Power of Collaboration: BSF Association Kenya

Over the past 3 years, there has been progress made by members of the black soldier fly larvae farming community in Kenya to formalise into an association. Currently, a legal association is under registration with finalisation expected within the next few months. This progress has been driven by only a few dedicated members who are pursuing this work on a purely voluntary basis which has been identified as a challenge.

It is proposed that the structure of the association be a platform where members can gain direct value as well as playing a networking/matchmaking role where funding opportunities are driven through a strategic 5 year plan including securing donors interested in specific elements.

In order to bring the association to a fully functioning state that can propel the sector forward which is a core objective, the following elements are proposed as next steps:

• Finalise registration process for the legal association
• Institute on the governance elements of the association
• Create immediate value to members through the development of a website with embedded open source learning library to increase access to validated and organised information for those working in the sector
• Development of a strategic 5 year plan in order to attract funding to the sector in Kenya

It is important to note that the current executive committee was engaged throughout this research and agrees with the recommendations of this report.