Karan grew up in Ghana and is now helping the nation's poorest farmers reap higher profits. GADCO, which he cofounded, is now Ghana's largest producer of rice; the farm loops in 1,000 impoverished local farmers, providing seeds and fertilizer, buying their crops and selling them in a global supply chain. The efficiencies possible in a …
Salif Niang is working to revolutionize the rice industry in Mali, establishing a model for improving the livelihood of smallscale farmers upon which much of Africa depends. “In late 2012, we were the first venture in Africa to market locally grown fortified rice to consumers and we are currently building a processing center that will …
The sun was mid-way up when the car that carried me and a few local agricultural officers pulled up in front of a farmhouse. We got out and walked behind the house. There we found a heavily damaged field of corn. The farmer talked animatedly about a strange ‘hungry worm’. His corn was less than …
Last month, I visited a privately-owned farm estate in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The drive time from where I set out to the farm estate should have been around 20 minutes. Unfortunately, it took 45 minutes to get there, thanks to flooded roads and numerous potholes, which covered three-quarters of the trip. The condition of the …
Anandha Reddy is a farmer from Bayyaram Village, Siddipet District, Telangana. He has about four acres of thirsty land, which has twelve boreholes. He was ‘lucky’ as the twelfth borehole finally showed signs of water, at more than 1,000 feet. But, his expenditure of Rs 18 lakh on water discovery is a risky journey as …