CHEF’s new 7 Centers of Excellence (CoE) launch in Kenya’s highlands.

On 1 April 2026, SAF-Africa and partners launched seven farmer-led Centers of Excellence in Nyandarua County, Kenya, converting agroecological concepts into actionable farming practices and giving smallholders a front-row seat to innovations that restore land, protect water, and put money in their pockets.

SAF-A believes in agroecology as a “tool” to protect nature, conserve the richness of biodiversity, and restore degraded ecosystems. Centres of Excellence (CoEs) will help us demonstrate these innovations to smallholder farmers. They will see how a wide range of innovations work and transfer the learning onto their farms. We gathered at KIMNA farmers’ hub to officially launch 7 CoEs that will serve smallholders famers under our CHEF project. 

These CoEs will serve as farmer-led demonstration sites where innovations are tested, showcased, and scaled. They will act as last-mile delivery points, integrate production, sustainability, and market access, while enabling hands-on learning, access to quality inputs, and stronger linkages to markets. Beyond that, the CoEs will foster continuous knowledge sharing, capacity building, and the growth of Agri-Entrepreneur-led agribusinesses to benefit smallholder farmers across the Central Highland region.” comments Glory Kibiti, CHEF project coordinator.

Each CoE trains farmers in practical soil health: composting to restore microbes, cover crops to prevent erosion, minimum tillage to retain moisture, agroforestry to recycle nutrients, and contour farming to slow runoff. Water is systematically harvested, stored, and efficiently distributed through water pans, roof catchments, storage tanks, and drip irrigation systems, alongside conservation measures such as indigenous tree planting (e.g., bamboo for aquifer recharge) and runoff control. The goal: farm without depleting. “We’re teaching farmers to use soil and land sustainably and regeneratively,” says Mathews, project agronomist.

The centres will run multiple enterprises side by side: you will find capsicum in greenhouses, cabbage seedling production, fodder, maize, potato, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, and avocado trees. Crop diversification cushions farmers from weather shocks and market swings. Combined with animal husbandry: dairy, rabbits, sheep, and poultry – the system creates year-round cash flow and nutrition.

Beyond demos, the centres act as delivery points. Farmers access certified seed and seedlings, disease-free planting material through soil sterilization, and training on post-harvest handling. The same sites link producers to buyers, turning learning into sales. They’re designed to grow Agri-Entrepreneur-led agribusinesses that serve the wider community.

“We’re proud to have partnered with The Nature Conservancy, County Government of Nyandarua, Equity, and NPCK on a shared mission: to empower communities to restore land, protect water, and enhance biodiversity,” says Faith Mbuguah, SAF-Africa’s Head of Agri-Entrepreneurship.