This document summarizes the key discussions and outcomes from the WBA Farmer Roundtable held in Nairobi, Kenya on November 26-27, 2019. The roundtable brought together 28 smallholder farmers from 8 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa to discuss challenges in agriculture and food systems and potential areas of collaboration between farmers and companies. On day one, farmers outlined major challenges including access to inputs, markets, financing, and issues with profitability, infrastructure, and training. On day two, farmers and companies discussed solutions around nutrition, environment, and social inclusion. Top priorities identified for collaboration included promoting nutritious food production and consumption, soil health, organic farming, climate resilience, and strengthening farmer cooperatives.

1. WBA Farmer Roundtables 2019
A farmers’ perspective on food
system transformation
Nairobi, Kenya
26-27 November 2019

2. WBA Farmer Roundtable Kathmandu, Nepal
7-8 November 2019

3. In 2015, all countries of the United Nations have agreed to
17 Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved by 2030

4. The World Benchmarking Alliance encourages companies to
contribute to sustainable development through benchmarking

5. The Access to Seeds Index encourages the seed industry to
improve access to quality seeds for smallholder farmers
Access to Seeds Index 2019
Eastern and Southern Africa
1 East African Seed
(KEN-Private)
2 Seed Co
(ZAF-Listed)
3 East-West Seed
(THA-Private)
4 Corteva Agriscience
(USA-Listed)
5 Syngenta
(CHE - Private)
6 Victoria Seeds
(UGA-Private)
7 NASECO
(UGA-Private)
8 Equator Seeds
(UGA-Private)
9 Ethiopian Agricultural
Business Corporation
(ETH-State owned)
10 FICA Seeds
(UGA-Private)
11 Technisem
(FRA-Private)
12 Pop Vriend Seeds
(NLD-Private)
13 Demeter Seed
(MWI-Private)
14 Kenya Seed Company
(KEN-Private)
15 Monsanto*
(USA-Listed)
16 Kenya Highland Seed
(KEN-Private)

6. WBA Farmer Roundtables
Consulting farmers on tackling food and nutrition security

7. WBA Farmer Roundtable Nairobi, Kenya
26-27 November 2019
7
Day 1
Farmers’ perspective
on food system transformation
• What are challenges in your daily practice?
• What are solutions you see?
• What do you need from companies?
Day 2
Farmers and companies in dialogue
on food system transformation
• Where can farmers and companies join forces to
transform the food system?
• What are priorities to work on?

8. Ambitious timeline to incentivize progress and create change
in a decade towards 2030
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Baseline
Prep time
1,5 years
Targets
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Baseline
Prep time
1,5 years
Targets
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Baseline
Prep time
1,5 years
Targets
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Baseline
Prep time
1,5 years
Targets
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 2
Baseline
Prep time
1,5 years
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 3
Baseline
Prep time
1,5 years
Targets2020
Tokyo
Nutrition Summit
Baseline Benchmark
2021
Global Food
System Summit
First full
benchmark
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Baseline
Prep time
1,5 years
Targets
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Baseline
Prep time
1,5 years
Targets

9. Three dimensions of food system transformation

10. Three dimensions of food system transformation
Nutrition
Grow more healthy food
• Fight malnutrition
• Diversity food supply
• Promote plant-based proteins
• Increase intake fruit, vegetables
• Reduce fats and sugars
• Promote healthy lifestyles
Environment
Reduce environmental impact
• Reduce emissions
• Reduce land use
• Reduce water use
• Reduce fertilizer use
• Promote circular solutions
• Reduce loss and waste
Social
Improve livelyhoods of farmers
• Fair price for farmers
• Include smallholders in value chain
• Protect rights of communities
• Eradicate child labor
• Promote gender equality
• Invest in rural infrastructure

