By Karim Dostmohamed, General Manager, Frigoken Ltd.

To scale its activities in water conservation and management, Frigoken Ltd. (FKL) – a project company of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development – has partnered with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a leading conservation organisation working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people by investing in community conservation strategies. TNC possesses considerable experience in developing conservation projects, landscapes conservation, protection and development of watershed conservation programmes.

The partnership began in 2013. It focuses on water harvesting, conservation and management within Kenya’s Upper Tana watershed, particularly in the rural areas where FKL’s out growers are located. This partnership helps farmers to improve water conservation and management practices in their farms by integrating cost-effective rainwater harvesting structures known as water pans. These pans enable effective irrigation of farmers’ crops, including those supplied to FKL. 

To date, over 10,000 water pans have been set up. Adopting these techniques and practices will lead to higher productivity of the land and better utilisation of rainwater.

In addition to this project, FKL undertakes other activities to promote environmental sustainability within its farming areas, including initiatives to promote soil fertility as well as an agro-forestry project, which has seen the company and the local communities plant over 3.5 million trees in five years.

Frigoken Ltd. is one of the largest export-oriented vegetables processing companies in Kenya, engaging thousands of small-scale farmers in its value chain. The company offers farmers a year-round guaranteed market for their produce, providing extension services to promote good agricultural practices.