Since 2019, Mokoro have been responsible for the long-term monitoring and evaluation of WFP Kenya’s Sustainable Food Systems Programme (2018-2023) which is being implemented in the arid and semi-arid areas of Kenya. In 2020, a Mokoro team led by Stephen Turner conducted the annual outcome monitoring for the programme, which covered the period from July 2019 (when a baseline survey was done) to September 2020.

The Sustainable Food Systems Programme aims at ensuring that “targeted smallholder producers and food-insecure, vulnerable populations benefit from more sustainable, inclusive food systems and increased resilience to climate shocks enabling them to meet their food and nutrition needs by 2023”. It builds on WFP’s earlier experience in livelihoods interventions and agricultural market support but represents a considerable shift in focus, going beyond the traditional model of asset creation with a broader focus on food systems and using the livelihood and asset creation activities as platforms for the ‘layering’ of new technologies for climate change adaptation, attracting young women and men into agribusiness, and supporting traders and retailers in enhancing efficiencies in supply chains, with the ultimate objective of improving capacity for addressing resilience and market access challenges at national and county levels. A core part of the programme strategy is the capacity strengthening of national and county governments.

The 2020 outcome monitoring exercise had to be adjusted so that some data collection could proceed despite COVID-19 restrictions preventing any of the usual direct contact with informants at national, county and household levels. A remote household survey was conducted from a  call-centre. Qualitative data collection was undertaken by the review of relevant documents and a series of remote interviews informants from national and county governments, development partners and the WFP Country Office. In addition, an anonymous online survey of 99 informants at county level was undertaken. Many indicators had to be omitted because of the severe limitations on how much information can be collected remotely at household level.