Market Information
Food industry’s support
to African farmers
reaps benefits
For the past five years, Farm Africa's
But once the Olympic-sized pool had
ground, they're free to start using the
Food for Good campaign has been
been dug and the 90 beehives built,
honey and wax to build up their own
working to bring the food industry
what happened next? Were these
incomes. And female fish farmers have
together to help build a brighter future
projects really going to build long-
benefitted too – the chairwoman of one
for African farmers. And a recent
term prosperity, or just short-term
farming group told The Grocer that her
report by The Grocer shows that this
publicity?
fish income had enabled her to send her
kind of support really can make a
Two years later, The Grocer reports
grandson to school.
difference to farmers' lives.
that both businesses are flourishing.
Farm Africa's CEO, Nicolas Mounard,
In 2013, a group of 14 senior women
That first fishpond has made enough
welcomed the progress made.
from the UK food industry travelled out
money to fund six more, and the
'Beekeeping in the Nou Forest in
to eastern Africa to help a Kenyan
original 90 beehives have grown to
Tanzania and fish farming in Kenya are
community dig their very first fish
become 165.
two great success stories. And they are
pond. They returned to Africa in 2015,
This has been particularly important
examples of how food businesses have
to help build beehives for a village on
for local women in Tanzania, who were
the power to lift smallholder farmers
the outskirts of the Nou Forest in
previously prohibited by local custom
out of poverty, while conserving the
Tanzania.
from climbing trees to access hanging
environment for generations to come.'
beehives. But with beehives on the
www.farmersreviewafrica.com
[13]FARMERS
REVIEW AFRICA
July - August 2016