The Big Dreams Of A First-Time Farmer

"I never thought farming would be my venture," says my sister, Faith. But perhaps it was her destiny. Our parents were farmers (and teachers as well) in a small farming community on the coast of Kenya, living in Mabafweni village in Kwale County. Their five children had to get up at 5 a.m. during growing …

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Africa needs its own version of the vertical farm to feed growing cities

The Netherlands is building its first large-scale commercial vertical indoor farm. It’s expected to serve Europe’s largest supermarket chains with high quality, pesticide-free fresh cut lettuce. Vertical farms use high tech lighting and climate controlled buildings to grow crops like leafy greens or herbs indoors while using less water and soil. Because it’s a closed growing system, with controlled …

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Unlocking the Power of African Soil Microbes

We have heard it over and over—that microbes will revolutionizeagriculture. We have seen big investments by larger agricultural companies. We have witnessed a gradual growth in the number of companies and start-ups jumping on the wagon to produce and commercialize microbial cocktails that are useful to farmers and agriculture. We have also seen the birth of partnerships between these …

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How to tackle repetitive droughts in the Horn of Africa

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently declared that millions of citizens in the Horn of Africa face food shortages. Owing to a persistent lack of rainfall between October and December, as many as 12 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are in dire need of food assistance. But this is not new. Almost …

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Continuing the Wins in Soil Health Restoration in Africa

Sub-Saharan African countries, including Ethiopia and Rwanda, have embarked on an ambitious path to reclaim and sustainably manage 100 million hectares of land by 2030. This journey is timely considering 65 percent of Africa’s soils are sick and degraded. Ailing African soils result in low crop yields and low household capital, pushing millions of smallholder …

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