One Acre Fund

"No experience is ever wasted. Before joining One Acre Fund, I worked in several places and even pursued entrepreneurship. Reflecting on those experiences, I realize that I gained many transferable skills from each that I now apply in my current position," says Karen, Recruitment Associate. 💡Read about Karen's inspiring career journey from business consulting to recruitment. Learn what drove her transition and why she's enjoying this new phase of her career. 👉🏾 https://rb.gy/gqvw94

“Change moves at the speed of trust.” If you have heard that saying, you’ll know it to be true–especially when it comes to changing systems. However, to change systems, building trust with governments, other organizations, and affected communities is vital. 🤝🏿 Recently, Matthew Forti, our Managing Director, and Doreen Ndishabandi, our Senior Director and Global Chief of Staff, were guests on the System Catalysts podcast, discussing the importance of trust in driving meaningful change, particularly in changing systems that affect millions of lives. 🗣️ “We’ve learned the hard way with our systems change work that…you do have to invest in the relationship side of things,” Matthew said. “You have to understand…where the power centers sit, what the incentives of each actor are.” In the episode, Matthew and Doreen explain how we've built trust with local farmers and government agents to increase food productivity in Africa. 🌍 You can listen to the full episode here: https://loom.ly/lloM7AI

Excited to share our journey on Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate)'s #InnovationReport where we discuss our agroforestry projects🌍🌳 Dive into our conversation to see how we’re empowering farmers and enhancing ecosystems across Africa. #SustainableFarming #Agroforestry #ClimateAction #AIM4C

In Kenya, women farmers have long been essential to the agriculture sector, despite struggles to access resources like land, credit, and agricultural inputs (like seeds and fertilizer). Various stakeholders are working to improve women's access to farming resources and knowledge, thus increasing their harvests and profitability. “Women in rural areas have limited access to the money they require to farm. One Acre Fund enables women to access inputs and trains them to plan their finances and make meaningful investments for themselves, their homes, and families," says Eugine. Entrepreneur and smallholder farmer Eugine Asubila started farming in 2016. 🌱 “Even though the land was small—less than half an acre—I did not have the money to purchase farm inputs like seed and fertilizer,” says Eugine. “I was lucky to enroll with One Acre Fund, where I got access to farm inputs on credit and started farming, growing maize and later beans. I also opened a salon!' Thanks to Eugine's entrepreneurial skills, both incomes support her to invest in her family's future. 💪🏿 Read more about how farming profitably is raising women entrepreneurs like Eugine, link in the comments. 👇🏿

With 70% of sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 30, young farmers like Joseph Kamegeri are stepping up. 🧑🏿🌾 Joseph, a smallholder farmer in the Gatsibo district, Rwanda, began working with us in 2017. Through training, he learned how to space plants and plants in lines and how to properly apply fertilizer to his crops. As a result, his maize harvests went from 25 to 1000 kilograms in that first season. 🌽 From there, he started diversifying his income, planting passion fruit trees in addition to maize and tomatoes. 🌱 From the profits he makes from farming, Joseph has been able to invest in building a house. 🏠 This #WorldYouthSkillsDay, support upskilling young farmers like Joseph: https://loom.ly/xBt1jAM

By training and supporting local farmers to become tree nursery managers, we can supply even more smallholders with tree seedlings. We estimate that in 2023, these tree nurseries supported the planting of 74 million trees! Though not all make it to maturity, the majority that do generate an estimated total of $189.4 million in additional asset value for farmers. That's a boost of $92 per farmer that we work with! 🌳 By growing trees for distribution in their local communities, these tree nurseries are not only helping achieve income growth for farmers, but also climate resilience and prosperity for every smallholder family we serve. #MoreThanATree Read more 👇🏿

We saw a total impact in 2023 of $421,431,000. 📈 Farmers in our full-service program achieved an average of $143 in new profits and assets, equivalent to a 35% increase in income on supported land! 🌱 This average consists of $105 in new profits from annual crops (mainly maize and beans) and $38 in new long-term asset value (primarily trees). From our partnerships, farmers saw $61 in new profits and assets per unique farm family reached. Learn more in our 2023 Annual Report, link in comments.

Remember that eager graduate feeling, ready to conquer the world? ✨ Imeldah Wamela channeled that energy into her love for customer experience and impact, and guess what? It paid off! Read about her career journey and how she uses her role to serve farmers and drive impact. 👉🏾https://bit.ly/4ctVkLM Do you believe passion can fuel career growth?

For every $1 you donated in 2023, each farmer we work with generated new profit of $3.20! 🌱 This couldn't have happened without your donations. Thank you for investing in smallholder farmers in Africa. ⭐ Read more about our impact in our annual report: https://loom.ly/7oMi4t8

Doreen's passion for people has been a driving force behind her career growth journey. Curious about how she made her transition from Government Relations to our Global Chief of Staff, and why she believes more professionals should consider roles centered around people? Read her story below! 👇 https://bit.ly/3L1AgQL