Cultivating connections: sustainable farming in East Africa
In November 2024, Guy Singh-Watson, founder and chairman of Riverford Organic Farmers, and seven colleagues from the food and sustainable agriculture world are visiting Ripple Effect projects in Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.
Learning from sustainable smallholder farmers
The aim of the trip is to learn from sustainable smallholder farmers in the region. Guy and his team will explore how these farmers are building resilience and food security despite the catastrophic impacts of the climate crisis.
What does “sustainable” look like for the farmers we work with?
At Ripple Effect, “sustainability” means not only planet-sustaining agroecological farming techniques, but also approaches that farmers can sustain long-term because they are affordable.
- Affordable, low-input farming: minimal use of costly inputs, and tailored to the resources farmers already have available to them.
- Locally-led approaches: designed to involve entire families and communities.
- Increased food production & income: aims to boost both food production and farmers’ incomes for further capacity-building.
Learning and Finding Hope in East Africa
Riverford and its veg box customers have supported Ripple Effect’s work since 2010. Guy Singh-Watson shares his experience:
"Seeing how incredibly productive and sustainable such diverse, multi-canopy, knowledge-intensive farming can be, and how it can improve food security, economic and social outcomes, is always inspiring.
Despite the impact of climate change and sometimes challenging governance, these visits always leave me full of hope – hope that we can feed a rapidly-growing population in a sustainable way.
We will learn from these farmers, and challenge the frequently postulated myth that the key to feeding the growing populations in the developing world is to mimic the input-intensive, soil-threatening monocultures that we in high-income countries have adopted at such huge environmental cost."
- Guy Singh-Watson, founder of Riverford Organic Farmers
Guy emphasizes that the key to feeding growing populations in a sustainable way may not be replicating high-input monocultures. Instead, it may lie in learning from East African farmers who achieve so much with minimal inputs.
What farmers in this region are facing
- Climate crisis impact: dramatic and unpredictable weather changes are the single biggest threat to rural African communities. While they contribute the least to climate change, they suffer its harshest effects. The average Kenyan produces just 8% of the CO₂ emissions of the average UK resident; the average Ugandan, 3%; and the average Rwandan, just over 2%.
- Reliance on the land: nearly 70% of Africans rely on the land to feed their families and earn an income. Their land is often degraded, with dry and unproductive soil.
- Rain-dependent farming: in East Africa, 90-95% of food production relies on rain-fed agriculture.
Ripple Effect’s Impact
Working with Ripple Effect has transformed Caroline’s life, illustrating the real impact of sustainable, locally-led farming in Kenya.
Meet our guests on the trip
We’re honoured to be joined by influential food and farming professionals who are dedicating their time to meet farmers and learn from their experiences. Each guest is funding their own travel and will share their insights through their networks:
- Guy Singh-Watson: founder of Riverford Organic Farmers and a pioneer in sustainable food and farming.
- Henry Dimbleby: restaurant entrepreneur and author of the UK National Food Strategy.
- Jyoti Fernandes: smallholder farmer, policy advocate, and co-founder of the Landworkers’ Alliance.
- Josiah Meldrum: sustainable food advocate and co-founder of British pulses, grains, and seeds supplier Hodmedod.
- Darina Allen: chef, author, and a leader in Ireland's Farmers’ Markets and Slow Food movement.
- Sarah Langford: barrister turned farmer and author of Rooted.
- Elsa Kent: ecologist and food system transition manager, currently working at Kivukoni School in Kenya.
- Hannah Marsh: journalist, editor, and social media manager for Riverford Organic Farmers.
Accompanied by Nick Whitworth, independent filmmaker, who will be producing a short documentary with our Uganda-based in-house Content Manager, Antony Kahaya.
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