GTZ-ITFSP
P.O. Box 47051
Nairobi, Kenya

Tel: +254 2 524658 or 524000
Fax: +254 2 524651 or 524001
E-mail:Meckert@cgiar.org

A major handicap that farmers face when they produce tree crops is that they lack appropriate post-harvest and processing technologies. This drawback limits the profit they can make from tree-crop products, because prices are low during the short harvest periods and the fresh fruits are perishable. Generally, smallholder farmers have only limited access to existing markets and to market information.

Also, research into better processing of tree-crop products has been limited, and extension work has received little attention. Appropriate measures are needed that will lead to more and better use of tree crops, which will, in turn, contribute to the household income. To tackle these problems, ITFSP and its collaborators have done the following:

• Disseminated fruit processing technologies in the rural areas that can convert high-volume low-value products to high-value low-volume products.
• Identified appropriate technologies that can be easily adopted by smallholder farmers.
• Identified and developed culturally acceptable and marketable new tree products and assured high standards of quality. § Helped farmers get access to markets and market information.
• Developed an extension method for introducing processing technologies that is cost effective, demand driven and sustainable. This table shows what farmer training has taken place in different districts in Kenya.