Value chain analysis : Searching for upstream value-adding in the Kenyan seaweed industry

Sammanfattning: Growing interest for seaweed derived products in industrial applications have driven demand for tropical seaweeds in recent decades. To take part of this development, Kenya has incorporated a target of expanding its existing yet small-scale seaweed industry through the Kenyan Blue Economy agenda. A value chain analysis was performed to identify inefficiencies and recommendations of pathways to add value for local actors upstream in the value chain. Through interviews and study visits conducted during a field study, the value chain analysis of the Kenyan seaweed mapped involved participants and their roles in the sequence of activities and laid the foundation for an informed discussion of improvements in the value chain. Diversifying product streams could be made through cultivating additional species that have proven successful in Kenya before, either through introducing other seaweed species or through co-culturing for example sea cucumbers and seaweed. It should further be explored if offshore farming can be established, as this seems to reduce the seasonal component of farming and enable species diversification.