Advocacy: Empowering Small-Scale Producers in Kenya and Uganda

Large-scale producers receive 90% of support from local governments, making the cultivation and promotion of local products economically unsustainable in the short term. To combat this, Slow Food Uganda and Slow Food Kenya have been advocating for the long-term ecological and economic benefits of protecting small-scale producers who cultivate local products through Slow Food Presidia and Earth Markets.

The impact thus far has been significant. Public information campaigns have educated consumers, policy-makers and members about the benefits of agroecology, and products at risk of extinction have been reintroduced and are now sold at Earth Markets – preserving not just the product itself but reconnecting consumers to the culture surrounding it. Slow Food Kenya and Slow Food Uganda have developed an in-depth understanding of who to target in local government, spurring changes in local and national policymaking toward the promotion of agroecological practices.