Minette Batters will present Radio 4 appeal for Farm Africa

Farmer, former NFU President and crossbench peer Minette Batters will present an appeal for Farm Africa on BBC Radio 4. The appeal will be broadcast on Sunday 13 April at 7.54am and 9.25pm and again on Thursday 17 April at 3.27pm.

Minette will tell the story of Juliet Muthoni, a smallholder farmer from the Embu region of Kenya, who Minette met while taking part in a recent fundraising challenge for Farm Africa.

In Embu there used to be regular rainfall patterns and fertile soil, allowing farmers to grow staple crops such as maize, bananas and beans in abundance. Today, things are looking very different. Extreme weather and a growing population have led to soil degradation, making it difficult for farmers to grow enough to feed their own families, let alone sell.

Juliet is one of hundreds of lead farmers, called Village-Based Advisors (VBAs), who have received in-depth training in regenerative agriculture practices from Farm Africa, focused on boosting soil health to give crops the best chance of thriving, even in drought conditions. The VBAs share their skills with hundreds more farmers, creating a chain reaction of change.

Juliet has been able to turn around fortunes not just on her own farm, but on the farms of hundreds of her neighbours, mainly other women.

Minette Batters commented:

“I came back really empowered by Juliet’s story. Working with Farm Africa, she had learnt how to make her own compost. She’s selling the compost now. Using any kitchen waste she has set up her own wormery that is making fertiliser to go on to her crops. She’s creating a totally sustainable biological little farming business that is allowing her to produce food for herself and her family, but also allowing her to be profitable.

Juliet Muthoni commented:
“Before I joined the project, my yields were low. I was not getting any profit from farming. Due to climate change, when we are expecting rain, it comes a little and then it moves. After using regenerative agriculture practices, you increase your yields so you are able to sustain yourself. You get enough food for your family and then the rest you sell. You pay for school fees and your other family needs.”

The funds raised by the appeal will support Farm Africa’s work supporting smallholder farmers across eastern Africa to grow and sell more, while protecting the environment for generations to come.