Archive for category: Agriculture

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How Land Titles in Ecuador Help Rural Families Escape Poverty

Land Titles in EcuadorEcuador is among the many nations that recognize how important bolstering land ownership is in reducing poverty. For those working in agriculture, secure land ownership encourages greater investment in their homes, farms, and businesses, leading to increased returns. A lack of title for lands also often means that families cannot access formal credit or defend their land legally. In developing countries, the lack of titles reinforces the cycle of rural poverty.

Ecuador has adopted the National System for Information and Management of Rural Lands and Technological Infrastructure (SigTierras), a program that increases the land titles in Ecuador.

The Problem: Land Insecurity in Ecuador

More than 60% of plots in Ecuador were informally held as of the early 2000s. This was particularly common in Indigenous and smallholder farming communities and with female landholders. This considerably harms families as they routinely face the risk of eviction and land disputes, as they have no legal protection. They can also not use their land as collateral, which prevents access to credit or farm loans. Their informal ownership and the risks that entail also discourage long-term investment and sustainable land practices.

Land insecurity often works predominantly against women and worsens gender inequality. This usually means that women have less decision-making power in the household, worsening the nutrition and general welfare of the household, as women tend to make decisions beneficial to the household. The lack of robust land titles in Ecuador ultimately reinforces poverty.

The Solution: Ecuador’s SigTierras Program

Ecuador launched SigTierras, a rural land-titling and cadastral mapping program in 2010 to address the issue of land insecurity. It received financial support ($90 million) from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The program maps rural plots and digitizes land records. This helps resolve boundary disputes and issues legal titles, increasing the number of land titles in Ecuador.

The program focuses on the underserved rural areas with a high rate of informal landholding. It targets smallholder farmers, Indigenous communities, and impoverished rural families in these areas.

The Impact

Since its inception, SigTierras has helped formalize thousands of rural land parcels across Ecuador. By the end of its implementation period, the program had successfully issued 39,267 legal land titles, improving tenure security for many rural households. This process has contributed to increased agricultural income, better access to credit, expanded government services, and higher levels of farm investment.

The program also had a notable impact on women’s empowerment. Through joint land titling, SigTierras enhanced women’s legal standing and bargaining power within households and rural communities. This has led to better household food security and nutrition outcomes.

Conclusion 

The success of increasing the number of land titles in Ecuador through SigTierras shows that land rights are essential to reducing poverty long-term and can transform lives, especially for women and rural families. It also provides a replicable and scalable model for other countries with high informal land use. The program indicates that with targeted public policy and international support, systemic poverty issues like land insecurity can be solved.

– Seun Adekunle

Seun is based in Scotch Plains, NJ, USA and focuses on Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Outbreak of Foot-And-Mouth Disease in South Africa

Foot-And-Mouth Disease in South AfricaThe meat industry is vital to South Africa’s economy and agricultural sector. Karan Beef, the continent’s largest integrated beef producer, is recognized for its halal certifications and strong food safety practices. Recently, all three of its feedlots, among the largest in South Africa, tested positive for foot-and-mouth disease, potentially affecting around more than 100,000 cattle. As the country’s leading beef exporter, Karan Beef significantly contributes to the national economy. Its operations support domestic food security, generate thousands of jobs and sustain local businesses.

Foot-And-Mouth Disease in South Africa

Foot-and-mouth disease is a contagious viral infection that mainly affects hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and goats. It causes fever, painful blisters in the mouth and feet and can lead to severe weight loss and reduced milk production. The virus spreads rapidly through direct contact or contaminated materials.

Due to the outbreak, there has been a pause in production, which has caused price shocks. Authorities have also placed export bans, which have impacted the financial stability of already struggling livelihoods within the beef sector. Karan Beef is in decline, causing a huge economic disruption that is affecting producers and consumers in a country already experiencing financial hardship.

Foot-and-mouth disease is impacting South African livestock, driving up domestic meat prices for consumers and food businesses. This inflation hits low-income households hardest, as they spend a significant portion of their income on groceries. In response, industry stakeholders are urging the government to declare a formal state of disaster to access emergency financial support.