11. Wrap up Day One

12. Access to quality inputs
• Quality inputs are difficult to get by
• Seeds are not not tailored to local needs
• High input costs of quality seeds and fertilizer
• Access to information on which seeds and fertilizer to use
Access to markets
• Farmers are lacking access to processing to add value
• Farmers are lacking access to markerts, markets are small
Access to finance
• Farming is capital intensive, but smallholder farming not
attractive for banks
• Crop insurance not for pest and diseases
Loss of harvests
• Climate change: not just changing weather conditions, also
increase of pests and deseases
• Post harvest losses because of storage
• Pests and deseases (Fall armyworm, insects)
Outcomes WBA Farmer Roundtable Nairobi, Kenya – Day 1
Challenges mentioned by farmers
12
Profitability of farming
• Traditional farming practices result in low yields
• Late payments by processing companies trickle down to
farmers
• Prices in the market are volatile, unpredictable
• Unfair competition from other countries
• Organic farming is costly
Enabling environment
• Lack of infrastructure, electricity
• Certification processes for new crops (eg chia seeds) are
long and costly
Farmer training and capabilities
• Farmers are reluctant to move into crops like sorghum as it
is considered a ‘poor man’s crop’
• Farmers are reluctant to change farming practices, use
better inputs, move to other crops
Food safety
• Lack of good storage facilities
• High chemical use and toxic food (Aflatoxin)

13. Outcomes WBA Farmer Roundtable Nairobi, Kenya – Day 1
How can farmers contribute to these three dimensions of
food system transformation?
1. Sensitize communities what
nutritious food is
2. Access to quality seeds of
nutritious varieties
3. Producing nutritious crops
(value added) should be
profitable for farmers
1. Adopt circular solutions (reuse
residues, biodigesters)
2. Introduce organic farming and
use organic fertilizer/pesticides
3. Raise awareness among farmers
around environment
1. Capacity building for farmers for
good agricultural practices (GAP)
2. Empower women and youth in
agriculture
3. Leverage benefits of working in
cooperatives
Nutrition
Grow more healthy food
Environment
Reduce environmental impact
Social
Improve lives farmers, communities

14. What do farmers need from companies
to contribute to food system transformation?
Input providers Offtakers

15. Outcomes WBA Farmer Roundtable Nairobi, Kenya – Day 1
What do farmers need from companies?
Input providers
Seeds, fertilizer, agrochemicals
• Affordability of quality inputs
• Access to finance through risk
sharing, credit, insurance
• Trust and quality guarantees for
products
Machinery
Farming equipment
• Affordability throug farmer-
friendly repayment schedules
• Eco-friendly machinery
(renewable energy source)
Offtakers
Processors, retail, restaurants
• Offer fair prices
• Timely payments
• Ensure quality at the farm gate
Treat farmers as entrepreneurs; partners in the value chain

16. WBA Farmer Roundtable Nairobi, Kenya – Day 2
Workshop Round One
How can farmers and companies
together….
support a shift towards
consumption of more healthier
food?
How can farmers and companies
together….
reduce the environmental
impact of agriculture?
How can farmers and companies
together…
create a socially inclusive food
system - that is good for
farmers and their communities
Nutrition
Grow more healthy food
Environment
Reduce environmental impact
Social
Improve lives farmers, communities

17. Outcomes WBA Farmer Roundtable Nairobi, Kenya – Day 2
Outcomes Workshop Round One
1. Promote production of nutritious
food throughout the value chain:
companies should do research on
what nutritious food is and inform
farmers/cooperatives to promote
production of healthy food
2. Raise awareness on relevance of
soil nutrition and soil testing
3. Companies should invest in farmer
training on technology application
of quality inputs for safe use and
faster absorption
4. Companies should educate families
on healthy diet patterns
5. Quality standards assurance for
products
1. Embrace organic farming, train
farmers and build market linkages
for organic products
2. Partnership between companies
and farmer organizations on
measures to mitigate effects of
climate change
3. Promote renewable sources of
energy like solar power, biogas and
wind
4. Building the capacity of farmers to
prevent environmental
degradation effects of agriculture
5. Promote climate change resilience
through technologies: weather
data, water supply and irrigation
1. Strengthen collaboration
companies and cooperatives,
strengthen farmer groups,
understand eachothers business
model
2. Secure off taking through contract
farming, with agreements on
prices, quantity, quality, training
3. Special programs for women and
youth
4. Companies to develop CSR
programs focused on health,
housing, infrastructure
5. Sensitization on social inclusion
through leaflets, tournaments,
shows
Nutrition
Grow more healthy food
Environment
Reduce environmental impact
Social
Improve lives farmers, communities

