NutriSave
NutriSave, funded by the Gates Foundation and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, aims to reduce food loss and waste in Kenya, helping to tackle climate change while boosting nutrition in low-income communities.
Opportunity
FAO estimates show that that one-third of food produced around the world is wasted due to a range of supply-chain issues. Globally, food loss and waste accounts for more than 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Only 2% of the Kenyan population consumes the WHO-recommended daily intake of 400 grams of fruits and vegetables, with current average per capita consumption at 140 grams. Multiple factors drive low fruit and vegetables consumption, including affordability, seasonality, and desirability.
The program is using design thinking to address these challenges by asking, “How might we reduce food loss and waste with dual-impact actions to address climate change and improve low income nutrition?”
Strategy
NutriSave is a three-year program that aims to identify, validate, design, and rapidly pilot innovative solutions that redirect excess fruits and vegetables to markets serving low-income consumers in Kenya. It employs research and human-centered design (HCD) processes, working with stakeholders across the fruit-and-vegetable ecosystem.
The project timeline includes an exploratory phase and market analysis in year 1, followed by research and proof-of-concept testing in year 2. The collective goal is to scale the most effective concepts in year 3, with the intended outcome of improved access to affordable and nutritious fruits and vegetables by low-income consumers, particularly women.
Results
Since its launch in December 2022, the NutriSave program has been actively conducting formative research to guide the creation of solutions aimed at reducing food loss and waste, while improving access to fruits and vegetables for low-income consumers in Kenya. This research includes value chain analysis, demand and supply assessments, economic case development, solution landscaping, a human-centered design approach for solution development, and consumer demand research, among other studies.
Prototyping and testing of proposed solutions, ranging from low to high fidelity, are assessed based on their desirability, feasibility, viability, and potential impact on enhancing access to affordable and nutritious fruits and vegetables, improving nutritional outcomes, increasing women’s involvement, and contributing to climate mitigation.
Further reading
