Will you support farmers like Wednesh and Reuben to protect their future?
Millions of families across East Africa rely on small farms for food and income. But longer droughts and heavier rains are making harvests increasingly unpredictable. When crops fail, families face hunger, lost income, and children may have to miss school.
Ripple Effect's Farming for the Future Fund supports farming families to adapt to the climate crisis through practical, sustainable farming methods that help them grow more food, protect their land and build more secure futures.
Wednesh lives in rural Ethiopia with two of her children and two grandchildren. After her husband passed away following an illness brought on by malnutrition, she became responsible for farming and providing for her family alone.
Her family relies on enset (false banana), maize and coffee. They have enough food for around three months of the year, but for the remaining nine months, they face the daily worry of finding enough to eat.
Climate change has made life even harder. Coffee production has dropped, delayed rains have ruined maize harvests, and flooding, soil erosion and landslides continue to damage the land she depends on.
With support from people like you, more families can access the practical training they need to adapt to these challenges.
Without a balanced nutritious diet, illness is common, and her children experience malnutrition and delayed growth.
Through Ripple Effect, Wednesh learned how to restore her soil using organic compost and vermicompost, establish a productive kitchen garden and grow a wider variety of vegetables.
Wednesh, farmer and Ripple Effect participant, Ethiopia
Today, Wednesh is not only growing enough food for her family, but also sharing seeds and practical farming knowledge with her neighbours, helping other families grow food too. She dreams of restoring her coffee plantation, educating her children and seeing all her land green and fully fertile.
With your support, more families like Wednesh's can learn the skills they need to grow enough nutritious food and build a more secure future.
Meet Reuben, who lives in Kenya with his wife and three children. He also helps provide for his parents and his late brother's three children, making it even more important that his farm can produce enough food.
Before joining Ripple Effect, he often ate only two meals a day and struggled to produce healthy crops. After receiving training, he learned how to improve soil fertility, make compost and build a keyhole garden that produces a wide variety of vegetables in a small space.
Reuben, farmer, Peer Farmer Trainer and Ripple Effect participant, Kenya
Today, Reuben is sharing what he has learned as a Peer Farmer Trainer, helping other farmers in his community build stronger futures too. So far, at least 28 farmers have adopted the same techniques, helping more families grow food and earn an income.
With your support, more families like Wednesh's and Reuben's can restore their land, grow nutritious food, and build more secure futures. If you're able to, please donate today and help farming families adapt to the climate crisis.
Here's how your gift could make all the difference
There are many more families like Wednesh's and Reuben's who are working hard to adapt to the changing climate. Without the right support, failed harvests can mean months without enough food and fewer opportunities for the next generation.
Will you consider donating today to help more farming families protect their future?
As always, thank you for your continued generosity. Your support is helping farming families build resilient livelihoods and brighter futures. We couldn't do this work without our wonderful community of supporters.
FAQ: Summer Appeal
The Farming for the Future Summer Appeal is our fundraising campaign to raise £100,000 to help farming families in rural East Africa adapt to the climate crisis. Your donation helps families learn practical, sustainable farming methods to grow more food, protect their land, and build more secure futures.
The Farming for the Future Fund is one of Ripple Effect's three thematic funds, focused on sustainable agriculture and climate resilience. It supports farming families in rural East Africa to protect their land, grow diverse crops for nutritious diets, and build resilient and secure futures.
It is a five-year commitment running to 2030.
Your gift will support Ripple Effect's work with farming families in countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Zambia. Donations fund practical programmes that help farmers improve soil health using regenerative farming methods, conserve water, grow a wider variety of nutritious crops, access quality farming inputs, and share practical knowledge with others in their communities.
By 2030, the Farming for the Future Fund aims to help ensure that at least 70% of the farmers Ripple Effect works with are:
- Food secure, eating six or more types of food each day.
- Experiencing fewer than two months of hunger per year.
- Using at least three agroecological farming practices.
- Managing natural resources using at least three sustainable practices.
Even a small gift goes a long way.
- £25 equips families with the tools, seeds and training they need to farm sustainably.
- £50 helps families access water all year round by supporting rainwater harvesting.
- £100 helps establish a community allotment where families can grow crops together for regular meals and to sell for income.
Regular giving helps us plan ahead and makes an enormous long-term impact. Any regular gift set up through this Summer Appeal donation form will go towards our Farming for the Future Fund. If you'd like to set up a regular gift towards our general work instead, please visit our Make a Regular Gift page. Alternatively, you can call our Supporter Care team on 01225 874222 / 01225 688222 (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm) and we'll be glad to help.
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