FAO Institutional procurement of staples from smallholders. The case of purchase for progress in Kenya

P4P in Kenya has contributed to ongoing projects and national efforts to strengthen the capacity of FOs to practice collective marketing - however with the unique opportunity of offering preferential market access to WFP if the quality of food supplied by smallholders can meet the organization’s requirements. In addition to strengthening smallholders’ capacity to respond to WFP’s demands, the organization has also undergone a number of institutional changes in order to re-orient its procurement procedures in favor of procurement from smallholder producers. Indeed these changes demonstrate the organization’s commitment to facilitating smallholder-friendly procurement. Changes have included: (i) testing of different contract modalities (ii) shortening payment times (iii) provision of customized logistical and transport systems (iv) customizing administrative procedures and (v) provision of services for quality control.