The project Veggies4Planet&People (V4P&P), co-developed and initiated in 2019 by the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) and the IKEA Foundation, is a 5-year initiative with a budget of €6 million, implemented by WorldVeg, SNV (Netherlands Development Organization) and partners. The project aimed to create jobs and income, particularly for youth and women, in the vegetable sector in Ethiopia and Kenya. It also sought to improve environmental and human health by promoting the safe production of vegetables, minimizing chemical pesticide use, and using safe biopesticides. At the farm level, V4P&P promoted regenerative agricultural (RA) practices to increase biodiversity, enrich soils, improve water utilization, and enhance natural resources and farm communities.
The V4P&P conference was informed by the need to share learnings from the V4P&P project’s final implementation year (2024-2025). Key reflections, outcomes, and lessons on regenerative agricultural practices, improved seed and input supply systems, VBN development, increased incomes, and job creation were shared with partners in Kenya and Ethiopia. These findings were also disseminated to other projects and initiatives promoting regenerative agriculture and job creation in the vegetable sub-sector for women and youth. The conference provided a platform for various initiatives to present their findings and lessons. ECI-Africa designed and facilitated this conference which was held in Nairobi, Kenya on May 28th &29th.
