Impact
Growing food, growing incomes, growing resilience.
Kijani Hydroponics Farm is designed as more than a production site. It is a platform for women's employment, climate-smart food systems and local economic ripple effects across Kajiado and beyond.
Direct jobs
50+
Roles prioritised for women and youth.
Women trained / year
200+
Hydroponics, agribusiness & entrepreneurship.
Water savings
~80–90%
Compared to conventional soil farming.
Women & Jobs
Centering women in climate-smart agribusiness.
From nursery management to packaging and sales, Kijani is intentionally structured to unlock stable, dignified income for women in a sector that traditionally sidelines them.
Social Impact: Women & Jobs
Employment · Training · Leadership
Kenya’s labour market is heavily informal, with many women concentrated in precarious, low-paying work. Kijani Hydroponics Farm is designed to flip that script by building women-centered roles into every layer of the farm.
Direct jobs
50+
Prioritised for women and youth across operations, nursery, logistics and management.
Annual training
200+
Women equipped with hydroponics, agribusiness and basic enterprise skills.
Pathways
From precarious work to entrepreneurship
Training cohorts are supported to spin off micro-enterprises in seedlings, distribution and services.
Why focus so heavily on women?
Many of the fastest-growing informal jobs (construction, transport, casual labour) structurally favour men. Kijani deliberately creates roles where women can excel, earn and lead in a formal, growing sector.
Measuring what matters.
Impact will be tracked through employment data, training completion, and follow-up on graduates who move into agribusiness or related ventures.
Training at the center.
Each greenhouse doubles as a skills lab, ensuring knowledge is local, practical and reusable.
Dignity & agency
Kijani’s goal is not just to hire, but to help women gain the skills, confidence and networks to shape the future of climate-smart agriculture.
Nutrition & Food Security
Fresh, local, reliable
Local, reliable hydroponic production helps buffer communities against climate shocks and price volatility. By growing pesticide-light vegetables closer to urban and peri-urban markets, Kijani supports year-round access to fresh, nutritious food.
- Reduces dependence on distant supply chains that fail during droughts and floods.
- Supports diet diversity with leafy greens, herbs and vegetables for households and institutions.
- Aligns with FAO/WFP calls for resilient, localized food production in climate-vulnerable regions.
Controlled, clean production.
Hydroponic systems reduce pest pressure and allow precise nutrient management, supporting safe, reliable vegetables.
Environmental Impact
Water · Chemicals · Emissions
Water efficiency
~80–90% less water
Closed-loop hydroponic systems recycle water, dramatically reducing consumption in a water-stressed region.
Fewer chemicals
Lower pesticide use
Controlled environments minimize pest pressure, reducing the need for conventional chemical pesticides.
Reduced emissions
Shorter supply chains
Locally grown vegetables mean fewer transport miles and a smaller carbon footprint for fresh produce.
Economic Ripple Effects
Beyond the farm gate
The value of Kijani extends far beyond the boundaries of the 10-acre site. By anchoring a hydroponic hub in Kajiado, the project unlocks an ecosystem of small businesses and services.
Nursery & input supply chains
Seedling production, substrate suppliers and nutrient providers gain a stable, repeat customer and demonstration site for their products.
Packaging, transport & cold chain
Local logistics providers, pack-houses and transport services benefit from consistent volumes and predictable routes.
Training & advisory services
Trainers, agronomists and hydroponics specialists can plug into Kijani as a long-term learning site and client.
Women-led spin-offs
Graduates of Kijani's training programs can launch their own ventures — from micro-nurseries to aggregation and last-mile delivery.
From farm to markets, together.
As Kijani grows, so do the small businesses around it — traders, transporters, processors and service providers.