Write to us at federico.naccarato@wfp.org
In 2021, WFP Kenya established an Innovation Office within its field operation, aimed at enhancing efficiency, empowering communities and engaging the private sector. Acting as an R&D and implementation hub, this office ensures innovations benefit the public, focusing on human development and social impact. Having impacted over 500,000 people already, our goal is to reach 1.5 million within two years.
Our strategy centers on three pillars: Innovation Consultancy Services, which uses human-centered design to address real-world challenges; the Innovation Sprint Programme, which incubates and tests promising ideas; and the Scale-Up Acceleration team, which localizes innovations and leverages partnerships. County Innovation Centers (CICs) extend our deep field reach, supporting smallholder farmers and local communities while strengthening ties with government entities.
Since 2011, WFP Kenya has built a robust partnership platform with technology firms, financial institutions, universities, and other development partners, advancing initiatives like the “Vijana in Kilimobizz” Youth in Agri-Entrepreneurship Innovation Challenge. Our playbook, developed due to high demand for our innovative approach, now guides global WFP teams in innovation practices. These collaborations promote digitization and innovation, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and underscoring our role as a thought leader in Kenya and Eastern Africa.
Our Work
- Innovation Consultancy Services: In this pillar, we strive to make innovation a core part of our organizational culture. We work with WFP, the Government of Kenya, and other partners to build their capacity on design thinking. Guided by human centred design principles, we work with these teams to conduct user research, co-creation workshops, and rigorous prototyping and testing to generate deep insights and craft finely tuned solutions that have the potential to transform lives.
- Innovation Sprint Programme: This pillar forms the core of our operations. We identify and explore innovative ideas from within and outside WFP that have the potential to solve relevant real-world problems. We field test or pilot the ideas in the areas that WFP operates to understand how the project can best contribute to ending hunger. We continuously learn and adapt to the dynamic and often challenging contexts to ensure the final product is ready to scale. Guided by lean start up and agile methodologies, we ensure the solutions are tested in a rapid and cost-effective manner, delivering value to the organisation.
3) Scale-Up: This pillar is a vital connection that links our work with the Government of Kenya. Through our flagship county-level innovation centres, we work closely with the Government, other UN agencies, and strategic partners to scale innovative solutions across Kenya. We empower local innovators to build community-driven solutions that bring about long-lasting, meaningful, and transformative change, and we support the government to develop policies that enable local innovation.
Innovation Projects
County level Innovation Centers
Scale-up Phase
The Innovation Unit is decentralizing WFP’s efforts to impact food security and foster innovation ecosystems at county level. This will leverage the successful partnership between the Government and WFP to support the design, set up and running of County-level Innovation Centres (CICs).
The overall goal of the CICs is to support the development of highly scalable, field tested, innovative solutions that support strengthening of resilience for vulnerable populations in the Arid and Semi-Arid lands. These innovation centers are designed to be safe spaces for county government staff, beneficiaries, and innovators to access training on innovation methodologies to develop solutions to problems faced in the counties and beyond. The centers will also provide deep field access where innovative solutions are tested rapidly with the target beneficiaries for richer learnings. Additionally, the centres will provide access to funding opportunities for innovative ideas, entrepreneurs, and startups.
The overall goal of the CICs is to support the development of highly scalable, field tested, innovative solutions that support strengthening of resilience for vulnerable populations in the Arid and Semi-Arid lands. These innovation centers are designed to be safe spaces for county government staff, beneficiaries, and innovators to access training on innovation methodologies to develop solutions to problems faced in the counties and beyond. The centers will also provide deep field access where innovative solutions are tested rapidly with the target beneficiaries for richer learnings. Additionally, the centres will provide access to funding opportunities for innovative ideas, entrepreneurs, and startups.
H2Grow
Scale-up Phase
H2Grow is WFP's hydroponics initiative that brings locally adapted and affordable hydroponic solutions to vulnerable communities. WFP is leveraging ABF (asset-based finance) to provide financing to farmers, who pay back their loans through the receipts of their produce.
