Stakeholder Consultation: amaranth as Kenya’s priority opportunity crop

21-24 April 2026. Kisumu, Kenya. Stakeholder consultation workshop in Kenya organised by the German BOLDER program with the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT. 

Stakeholders came together for a two-day validation workshop on the amaranth value chain and food environment. The workshop created space to align evidence with experience, bringing together voices from across research, policy, and practice 

Discussions went beyond validation. They focused on what it will take to unlock the full potential of amaranth as a nutritious, climate-resilient crop. From consumption patterns to market dynamics, stakeholders explored practical pathways to scale impact and strengthen local food systems.

Supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through KfW Development Bank and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ireland, this work continues to build momentum around underutilized crops that can drive nutrition, resilience, and livelihoods.

For the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, this validation is not as the end of research, but as the beginning of action.

This workshop was a follow-up to 18–22 August 2025. Nairobi. Finger millet and amaranth were selected as Kenya’s priority “opportunity crops” during the two-day National Stakeholder Consultation under the Power of Diversity Funding Facility (PDFF).

The crops also hold huge market potential. While their consumption has traditionally been low, mostly limited to rural households and older generations, this is now changing. In urban areas, health-conscious consumers are increasingly embracing nutrient-rich alternatives, driven by the rise of lifestyle diseases and growing awareness of the benefits of indigenous foods. As a result, amaranth and finger millet are gradually making their way into supermarkets, health stores, and restaurant menus, signaling a broader shift toward healthier eating habits.

Resources:

A new Crop Trust policy brief presents a strategic framework for integrating opportunity crops into African food systems through foresight-driven planning and multi-stakeholder collaboration. 

Drawing on pilot workshops in Nigeria, Kenya, and Zambia, the brief shows how the Power Of Diversity Funding Facility supports inclusive decision-making to prioritize crops that offer resilience, nutrition and livelihood benefits.

A new Crop Trust policy brief presents a strategic framework for integrating opportunity crops into African food systems through foresight-driven planning and multi-stakeholder collaboration. Drawing on pilot workshops in Nigeria, Kenya, and Zambia, the brief shows how the hashtag#PowerOfDiversity Funding Facility supports inclusive decision-making to prioritize crops that offer resilience, nutrition and livelihood benefits.

Global Crop Conservation and Use Metrics: Amaranth

This report provides an up-to-date overview of the global status of ex situ conservation of genetic resources of amaranth and its wild relatives, including key metrics on: 

• global statistics on crop production and availability in food supplies; 
• the identity and composition of genebank collections; 
• the Multilateral System (MLS) status of accessions in these collections; 
• storage, regeneration, and safety duplication status; 
• documentation, information systems, and research resources; 
• germplasm distribution; 
• varietal registrations and releases; and 
• crop networks and partnerships.

Crop Trust, Alliance Bioversity & CIAT (2026) Scoping Review Report: Assessing Finger millet food systems in Kenya. Power of Diversity Funding Facility Prepared by: Consolata Musita/Wendy Kimonye, 52 p.

• Despite growing interest in neglected and underutilized species (NUS) for strengthening sustainable and inclusive food systems, evidence on finger millet in Kenya remains fragmented across disciplines, value chain stages, and food system domains. 
• This scoping review synthesizes existing literature on finger millet in Kenya using a food systems lens to assess how the crop is positioned across the value chain, the extent to which gender and governance dimensions are addressed, and where critical evidence gaps remain. 

Background:

Crop Trust launched (19/03/2025) the Power of Diversity Funding Facility (PDFF). This
transformative multi-donor funded initiative will promote the use of so-called opportunity crops across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Initially, the PDFF will focus on 14 high-potential opportunity crops in seven countries,: Colombia, Kenya, India, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Additional funding can extend the project’s reach to more countries, driving a shift towards resilient and sustainable agrifood systems worldwide.