Arts
The global fertiliser market is a $200 billion industry. But who does it serve? Produced in large-scale, centralised facilities in developed countries, conventional fertilisers are neither cheap nor reliably accessible for rural smallholder farmers in emerging markets in Africa and India. Safi Organics in Kenya has a vision to decentralise and downsize fertiliser production. Using recycled waste from local farms, carbon-negative organic biochar fertilisers empower farmers by making their farms more resilient with lower costs, higher yields and better soils. We talk to co-founder Samuel Rigu about: His childhood memories of growing up on a farm in Kenya The conventional model of fertiliser production and use The crippling costs and logistical challenges of fertiliser use in Kenya Decentralising fertiliser use Carbon-negative, organic biochar fertiliser The role of fertiliser in facing the reality of climate change A vision of empowering smallholder farmers for lasting food security Links: Safi Organics Website, Twitter, Instagram “How Climate Change is fuelling innovation in Kenya” – Smithsonian “The EU finally provides legal framework for organic and recycled fertilisers”– EURACTIV Thought For Food website The Original Foodies: A Documentary Series You may also like: FFS 020 – Optimising the Food Economy with Blockchain FFS 017 – When Farming Goes Vertical FFS 006 – The Sustainable Food Entrepreneur