How informal value chain actors nurture indigenous knowledge: A case study of indigenous vegetables in Tana River County, Kenya

Indigenous vegetables are making a comeback in Kenya. While they have previously been regarded as ‘poor man’s food’, the cultural significance and health benefits of indigenous vegetables are now increasingly valued in Kenya. In the chain from production to consumption, informal actors, who are predominantly women, ensure that the perishable indigenous vegetables reach their various markets. Through producing the vegetables, they make a contribution to agrobiodiversity. And they play a role in preserving cultural and indigenous knowledge. However, they are often considered ‘backward’ by decision- and policy-makers, and most value chain interventions focus on formal actors, and formalization. Recognition of the positive roles of informal actors and cataloguing indigenous knowledge could stimulate the comeback further.
Enhancing the decision-making power of women and using a multi-stakeholder approach are essential to expand on the positive contributions of women in this part of Kenya’s food system