Towards Improving the Livelihood of Small Holder Farmers In East Africa

Meishan International Merchants is a social enterprise that improves the livelihood of the women and youth economically through environmental protection practices in kajiado.​

The Problem

Livestock waste management  The pastoralist culture of the Maasai community dictates its dependence on large animals which produces thousands of tons of raw manure that the community has little use for, this leads to waste mismanagement. Meishan therefore provides an effective and efficient management process. This involves composting to produce the following useful products- methane gas, liquid and palleted fertilizers and Solid fiber. ​

The Innovation

Unlike conventional composting, meishan will hasten the decomposing process by introducing heat energy which we get by recycling waste plastics. The decomposition process will reduce from 14 days to 5 days.

David Mupenzi is unlocking the potential of Rwanda’s dairy sector by facilitating the application of a price differentiation program that allows dairy farmers to know exactly how much more money they will earn if they invest in producing higher-quality milk. This predictability, combined with a new support system to enable investing, is reviving the economic possibilities for one of Rwanda’s most neglected groups.

IHA supports smallholder farmers in value addition, increasing their income and lessening exorbitant earnings by middlemen on the farmers' produce. IHA targets maize farmers helping them turn their harvested corn into “Kisra”, a South Sudanese delicacy eaten as bread.​

This initiative is helping to increase farmer's income while concentrating on small-scale farming. IHA supports farmers to access markets while coming together in groups to increase their bargaining power for prices. IHA also supports farmers’ savings by strengthening their village savings and loan association (VSLA) groups so that smallholder farmers save for value addition. In urban areas, IHA helps to promote kitchen gardening among urban dwellers who have limited access to land resources. Here, we particularly target public schools with this initiative aimed at offering a change in the learners’ daily menu.​

IHA strongly believes that to achieve the desired goal in Agriculture, the environment also needs to be targeted.

CECIC is a grassroots advocacy non-profit organization dedicated to influencing environmental policies to benefit the vulnerable. The organization was born out of the need to contribute to efforts to turn Africa’s environmental protection potential into reality and to ensure that the local people, mostly youth and women, benefit from this effort.​

Through lobbying, research, and community engagements, CECIC works with communities and leaders to ensure that natural resources are utilized in a way that promotes equitable development, environmental conservation, and respect for human rights.​

Our core mission is to empower citizens to actively engage in conserving the environment, promote sustainable practices, and advocate for the responsible management of natural resources.​

CECIC envisions a world where each citizen serves as a steward of the environment, collaborating collectively to establish a sustainable and harmonious relationship with nature.

The community-based organization embarked on agricultural activities, marketing of agricultural products and crops, community development projects, and agreed business to conduct capacity building to improve and safeguard natural vegetation. Farming, Animal husbandry, Acquire culture are some of its daily activities

InspCorp's Combined Nutrient and Fuel (CNF) Process is the intersection between sustainable solid waste management and improved food security. In this project, we have developed a novel industrial template for the conversion of the organic fraction of Municipal Solid Waste into three essential products: renewable energy, a liquid biofertilizer concentrate, and an organic soil conditioner. ​

Our mission is to contribute to alleviating the high cost of fertilizers for smallholder farmers in developing countries by leveraging the cost-effectiveness of our proprietary CNF process to market our regenerative liquid biofertilizer concentrate and organic soil conditioner products at hyper-affordable prices. ​

In addition, as we scale, we plan to leverage the renewable energy product from our CNF plants to create localized distributed energy networks that will accelerate the adoption and utilization of green circular energy. The CNF process is currently in the prototyping phase.

Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania (SAT) is an organization founded in 2011, dedicated to promoting agroecological farming practices and knowledge-sharing.​

SAT brings together small-scale farmers, educators, researchers, and the government in Tanzania to create locally relevant agroecological knowledge. With over 3,000 farmers in Morogoro, SAT operates through 100 groups in 80 villages, forming a core network that drives its Innovation Platform. SAT's approach values farmer expertise and knowledge exchange, incubating and refining gained agroecological insights. These experiences are made accessible to a national community of over 50,000 farmers and stakeholders. SAT operates a Farmer Training Centre (FTC) on a 100-hectare demonstration farm, hosts training sessions, and publishes the monthly "Mkulima Mbunifu" magazine reaching 45,000 farmers. ​

SAT addresses environmental and social issues arising from unsustainable farming practices, advocating for agroecological solutions often overlooked by government programs. Their collaborative approach involves partnerships with various stakeholders, aiming for a resilient and sustainable agricultural sector. SAT's vision is to create a regenerative food system through agroecology and innovation. They invite individuals, organizations, and government entities to join their mission for a more inclusive and sustainable agricultural future. 

