Embu, Kenya 19th May 2022– Tupande by One Acre Fund, an agricultural service provider that supplies financing and training to smallholder farmers to grow more food and generate a permanent gain in farm income, has this month been awarded three different certifications by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) including FSSC 22000 (Food Safety Systems Certification 22000), GLOBALG.A.P (Global Good Agricultural Practice) and SMETA (SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit).
By meeting the extensive criteria of these standards, Tupande by One Acre Fund proves its commitment to address key challenges that many agribusinesses face in the first years of operations. First decision was to obtain the Global GAP, FSCC 22000 and SMETA certifications for the avocado and Macadamia crops.
During a ceremony held in Embu County, 128 kilometers east of Nairobi- Kenya, on the 19th of May 2022, a group of farmers received DNV’s GLOBALGAP certification for the avocado products for the first time, while the macadamia processing plant which serves many more farmers received FSSC 22000 and SMETA, allowing them to build more sustainable relationships with European buyers and generate higher incomes while ensuring compliance with the high-quality requirements as well as food safety.
“Market access is one of the most critical concerns of African Farmers. While export constitutes a very interesting high value income source, it is always linked to non-tariff barriers set by several countries including EU & UK, that makes it inaccessible to most smallholder farmers. When we were contacted by One Acre Fund to be the certifying partner for the Market Access Program, we were very happy to contribute to the huge efforts done by the Organization by mobilizing our best expertise in terms of Food Safety and provide a high level of service to this project”, states Ms. Lynda Tezkratt, Managing Director of DNV Business Assurance in Africa.
The GLOBALG.A.P certification stands for Global Good Agricultural Practices and is a private standard that sets out requirements for farming processes and food safety. As one of the most prevalent certifications that opens doors for Kenyan exporters towards European markets. By implementing and following the necessary steps to comply with this standard, certified farmers will be able to access new business opportunities, and the ability to improve their financial literacy and strengthen their farming operations for their now-certified products.
Ms. Lynda Tezkratt adds, “We, DNV, are proud to be contributing to the OAF Market Access program as it highlights Africa’s capacity to produce better and to meet international standards. We hope that this is only a starting point to more export projects held by African Farmers in Kenya but also all across the continent. Africa’s has a great potential and I hope to see more African certified products everywhere’’.
The benefit of DNV’s certification: Promoting good agricultural practices and ensuring long-term success.
Tupande by One Acre Fund facilities also obtained the internationally recognized certification FSSC 22000 for the processing of macadamia nuts by DNV. Further, OAF labor practices have been assessed by DNV and found to be compliant with SMETA, a high standard for treatment of workers.
The first step to achieving certification was the establishment of one-to-one linkages facilitated between Tupande by One Acre Fund project teams and DNV’s experts; the approach included localization and identification of individual and group farmers and the varieties and quantities of their avocado trees and macadamia plants, based on that, the farmers’ capabilities of meeting the needs of Kenyan exporters in terms of volume and quality were then analyzed.
The certified farmers groups and OAF technical advisors received training on compliance with GLOBALG.A.P and FSSC22000 audit requirements. This included activities such as the development of individual quality management systems and the implementation of internal audits.
In each farmers group, harvesting and hygiene supervisors were selected and trained on specific aspects, such as recordkeeping and post-harvest handling, as well as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP).
Farmers are now taking on more responsibilities along the avocado and macadamia value chain.
‘‘I would like to thank Tupande by One Acre Fund for the support that we have received. We highly appreciate the whole team that made this journey worth it. We will strive to make this sustainable and impactful for our business,’’ said one of the beneficiary farmers after receiving DNV certifications.
About Tupande by One Acre Fund