Kenya’s green beans hit UK supermarket shelves

The green bean farming industry provides a stable livelihood for hundreds of farmers and their families in Kenya. Now thanks to a new initiative Kenyan beans will be hitting UK supermarket shelves to further safeguard that livelihood.

The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) has set up a £1.9 million challenge fund, the Food Retail Industry Challenge Fund (FRICH), to reduce poverty in Africa by improving the income of the rural poor.

FRICH has awarded a £200,000 grant to British supermarket chain Waitrose to encourage them to stock Kenyan beans, thus increasing the income potential of farmers.

This will help the local community as regular income will mean that farmers can invest in local facilities. In the past local farmers were vulnerable to market fluctuations, with many not making enough money to support their own families.

Click on the image above to see a picture gallery of Kenyan bean farmers