platform.
The AOLC is a nine-month hybrid course supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and co-facilitated by local experts. The course aims to strengthen leadership, policy engagement, and business and market development to foster inclusive, sustainable, and resilient food systems. The launch in Kenya follows the first AOLC held in Nigeria earlier in September, with another cohort set to begin in South Africa in early November.
