Farming Systems Kenya is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that was established in 1981 through the initiative of the Nakuru Lay People Fellowship (NLPF) of the Africa Inland Church, Nakuru Regional Church Council. The main agenda was to reduce poverty through agricultural development, focusing on smallholder farmers who constitute 80% of the Kenyan farming community. FSK targets the rural subsistence farmers who to a great extent lack the relevant knowledge, skills and opportunities to improve their productivity and market their products. FSK works with rural farmers’ self-help groups, providing them with technical advice, extension and affordable credit for crop and livestock enterprises.
Being a key player in the agricultural sector is well aware of its special place in the lives of the smallholder farming communities and their expectation for leadership in orienting agriculture to overcome existing and potential challenges in the Country by equipping subsistence farmers with knowledge and skills that accelerate the transformation from subsistence to commercial farming through transfer of innovative technologies from research institutions, enhancing social enterprise development, provision of extension and community development services all these being delivered to the farmers through the Value Extension Service (VES) model which is a development model that promotes the Value Chain approach in all the value chains that intervenes on.
Over the years, FSK has implemented many programs in agriculture and agribusiness, environment and natural resource development, water and microenterprise development. This has been possible through partnerships, collaborations and linkages with various development agencies. These have been implemented by adopting a holistic approach to project implementation which enabled FSK to achieve great milestones. With over 38 years of experience working with smallholder farmers, agro-pastoralists and pastoralists in the high potential areas as well as arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) areas of Kenya. The organization currently works in 7 Counties which include Nakuru, Baringo, Narok, Laikipia, Kakamega, Bomet and West Pokot.