Bunyala agr climate impact solutions aim to address the climate and environmental shocks faced by smallholder farmers and fisher communities in Busia County, Western Kenya. The solutions seek to improve the resilience of these communities and enable them to adapt to the changing climate conditions, in particular, unpredictable rainfall, flooding, and droughts. The following are some of the solutions to be implemented by Bunyala agr to address the climate impact: Climate Smart Agriculture, Capacity Building, water Harvesting, and sustainable fishing practices.​

Bunyala agr climate impact solutions provide a comprehensive approach to address the climate impacts on smallholder farmers and fisher communities in Busia County, Western Kenya. The solutions improve resilience by providing access to finance, climate-resilient farming practices, water harvesting techniques, and sustainable fishing practices. By building resilience, these communities can sustainably manage their natural resources, enhance their food security, and improve their livelihoods.​

GreenEdge Digital Africa Ltd is a social enterprise with 15+ years’ of experience impacting the Agri-Food sector. The firm’s mission is focused on promoting technology startups to extend solutions that create and accelerate digital-driven growth and market systems transformation for small-holder farmers as well as Micro and small enterprises (MSMEs) in Kenya and across the African continent. ​

At Green Edge we support small-holder farmers & agriactors to  leverage technology to ease access to supplies, scale market reach, and manage last-mile distribution whilst cost-effectively managing  operations 

Byestar International Limited provides renewable energy solutions including biodigester installation, waste management, water treatment, biogas systems construction training, and training on the use of bio-slurry as organic fertilizer for increased crop production. We have a dedicated extension unit to support smallholder farmers in adopting sustainable, cost-effective, clean energy. ​

Our solutions are a commitment to enhancing sustainable production and consumption and a green future. We have to date installed 258 biogas systems across Kenya and are currently working on a pay-as-you-go model that is targeting to install close to 5,000 units across the country.

Philemon Farm's core idea is to create a sustainable and environmentally responsible agricultural enterprise centered on the production of mushrooms and organic produce. The key components of Philemon Farm's idea include the mushroom value chain, environmental responsibility (using expired mushroom seeds and agricultural waste to produce charcoal through Biochar technology providing an eco-friendly alternative to traditional charcoal, and addressing waste management challenges.), community Engagement (providing training and mentorship programs to empower farmers), access to International Markets, and Holistic Sustainability ​​

The primary goal is to meet the soaring demand for eco-friendly charcoals, significantly reducing our prices to entice the wider market currently relying on traditional tree-based charcoals. To accomplish this, we're investing in cutting-edge technology, including Carbonize, Extruder, and dryer machines. Moreover, we're enhancing our logistics by acquiring vehicles to collect agricultural waste and distribute charcoals efficiently. 

Hybrid Solar Solutions, addresses the pressing issue of high costs and unreliability associated with the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC). Their innovative solution, the Hybrid Solar System, is an intelligent energy system that draws from multiple power sources, including wind, solar energy, fuel generators, and lithium/gel batteries. This versatile system is designed to ensure a consistent and cost-effective energy supply. It dynamically switches between these sources to maintain a reliable energy flow, especially when sun or wind sources are insufficient. The inclusion of lithium/gel batteries allows for efficient energy storage, which can be inverted back into AC appliances. Beyond its direct application in solving energy challenges, this innovation holds scalability potential, offering a sustainable and efficient power source for various agricultural systems and tools. Hybrid Solar Solutions represent a significant step towards overcoming energy hurdles in Kenya and potentially revolutionizing energy solutions in the broader context. 

Alan is pioneering an innovative approach to one of coffee farming's most persistent challenges: post-harvest drying losses. His portable, inflatable solar drying system uses solar-powered airflow to dry coffee beans to optimal moisture levels regardless of external weather protecting crops from rain, pests, and mould, and enabling smallholder cooperatives to command higher prices for consistently dried produce.

Boniface designs and installs biogas systems for smallholder dairy farmers and institutions, converting livestock waste into clean, renewable energy for cooking and farm use. His model goes beyond installation, offering flexible financing, ongoing maintenance, and training on using organic bio-slurry as fertiliser. Creating a circular energy and agriculture system that reduces costs and improves soil health.

Christine's climate-smart agriculture platform combines hands-on farmer training with decentralized renewable energy technologies, including solar-powered irrigation and waste-to-energy solutions. Operating from demonstration farms, ZuphiFarm bridges the gap between knowledge and adoption, helping farmers particularly women and youth build sustainable, productive, and income-generating enterprises.

Daniel converts organic agricultural waste into biogas for clean cooking and organic fertiliser to improve soil health. His circular model creates green jobs for youth and women, reduces environmental pollution, and helps smallholder farmers lower their energy and input costs while building climate resilience.

Felix supports smallholder farmers across the soybean and poultry value chains through integrated extension services, climate-smart farming practices, and aggregation. His enterprise is actively transitioning toward renewable energy-powered soybean processing, making value addition more affordable, sustainable, and accessible for rural farming communities.

Joseph's youth-led enterprise converts locally available agricultural waste, including coconut husks and mango residues into affordable, eco-friendly briquettes. Operating through a community-based production model, Green Flame Impact creates green jobs for youth and women along the coastal Kenya region while reducing deforestation and giving farmers access to a cheaper, cleaner source of energy.

Joshua has established a solar-powered fresh produce aggregation centre in Nyandarua, serving over 580 smallholder farmers with cold storage, market coordination, and solar drying. By bringing farmers together, his model boosts their collective bargaining power and creates direct links to reliable buyers, reducing post-harvest losses and increasing farmer incomes.

