The proposed project examines the feasibility of an Agribusiness Innovation Rural Entrepreneur Project (AIREP) in the agro-processing sector in Lower Eastern of Kenya and proposes a sustainable business model.The proposed AIREP will foster and accelerate the growth of Lower Eastern of Kenyas agro-processing sector, thereby helping to commercialize agricultural production, increase agricultural incomes, and reduce poverty. It builds upon CDTF earlier efforts to develop and expand business incubation in Lower Eastern of Kenya.

The primary stakeholders are the donors, and CIDI. The programme will be overseen by PMU and the individual organisations. This programme will be managed by CIDI Lower Eastern who will meet regularly with the boards of CIDI and Line Ministries and with the representatives of Community . Financial reports, compliance and administrative functions will be managed by the CIDI programme manager; summary reports will be provided by each organisation on an annual basis. The AIREDP will be administered for CIDI by UN under a MOU, and managed by PMU. The CIDI Lower Eastern Programme Manager and Lead Adviser will be responsible for oversight of the programmes progress.

Capacity building plays a key role throughout the whole project cycle: farmers obtain training and inputs to increase their productivity, generate employment and raise their income and establish community support systems Extensive and practical training will be given to project staff, self-help group members, government officials and community leaders. CIDI will also improve its capacity for supervision, technical backstop and monitoring through acquisition of capital inputs. With the new office in Kitui town, CIDI will expand its work in SNNPR with a permanent presence able to reach remote communities across the region. Empowerment: a key element to the project is the empowerment of women including creating Social Peer Farmers that will advocate for the rights of women within families and communities. By changing mindsets around the role of women, and by increasing their skill set and confidence we can meet the needs of families, stop dependency on aid and create self reliance.

PMT will be established within the CIDI/MEF Project Coordination Unit (CIDI/MEF-PCU) to manage, coordinate and conduct internal supervision of the project implementation. Two service providers, one for each technical component will be responsible for the implementation of activities with direct beneficiaries at community level. The MEF will enter into a 12-month agreement with CIDI, to administer project finances, and provide fiduciary on-the-job skills capacity building. Details of such an agreement will be negotiated as soon as the UN Executive Board approves the project financing. COSI will be selected because it is already contracted as the IA to administer PPI-2 and PPI-3 projects finances, selected competitively. The PMT, supported by UN, will recruit the two service providers (establishing terms of reference for the service contracts, selecting the providers and negotiating the contracts) following procedures acceptable to UN; supervise the implementation of the two service contracts (quality control, payment authorization, environmental management supervision); monitor project implementation including collecting and reporting on the RIMS data annually; facilitate UN project supervision missions; and report, as standard procedure, implementation progress to the GoK and UN.

Community Integrated Development international,Ministry of agriculture,Ministry of Industries and Trade,Kitui County government Mutonguni ecosystem Environmental Management Alliance