Crops and Dairy Market Systems Development Activity | RFA 615 17 000006

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA 615 17 000006

The Crops and Dairy Market Systems Development Activity is a USAID/Kenya (USAID-Nairobi) grant opportunity designed to support a five-year program aimed at sustainably reducing hunger, malnutrition, and poverty in Kenya. The activity is framed around the idea that lasting food security gains come from strengthening agricultural market systems rather than relying only on short-term production boosts. In practice, the opportunity emphasizes agriculture-led growth that is inclusive and environmentally sustainable, improved resilience for households and the broader systems they depend on, and measurable progress toward a better-nourished population.

USAID/KEA signals that the award will be made as a Cooperative Agreement, which typically means USAID expects to remain actively involved during implementation through substantial engagement on technical direction, collaboration, and oversight compared to a standard grant. The opportunity is categorized under Agriculture (CFDA 98.001) and is listed as a discretionary funding opportunity. The total potential funding level is substantial, with an award ceiling of up to $60,000,000, and USAID anticipated making multiple awards (up to 10), suggesting a portfolio approach where several implementing partners could work across different geographic areas, value chains, or technical themes under the same overarching initiative.

The program is organized around five priority areas that outline what USAID/KEA wants to see from applicants. The first priority focuses on building competitive, inclusive, and sustainable agricultural market systems, meaning interventions should help markets function better for farmers, agribusinesses, and consumers while ensuring smallholders and marginalized groups can participate and benefit. The second priority emphasizes diverse agricultural production and improved productivity, pointing to efforts that increase output and efficiency while also promoting diversification, which can improve diets, reduce risk, and stabilize incomes. The third priority highlights the policy environment for agricultural market systems development, indicating that regulatory reform, standards, trade and taxation issues, and public-sector coordination may be part of the work to remove barriers and incentivize private investment. The fourth priority explicitly calls for integrating youth and women into agricultural market systems, implying that proposed approaches should go beyond general inclusion statements and incorporate practical mechanisms to expand access to training, finance, inputs, land, services, employment, entrepreneurship opportunities, and leadership roles. The fifth priority area centers on Collaborative Action and Learning for Market Systems Change, which signals a strong interest in adaptive management, shared learning, coordination among stakeholders, and using evidence and feedback loops to refine strategies as markets respond.

In terms of eligibility and administration, the opportunity is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is open to a wide range of applicant types unless additional eligibility conditions are provided elsewhere in the full solicitation. The funding opportunity title is "Crops and Dairy Market Systems Development Activity," and it was released under Funding Opportunity Number RFA 615-17-000006. The notice was created on June 22, 2017, with an original closing date of July 24, 2017. Overall, the opportunity reflects USAID/KEA’s intent to catalyze market-driven, resilient, and nutrition-relevant agricultural development in Kenya, with a particular emphasis on crops and dairy systems, inclusive economic participation, and policy and learning structures that support sustained, system-level change.

• The Agency for International Development, Kenya USAID-Nairobi in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Crops and Dairy Market Systems Development Activity" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 22, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 24, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $60,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for RFA 615 17 000006

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