Urban Nutrition Initiative Phase II — Scaling Kenya's Organic Food System through Enhanced Market Access for Vulnerable Consumers in Nairobi. Project duration: January 2026 to December 2028. A consortium project implemented by Diabetes Awareness Trust (DAT), Feedback to the Future (FttF) and the Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT (ABC); ABC is the lead coordinating organisation while DAT and FttF are the implementing partners. Funded by the Biovision Foundation. DAT works with vulnerable consumers in Viwandani, Makadara Sub-County, Nairobi (with emphasis on people managing NCDs and mothers with children under five); FttF works with small-scale farmers in Kilome Sub-County, Makueni County.

Context: Unhealthy diets are the leading cause of death worldwide; Kenya's urban poor living in informal settlements face food insecurity, malnutrition and diet-related diseases. Phase 1 proved the model: DAT reached 3,487 consumers through nutrition education forums, cooking demonstrations and household follow-ups; 48 Community Health Workers were trained on the agroecology-health link; and 17,610 people were reached indirectly. Phase 2 scales this proven approach.

DAT's role — contributing to two of four core project results: (1) Raising consumer awareness — increasing knowledge and improving practices around food acquisition and preparation to promote safe, diverse and healthy diets that help prevent malnutrition and NCDs; (2) Scaling a proven organic food system model by building community capacity. Activities: training and reinforcing Community Health Promoters (CHPs) in Viwandani; delivering nutrition and health education directly to households with structured follow-up visits; establishing organic urban demonstration gardens where households learn hands-on gardening; and training school teachers on nutrition, NCD prevention and organic food production, engaging pupils through school demonstration gardens.

Source: https://diabetesawarenesstrust.org/urban-nutrition-initiative-2/ (contact info@diabetesawarenesstrust.org).