Fundraise
GROW for Good challenge
20 – 25 October 2024
Support our all-women team who worked and cycled their way around regenerative agriculture farms in Embu County, Kenya, raising funds to grow better futures for female farmers.
What does GROW stand for?Â
GROW stands for Growing Resilience and Opportunities for Women. Women are the backbone of Africa’s farming workforce, yet life for rural women isn’t easy. In sub-Saharan Africa, 80% of agricultural production is by smallholder farmers and the female share of the agricultural labour force is the highest in the world. Farm Africa works to understand the challenges that women face in their local contexts and open up new opportunities across eastern Africa. We help them to develop new streams of income and work their way out of poverty.
And when women have more economic empowerment and more opportunities, it helps the whole community to grow and prosper.
The challenge
In October, our team of 12 intrepid women spent three days working on female-run farms, cycling between villages and camping overnight. On the farms, the team helped with hands-on regenerative agriculture activities like composting and mulching, while experiencing life in rural Kenya and finding out about Farm Africa’s support for Village-Based Advisors (VBAs).
At the end of the challenge, the team took part in a roundtable event with female industry leaders in Kenya to drive positive change for women in the global food system.
Meet the participants
- Judith Batchelar – Farm Africa Ambassador & NED
- Minette Batters – Farm Africa Ambassador
- Frances Bryan – Finsbury Foods
- Anne-Marie Cannon – RH Amar
- Mia Elizabeth Hartwell – Hubbub
- Jane Lockwood – Daemon
- Katie Major – Danish Crown
- Caroline Mason – Seeds to Thrive
- Marnie Millard – NED
- Michelle Morris – University of Leeds
- Helen Newbrook – Savills
- Kate Taylor – ABP
"The GROW for Good Challenge is bringing together women across the global food system around the power of sustainable agriculture to change people’s lives and protect the environment. We are grateful to them for taking on this unique challenge and the impact they will make."
Anissa Msallem
Head of Partnerships, Farm Africa
Corporate sponsors
Thank you to all our corporate sponsors for their support of the GROW for Good Challenge and for making a lasting impact on the lives of female farmers across eastern Africa. They are: University of Leeds, Finsbury Food, Danish Crown, the National Farmers Union, NVIGOR, Point 74, Wildfarmed and HJ Lea Oakes.
There’s still time to support the team with a donation to help them reach their target.
Donate now
Help the team reach their target of £75,000 to support Farm Africa’s vital work.
Donate nowYour donation can:
- Grow incomes
- Grow resilience to climate change
- Grow agricultural knowledge
- Grow opportunities for women
- Grow strong, sustainable communities
- Every contribution, big or small, makes a significant difference.
GROW for Good challenge blog
Welcome to #TeamGROW’s daily blog. Each day different team members shared an update on the challenge, the cause and their courageous efforts to raise crucial funding for Farm Africa. Please scroll down to watch the GROW for Good challenge in action.
Roundtable event:
Day five: Judith Batchelar and Katie Major
Day four: Mia Hartwell and Helen Newbrook
Day three: Minette Batters and Jane Lockwood with smallholder farmer, Juliet Muthoni
Day two: Frances Bryan and Marnie Millard
Day one: Caroline Mason and Michelle Morris with smallholder farmer, Judy Mukami Kithuri
Arrival: Anne-Marie Cannon and Kate Taylor
