In Kenya and Ethiopia, SNV is leading the Feed the Future East Africa Catalytic Sustainable Agribusiness Investment (CSAI) project, funded by USAID. CSAI promotes investment in climate-smart, sustainable agriculture in East Africa by incubating and scaling-up climate-smart agribusinesses and mobilising private and public investment in successful business models. CSAI also contributes towards a better enabling environment for investment in climate smart agriculture (CSA) in Kenya and Ethiopia by promoting evidence based, private-public dialogue.

The project identifies climate-smart agribusinesses that are innovative, inclusive, and scalable, and supports them with analyses, business training, technical assistance, public-private dialogue, and strategic partnership match-making to help them become investment ready. The project then works directly with the private sector to accelerate the deployment of investment capital into these businesses.

In total CSAI is projected to screen 40 climate-smart agribusinesses for investment potential, incubate 15, and scale up six to the point of being investment ready. The project also aims to link the climate-smart agri-businesses it has incubated to US$6 million in investment capital. CSAI’s implementation will also provide a model for scaling-up climate-smart agriculture investments at two entry points of the business investment cycle: testing climate-smart innovations and attracting private-sector investments.

In alignment with the objectives of the U.S. Government's global hunger and food security initiative: Feed the Future (FtF), and in partnership with commitments from the governments Kenya and Ethiopia to building climate resilient economies, CSAI aims to increase smallholder farmers’ productivity, incomes, gender equality, climate resilience, and food security, while reducing poverty and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

CSAI is implemented by a consortium led by SNV that also includes Climate Focus and UNIQUE forestry and land use GmbH. The consortium works in tandem with USAID in focal countries and in Washington, DC, along with national governments, and other international non-profit organisations to base its activities on previous lessons learned, build on existing knowledge, and capitalise on synergies with ongoing efforts.