A groundbreaking United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) initiative is transforming agriculture in Kenya’s Kinale region by drastically reducing post-harvest food losses and improving farmer livelihoods.
Through the establishment of modern cold-chain infrastructure – including a refrigerated truck, an insulated vehicle, and a cold storage facility – farmers from the Lari Horticultural Co-operative Society have seen remarkable improvements in both productivity and profit.
Before the intervention, farmers in Kinale were losing up to 40% of their perishable produce due to inadequate storage and inefficient transportation. Today, with access to reliable cold-chain systems, those losses have been cut to a fraction. As a result, co-operative members now report income increases of around 50%, alongside greater stability in market access and pricing.
The initiative forms part of the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-chains (ACES), a collaborative programme spearheaded by UNEP’s United for Efficiency (U4E) in partnership with the University of Birmingham, the Government of Rwanda and other academic institutions. Funded by the Government of the UK, the project aims to demonstrate how energy-efficient, sustainable cold-chain systems can address the dual challenges of food insecurity and climate change across the continent.
In Kenya alone, ACES has already trained more than 300 farmers in essential post-harvest management skills, including logistics, temperature control, pricing strategies and sustainable marketing practices. Equipped with the new cold-chain facilities, farmers can now store and transport a wide range of fresh produce – such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, spinach, cabbage, courgettes, leeks, kale and potatoes – without spoilage. This has enabled them to bypass middlemen, reach consumers directly, and deliver higher-quality products to market.
Beyond the immediate benefits of reduced food loss, the initiative has generated new employment opportunities within the region, including drivers, cold-room operators and logistics co-ordinators. According to UNEP, such cold-chain advancements not only improve livelihoods but also contribute to climate goals by cutting greenhouse gas emissions associated with food spoilage.
Looking ahead, UNEP and its partners intend to scale up the ACES model beyond Kenya and Rwanda, extending it to other African nations facing similar post-harvest challenges. “By spreading such approaches, we can support tens of thousands of farmers, reduce food losses, slow greenhouse gas emissions, and protect vital natural resources – delivering benefits for both people and the planet,” said Hongpeng Lei, chief of UNEP’s climate mitigation branch.
The success of the Kenya pilot was highlighted in the run-up to the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, observed jointly by UNEP and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on 29 September 2025, a reminder that sustainable cold chains can be a key lever in building resilient, climate-smart food systems across Africa.
Source: RefIndustry