Smart Food Markets for The Future

Reimagining open air markets

Project implemented in Kenya by the Eastern Africa Grain Council & Partners with support from The Rockefeller Foundation

The covid pandemic has accelerated the need to reconsider contact in our everyday lives. Yet markets throughout Kenya and Africa are places where contact is nearly inevitable, with little distance between the people working and shopping in it. IDEO.org, in partnership with the Eastern Africa Grain Council and the Rockefeller Foundation, have the opportunity to reimagine how markets are built in Kenya; not only to address the immediate pandemic concerns, but also to support their longevity, sustainability, and economic prosperity. Together we asked:

How might we reimagine open-air markets in Kenya to enable high standards of safety, sanitation, comfort, sustainability, and economic prosperity?

We learned from people in 7 markets in Nairobi, Kiambu, and Nakuru. We believe that deep insight and connection is possible even in a contactless world, and we adapted our research methods to do design research from afar. Through remote interviews, observations, WhatsApp conversations, and socially distant focus groups, we were able to gather insights from over 80 people.

We also learned from secondary research and exploring markets beyond Kenya. We expanded our reach beyond Kenya using technology such as satellite imaging to visit markets in places like Morocco, Japan, and Turkey. We were able to learn from some of the world’s oldest and most dynamic markets. We gathered insights on how their structural design solved problems related to space, interaction, and day-to-day operations.

Lastly, we connected with experts who can push the rigor of our design process.

Vendors

Vendors collectively manage the market’s day to day operations – some of the successful ones become leaders of vendors’ associations and represent their collective interests to local governments. Vendors’ influence in the market is determined by their level of experience and seniority, as well as their business track record.

Shoppers

Shoppers keep coming to the market despite the lack of sanitation because of their relationship with vendors. Shoppers are all concerned with how unsanitary markets can be, especially after it rains. Yet, they still do their shopping there because of their relationship to vendors: they can pre-order, take goods on credit, and even bargain lower prices.

Operators

Operators are just as affected by issues vendors face, but don’t have the same level of influence on decision making. Operators don’t always have the best reputation in a market as a lot of issues and altercations are attributed to them. However, they are a critical part of a market’s operations and wish their interests were represented in some way.

Related Topics

ATPAFESA
GBI
RATIN
Smart Markets

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