RISE Kenya
Improving the livelihoods of women through farming and processing aloe and marketing aloe products
The initiative empowers women in rural areas of Kenya economically by training them to farm and process aloe. The women are also taught how to manufacture value-added products from the aloe which can then be sold on local and national markets. All of the production processes, from aloe farming and harvesting to processing and packaging aloe products, take place at the community level. The initiative provides community-based organisations with training in aloe processing and ensures the marketing and sale of the resulting products on local and national markets. Great demand exists for medicinal and cosmetic products made from aloe. Research is currently underway into different species of aloe, to identify which species are most suitable for meeting the requirements of different target groups.
Eco-Inclusive Impacts
The initiative empowers women in rural areas of Kenya economically by training them to farm and process aloe using methods that rehabilitate large areas of wasteland.
- Providing stable incomes and capacity building as well as empowering women in rural areas of Kenya.
- Enhancing women’s contribution to household decision-making.
- Rehabilitating wasteland through bench terracing and aloe farming.
- Helping women purchase energy-saving cooking stoves, which reduces the use of fuelwood significantly.
- Creating a new source of income for women in rural areas.
- Contributing to the overall improvement of the economic situation in the target communities
Partners
“Enhancing Grassroots Women’s Economic and Social Empowerment in Kitui County, Kenya, through Sustainable Aloe Farming” is led by a community-based non-government organization partnering with a local university and the Ministry of Agriculture. It provides rural income and facilitates the rehabilitation of wasteland by producing aloe-based skin care products for the local market.
RISE – the Regional Institute for Social Enterprise is the lead partner and coordinates all activities, including capacity building, resources management and market access.
JKUAT University offers training and advice on the selection of the best aloe species and is involved in the processing and quality control of aloe products.
The Ministry of Agriculture of Kenya provides technical support, field extension services, “train the trainer” seminars and seeds for community-based organisations.