Creating Opportunities Across Africa
In our 40 year history, our work and technologies have spanned the globe from India to Haiti.
Today, we are focused in sub-Saharan Africa where we see both the greatest need and the biggest opportunity to scale our impact.
Our Programs
We conduct in-depth market research to understand both the need and the opportunity of the country. We have developed a model that can be implemented across Africa but each program is tailored to meet the needs of the communities in which we work in order to multiply impact. We focus on staple crops that are nutritious and climate resilient. We identify, assess and approve the most appropriate technologies available based on output, price, mobility, and suitability for the crop.
Kenya
The Kenya program has been focused on scaling impact through our “One-to-Many” model of developing micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) as fee-for-service providers. Through these businesses, MSMEs provide services to smallholder farmers with appropriate technology to more efficiently process their crops.
Our work includes equipping MSMEs with technology and facilitating access to financing. We provide each entrepreneur with technical, business and marketing training to help them incorporate strategies for scale and growth of their businesses. We pay particular attention to working with women and youth entrepreneurs who lack resources to establish and scale their businesses.
Activities in Kenya launched with the “Mavuno Bora” program in 2020, funded by the van Lengerich family and the Seeding the Future Foundation. We’ve since expanded our offerings with our “She Feeds Africa” campaign focusing on additional training and onboarding of women entrepreneurs with support from the Anderson Foundation and Zinpro Corporation. We also are building strategies around expanding our portfolio of tools including identifying and testing new solar drying technologies with funding from the Quaker Hill Foundation.
Building Resilient Communities
The impacts of our programs reach across entire communities and is felt among farmers, entrepreneurs and their families. As rural entrepreneurs develop their agribusinesses, they are building a postharvest market that supports farmers with the resources they need to be productive, efficient, and adapt to a changing environment. Together they are strengthening food security with an abundant, high-quality, and nutritious food supply. Additional outcomes include:
- Job creation
- Increased revenues
- Decreased postharvest losses
- Improved food security
- and more.
