Eastern Produce OEP (Outgrower Empowerment Programme)
- 3,480 smallholder tea growers
- Located in the west of Kenya
- Partners with Cafédirect since 2007
At Eastern Produce, in Kenya, the OEP (Outgrower Empowerment Programme) is an organisation of smallholder farmers, or ‘outgrowers’, who sell their tea to the Eastern Produce Estate. These smallholders are also part-owners of the estate and Cafédirect has been working with them since 2007. They’re increasing their shareholding over time. As smallholder tea farmers tend to grow only tea, and so are entirely dependent on the success of the harvest for their income, the group is encouraging its members to diversify.
Through the PPP, funded by Cafédirect and managed by CPF, OEP is training the farmers to keep bees, which benefits the eco-system, while also growing other crops the farmers can sell for cash, such as vegetables, passionfruit and bananas. They’re also are demonstrating how farmers can grow kitchen gardens to provide food for their families, which is especially important if the tea crop suffers from the frequent drought and the effects of climate change. Over 200 farmers and 35 school children attended the training sessions this year, which were held on two farms chosen as standout examples of good practice.