can small scale farmers grow organic food to feed africa?
TRANSCRIPT
"Can small scale farmers grow organic food to feed Africa?"
By: Sylvia Kuria
Small scale organic farmer
Ndeiya Limuru, Kenya
My storyMy name is Sylvia and 10 years ago movedto the countryside (Limuru, Kenya). I wasconcerned about what I fed my youngfamily and soon started subsistencefarming on half an acre of land.
I grew a variety of vegetables and cerealsto meet my families nutritional needs.
Soon the food was too much and wouldsell surplus to friends in the city andmiddlemen.
Last year in November 2019 we opened asmall organic shop in Nairobi, supporting20+ organic farmers and supplying basketsto 80+ homes weekly.
Our Farmer Network
We are currently working with a small farmergroup of 20 farmers and have set up 2demonstration plots in local schools and throughour networks trained more than 1,000 farmerson basic organic agricultural principles.
In order to ensure more farmers are trained andhundreds of homes have access to organicproduce, our target is to train at least 100farmers this year and in subsequent years.
Our shop is supporting 10 -20 small scale organicfarmers, buying their produce and giving them asustainable livelihood.
How we ensure clients have access to safe food• All the food we grow on our farms is organic.
• The farmers we work with are also practicing organic farming and do not use any chemical interventions on their farms.
• We have a logistics partner ( Wells Fargo) that supports us to bring in produce from farmers countrywide in good condition.
• Most of our clients are buying online and we offer home delivery services all over Nairobi.
• We are actively using our social media handles (@Sylvia’s Basket) to educate and share our farming journey with our audience.
• We have made a deliberate choice to make our produce affordable, because we believe that safe food is a fundamental human right.
Opportunities• Many clients are now aware of the negative
effects of GMOs, synthetic pesticides and herbicides and are now demanding for safe food. Evidence is clear because our organic shop has grown by 300% since last year November 2019.
• Many small scale farmers are looking for a reliable market to sell their produce and are willing to learn how to grow safe food.
• Our model at Sylvia’s Basket is a proof of concept that organic food can be sold affordably and small scale farmers can make a decent income. We are looking to open 2 other branches by 2022.
• Net house technology has been beneficial, we are able to grow high value crops organically with very little/ no damage.
ChallengesMany small scale farmers do not have access to information, markets and constant supply of water to produce safe food for their communities.
Consumers on the other hand are not aware of the risks of consuming foods from sources that are not verifiable. And are also looking for more aesthetics than safe food.
Lack of financial resources to reach small scale farmers to offer technical support as we have a very lean staff team.
We have potential for exponential growth but are not able to access many consumers as we are running on minimal budgets.
Its time to Scale-up!
To reach our target to train 1000 farmers every year on Agroecological
practices
To grow our outlets to 1 new outlet
every year in all Counties in
Kenya.
To grow our client base to at
least 1,000 homes and
expand to 3 shop branches by end
of 2022.
To buy organic farm produce
from 200 farmers by the
end of 2022
Something to ponder…
Why do we insist that organic/safe produce should be sold at premium in our African Context?
Isn't safe food a fundamental human right according to SDG 3- Good Health and Well Being?
Sylvia is the voice of the small scale woman farmer, work with us to change Africa!
______________
+254 722 493 202
www.sylviasbasket.co.ke