We also use hydroponics as part of school-feeding programs, providing meals to learners and educating them about innovative farming techniques. The H2Grow system supports farmers, promotes food security in ASALs (Arid & Semi-Arid Lands), and leverages innovative financing, which WFP hopes to extend to future initiatives.
We also use hydroponics as part of school-feeding programs, providing meals to learners and educating them about innovative farming techniques. The H2Grow system supports farmers, promotes food security in ASALs (Arid & Semi-Arid Lands), and leverages innovative financing, which WFP hopes to extend to future initiatives.
MEZA | AI-based OCR App
Scale-up Phase
WFP has invested in MEZA - which translates to ‘table’ in Swahili - an artificial intelligence (AI) solution that uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to decode handwritten medical data into machine-readable information. The solution also assists in consolidating this data into the national government’s health database to support accurate and timely reporting on health treatment for effective management of acute malnutrition. MEZA is designed to specifically support remote health centres that have limited access to electricity and internet, preventing them from using the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system currently being deployed in the country.
EMPACT
Scale-up Phase
WFP’s EMPACT (EMPowerment in ACTion) programme is a digital livelihoods programme delivering a blended curriculum that combines technical and soft skills training curriculum through a learn-and-earn model that also connects trainees to digital work opportunities.
EMPACT was launched at the Kibera Town Center in 2021 following the socio-economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, more than 1,000 youth have been trained under the programme with 41 percent earning money from online work.
EMPACT was launched at the Kibera Town Center in 2021 following the socio-economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, more than 1,000 youth have been trained under the programme with 41 percent earning money from online work.
Innovation Playbook
Scale-up Phase
WFP’s Innovators’ Playbook is a comprehensive resource that captures the best practices of innovation in WFP inspired primarily by our Innovation Unit’s work in Kenya. It offers detailed, step-by-step assistance and tools for every phase of the project lifecycle. Readers can learn how to build their own innovation teams, leverage partnerships, and develop innovation projects from conception to scale and handover. Available for all WFP colleagues, this resource aims to help find new ways of tackling the problems we face as WFP or those experienced by the communities we assist.
Previous Projects
Cash for Schools
In-kind assistance has proven to have negative long-term effects on the food security of communities that receive this kind of assistance. In 2013, WFP sought to address this by changing the transfer modality of the school feeding programme, where stable markets were found. This was done to amplify the impact of the school meals programme, by not only providing school going children with adequate nutrition, but also supporting local farmers and retailers in the local market, thereby improving the food security of the entire community. This programme was successfully handed over to the Government in 2018.
Bamba Chakula
Cash transfer programs often experience delay the disbursement of life-saving cash assistance to deserving beneficiaries due to the time-consuming processes of beneficiary registration and data verification.
In 2015, WFP Kenya initiated an innovative approach to address this issue. We issued scratch cards at registration points, which can be used to top up the recipient's mobile money account.
This approach expedites the process by activating the scratch cards within 48 hours of issuance, ensuring swift access to much-needed funds.
In 2015, WFP Kenya initiated an innovative approach to address this issue. We issued scratch cards at registration points, which can be used to top up the recipient's mobile money account.
This approach expedites the process by activating the scratch cards within 48 hours of issuance, ensuring swift access to much-needed funds.
Vijana in Kilimobizz Youth Innovation Challenge
The “Vijana in Kilimobizz” Youth Innovation challenge, launched by WFP Kenya in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation is supporting high-impact, youth-led, innovative solutions that seek to create job opportunities for young people and accelerate food system transformation across the entire value chain.
13 – mix of scale-up and early stage – ventures were selected for the tailored acceleration programme and grant funding. The majority of them are female-led companies based in ASAL (Arid and Semi-Arid Lands) and remote areas across Kenya.
13 – mix of scale-up and early stage – ventures were selected for the tailored acceleration programme and grant funding. The majority of them are female-led companies based in ASAL (Arid and Semi-Arid Lands) and remote areas across Kenya.
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