Jotham sources and distributes a range of sustainable solar energy products from lighting and refrigeration to produce dryers to smallholder farming communities in Western Kenya. Paired with climate-smart consultancy and training services, his model empowers farmers to adopt clean energy solutions and reduce their operational costs.

Mary co-founded Orya Briqs to tackle the twin challenges of agricultural waste and reliance on charcoal. Her venture converts macadamia and coconut shells into high-quality, long-burning briquettes embedding women and youth in production and distribution, creating green jobs, and offering households a clean, affordable alternative to firewood.

Mary is building a youth-led community biogas model for Central Kenya's dairy belt. BioGrid collects dairy manure and crop waste, processes it through community biogas digesters, and distributes clean cooking gas to households via mobile money subscriptions. The organic slurry byproduct becomes branded organic fertilizer creating a circular system that reduces household energy costs and restores soil fertility.

Michael's climate-resilient solar coffee drying system addresses one of Makueni County's most pressing agricultural challenges: unpredictable rainfall during coffee drying. By creating enclosed, solar-powered drying environments, Limo Africa protects coffee quality, reduces losses to mycotoxin contamination, and enables smallholder farmers to access premium markets regardless of weather variability.

Simon produces eco-friendly briquettes from agricultural waste, providing a cleaner, more affordable, and higher-efficiency alternative to firewood and charcoal. Having trained over 100 farmer groups in briquette production and built partnerships with county governments and community organizations, his enterprise is creating green livelihoods and environmental impact across Western Kenya.

Victor is deploying community-based solar drying hubs for smallholder coffee farmers in Trans Nzoia County. His model allows farmers to pay a per-kilogram fee to access clean, efficient drying infrastructure protecting coffee from contamination, ensuring consistent quality, and enabling access to premium specialty markets.

Vincent is pioneering a circular economy approach to dryland agriculture: converting cactus biomass into biogas energy that powers decentralized agro processing. His venture already sells cactus-based beverages to major retailers and is building towards a model where the same plant that produces food products also powers the energy systems that process them unlocking new economic opportunities in East Africa's arid regions.

Emmanuel deploys solar-powered community agro-processing hubs in Mbale, Eastern Uganda, integrating irrigation, cold storage, and mechanized processing into a single pay-as-you-go model. Women and youth are trained as co-owners of hub nodes shifting the model from beneficiary dependency to community asset ownership and building lasting entrepreneurial capacity.

Moses Ocen is the Founder and CEO of AgriCycle Uganda, where he advances climate-smart agriculture and clean energy solutions for smallholder farmers. Through circular economy innovation, he leads the development of renewable energy systems that convert agricultural waste into clean biomass fuel, helping farmers increase incomes and strengthen climate resilience across East Africa.

Rodgers has installed over 135 solar-powered irrigation systems across Uganda, serving more than 500 acres of farmland and over 100,000 individuals including refugee and host communities. His model integrates recurring water sales revenue with system installation, creating a financially sustainable pathway for scaling access to clean water for agriculture and domestic use.

Ronald has deployed 13 solar-powered, IoT-enabled cold storage hubs across Uganda, combined with a proprietary plant-based edible coating (MunaFresh®) that extends produce shelf life from 2 days to up to 21 days. Serving over 120,000 farmers, his pay-as-you-store model is transforming the economics of perishable crop farming and reducing post-harvest losses at scale.

Ekene combines solar-powered mobile and stationary cold storage with digital market linkages and farmer aggregation services. Having already deployed two 5-tonne mobile solar cold units in Mwanza and generated over $33,000 in revenue, Farm Boksi is proving that accessible, decentralized cold chain infrastructure can meaningfully reduce post-harvest losses and improve farmer incomes.

Masami is establishing solar-powered honey processing hubs in rural Tanzania, enabling smallholder beekeepers to process their honey immediately after harvest using clean energy preserving organic quality, eliminating the need for charcoal-based processing, and unlocking access to premium local and international markets.

Alex is transforming Rwanda's agricultural waste challenge into a circular economy opportunity. By training farmers, women, and youth to convert crop residues into high-quality cooking briquettes, Pure-Afri Briquettes creates community-led production hubs that keep economic value local, reduce emissions from open burning, and provide a cleaner, longer-lasting alternative to wood charcoal.

Chris provides flexible financing for water infrastructure including irrigation systems and storage tanks through a cooperative-based model calibrated to harvest cycle incomes. Having disbursed over $100,000 in financing and served more than 2,000 smallholder farmers in partnership with six major rice cooperatives, Aion Sol is demonstrating that accessible finance can be a powerful lever for agricultural transformation.

Jessy Musaazi is the Founder and CEO of Simply Nature Limited, an agro-processing and distribution company focused on sustainable and inclusive agricultural value chains in Uganda. With a background in Mechanical Engineering and over nine years of experience in sustainability and enterprise development, he works with more than 765 smallholder farmers to improve market access, reduce post-harvest losses, and increase rural incomes. Jessy is passionate about climate-smart agriculture and renewable energy solutions that support cleaner, more efficient food systems.