Cultivating connections: sustainable farming in East Africa
In November 2024, Guy Singh-Watson, founder and chairman of Riverford Organic Farmers, and colleagues in the food and sustainable agriculture sector visited Ripple Effect projects in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.
Learning from sustainable smallholder farmers in eastern Africa.
The farmers Ripple Effect works with grow nutritious crops that suit their local environments. But they also face many challenges: achieving food security for their families and building their resilience to the catastrophic impacts of the climate crisis.
Guy and his colleagues who are all actively involved in farming, food production, and sustainable food systems, learned so much from these farmers.
All of the visitors funded their own travel, and have made contributions towards the staffing costs of supporting the trip. If you would like to support Ripple Effect, find out how you can donate to us.
Sharing East African expertise
Farmers working in Ripple Effect projects use sustainable techniques to produce a variety of crops. This ranges from innovative rainwater harvesting, through to fuel-efficient wood stoves and biogas energy. The effect is climate-positive: restoring land and protecting the environment.
Read about our sustainable agriculture work
Learning and sharing skills involves everyone, and helps to improve the lives of the entire community. So this goes far beyond the landowners (usually men), or only the fit and able-bodied. 57% of people working with Ripple Effect are women, 46% are young people, and 6% are people living with a disablity.
Explore our gender & social inclusion work
African farmers have a close and immediate understanding of the "climate chaos", so they’re protecting and rebuilding their environments and ecosystems. Some initiatives include planting trees, restoring soil with natural compost, and rebuilding and protecting landscapes from climate shocks.
Find out more about our climate work
Farmers don’t simply grow enough to feed their families. They’re expanding their skills as entrepreneurs and setting up micro-businesses within their communities without getting locked into long supply chains and export markets. We upskill farmers and support them to get finance, so they can set up new businesses, create jobs, earn an income, and save some of their earnings.
Read about our enterprise workHow you can play a part
If you feel inspired by how farmers in rural Africa are unlocking their potential and transforming their lives, here are some ways you can get involved:
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