18. Outcomes WBA Farmer Roundtable Nairobi, Kenya – Day 2
Workshop Round Two: How can farmers and companies
advance the chosen priorities?
Promote nutritious food
throughout the value chain
(from research to production
and consumption)
Raise awareness on relevance of
soil quality, soil nutrition and
soil testing
Embrace organic farming, train
farmers and build market
linkages for organic products
Partnership between companies
and farmer organizations
mitigate effects of climate
change
Strengthen collaboration
companies and cooperatives
(understand each others
business model)
Secure off taking through
contract farming, with
agreements on prices, quantity,
quality, training
Table 1 Table 2 Table 3
Table 4 Table 5 Table 6

19. Outcomes WBA Farmer Roundtable Nairobi, Kenya – Day 2
Outcomes Workshop Round Two - Prioritization
Promote nutritious food throughout the value chain (from research to production and
consumption)
Raise awareness on relevance of soil quality, soil nutrition and soil testing
Embrace organic farming, train farmers and build market linkages for organic products
Partnership between companies and farmer organizations mitigate effects of climate change
Strengthen collaboration companies and cooperatives (understand each others business model)
Secure off taking through contract farming, with agreements on prices, quantity, quality, training
1
5
=
6
2
3
24
14
16
10
23
16
Rank Priority Votes

20. WBA Farmer Roundtable Nairobi, Kenya
Concluding statement
This week’s roundtable in Nairobi was the second of two farmer roundtable
events hosted by the World Benchmarking Alliance in November this year.
Earlier this month, we were very proud to hold our own event with our local
partners Agriterra and NACCFL alongside the SUN Global Gathering in
Kathmandu, which gathered 1200 delegates from 70 nationalities. Both
gatherings focusing on the broad issue of food system transformation –
producing more, and more nutritious, food while reducing environmental
impact and enhancing rural prosperity for farmers and their communities.
The roundtable in Kathmandu gathered 14 farmers from six different countries
in Asia and our roundtable in Nairobi was joined by 28 farmers from 8
countries in Eastern and Southern Africa. We are especially proud to have such
a rich diversity of farmers in the room, spanning across crop, dairy, vegetables
and fruits to even fish, mushroom and insect farmers, to all give their
perspective on this global agenda and the challenges they face.
Leading challenges put forward include the need for access to affordable and
good quality inputs; access to markets with the need for farmers to provide
value addition to their product through processing and marketing; access to
finance and insurance; post-harvest losses which are exacerbated by climate
change; lack of infrastructure; the need for adequate storage facilities as well
as the strong need of farmers to make a profitable business.
The farmers concluded that more co-operation and partnership with business
is needed for them to contribute to the change needed. In addition to the
need for quality products at fair prices, farmers also seek collaboration and
corporate efforts to access credit and insurance. Similarly, to reduce their
environmental impact farmers need eco-friendly inputs, such as organic
fertiliser, more training on good use as well as suitable and affordable
machinery. Crucially, food system transformation can only be achieved when
farming is presented as a viable and attractive livelihood opportunity,
particularly for women and youth. Moreover, respect for the farmer as an
entrepreneur and greater cooperation between farmer cooperatives and the
private sector is key to this.
The second day of our event saw our farmers joined by representatives from
the SUN Business Network, multinational companies and regional small and
medium sized enterprises (SMEs), to discuss how they can work together to
tackle the challenges and issues raised on day one.
The most popular solutions for companies and farmers to collaborate on in
partnership include: knowledge sharing and capacity building of environmental
impacts of products; securing off taking through contract farming; a stronger
collaboration of companies with farmer cooperatives that strengthens the
understanding of each others’ business models as well as special programs for
women and youth, all on the social dimension of food system transformation.
On nutrition: promoting the production and consumption of nutritious food
across the value chain accompanied with education of communities about
healthy dietary patterns was highlighted. On environment, the most important
answers were fostering organic farming, soil testing and soil quality
assessment, mitigating climate change and strengthening farmer resilience.
Promoting nutrition throughout the value chain through collaboration was
voted to be the most important priority:, from research on what nutritious
food is, supporting farmers to produce nutritious crops to consumption and
educating communities on healthy food patterns
The outcomes of this event will be invaluable for the development of WBA’s
methodologies and benchmarks in food and agriculture. We would like to
thank all of the farmers, our partners from EAFF, SACAU, SBN, the businesses
and civil society stakeholders for attending this very successful event and we
hope to see you again in the future.