Sustainable Cooling in Kenya's Agrifood Sector Transformation: A Case for Multisectoral Policy Alignment and Investment
Centre for Sustainable Cooling (CSC), Endev
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Abstract: Sustainable cold chain is a critical infrastructure that requires robust investment to unlock its potential in sustainable agrifood sector development,improve rural livelihoods,and enhance the health and well-being of Kenyans. The agrifood sector is integral to Kenya's economic and social development,contributing 51% of GDP (26% directly and 25% indirectly) and accounting for 60% of employmentand 65% of exports (World Bank,2018). According to the Agriculture Sector Transformation Strategy (ASTGS) (MoALFI,2019),the sector has been experiencing annual growth of about 4.8 % annually since 2012. However,Kenya?s food deficit persists. A major contributor is post-harvest food loss and waste (FLW) valued at US $ 662 million annually (FAO,2020) excluding social and environmental costs (FAO,2020; FAO,2015). This is mainly due to poor post-harvest practices and lack of effective coldchain from farm to fork. Of this,an estimated 30 ? 40% of fruits and vegetables worth US$140 million are lost annuallyin Kenya (FAO,2020). Also,about 7.3% of milk that is produced is lost through spoilage,poor handling and limited cold-chain (Kang?ethe et al,2020; MoALFI,2019).