The ongoing quarantine cuts off farmers’ income, often their sole livelihood, while livestock losses push many deeper into poverty. In South African culture, cattle are not only a source of income but also serve as collateral, dowries and emergency assets. This crisis is delivering a severe blow to the meat industry and threatening multiple social and economic stability layers.

Vaccination Program

On June 19, 2025, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen announced the arrival of the first batch of 900,000 foot-and-mouth disease vaccines from Botswana to help stabilize the livestock sector and restore trade flows. A few days later, on June 23, he visited one of Karan Beef’s facilities to launch the feedlot-level vaccination drive. Authorities hope the campaign will contain the outbreak, protect livestock and prevent further economic fallout.

The Future

As foot-and-mouth disease affects South African livestock, the government plans to build long-term local vaccine production in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Council. The Department of Agriculture is also working closely with industry stakeholders to coordinate rapid response strategies, strengthen surveillance systems and improve outbreak control measures.

Meanwhile, health agencies are actively importing and distributing these vaccines to the most affected areas. If everything goes according to plan, Karan Beef production should soon be back on track.

– Emily Herlehy

Emily Herlehy is based in Denton, Texas, U.S.A and focuses on Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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How Enhanced Rock Weathering in Africa Is Turning Heads

Enhanced Rock Weathering in AfricaIn Africa and the global south, a new process is gaining the attention of agriculture and environmental initiatives. Smallholder farmers are witnessing their maize harvests flourish while simultaneously removing carbon from the atmosphere. This is not the result of a new fertilizer or a genetically modified seed. It comes from a novel climate technology that turns ordinary volcanic rock into a powerful tool for poverty reduction and environmental renewal.

The new technology, Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW), offers a dual solution to two of Africa’s most pressing challenges: unstable climatic conditions and food insecurity. ERW captures carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the atmosphere by accelerating a natural geological process. At the same time, minerals from the rock revitalize depleted, acidic soils, leading to dramatic increases in crop yields and farmer incomes.

How It Works

The science behind ERW is surprisingly simple. The natural weathering of rocks regulates Earth’s climate by pulling CO2 from the air. ERW turbocharges this process by increasing the surface area of available rock. Finely crushed silicate rock, typically basalt, is spread across agricultural fields.

When rainwater mixes with CO2 in the atmosphere, it forms a weak acid that inevitably falls to the ground and reacts with the rock dust. This reaction converts the CO2 into stable bicarbonate ions that are eventually washed into rivers and oceans, where the carbon is locked away for a projected 10,000 years.

Initial Outcomes of Enhanced Rock Weathering in Africa

While the climate benefits are global, the local impact is life-changing. Many African farmers have struggled with degraded, acidic soils that reduce crop growth for years. With ERW, the basalt dust acts as a slow-release natural fertilizer, replenishing the soil with essential nutrients like calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. It also raises the soil’s pH, making it less acidic and more fertile.

The results are starting to turn heads. In collaboration with ERW company Mati Carbon, farmers in India are reporting increased rice yields “in excess of 20%” with Mati Carbon’s CEO, Shantanu Agarwal, stating that results will be even more pronounced on the most degraded soils.

A recent pilot study in Kenya conducted by the climate-tech startup Flux in collaboration with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification proves Mati Carbon right. The study found that applying basalt dust to maize fields increased grain yields by an average of 47.5%, with some farms noting a yield increase of more than 200%. For the participating farmers, this translated into an economic gain of more than $326 per hectare, per harvest, a transformative sum for families living in subsistence conditions.

The Carbon Credit Connection

Another beautiful aspect of these new programs is their business model. All the profits from increased crop yield go straight to the farmers. Companies like Flux and Mati Carbon sell the carbon credits to climate-conscious corporations, then provide the rock dust to farmers free of charge.

The farmers benefit immediately from healthier soils and bigger harvests and credit purchasers solidify their commitment to the environment. Enhanced rock weathering is gaining traction with a sustainable business model, concrete outcomes and increasing interest from the corporate sector.

Into the Future

Mati Carbon, the company that recently won the $50 million XPRIZE for Carbon Removal, aims to support 30,000 smallholder farmers by the end of 2025. Nairobi-based Flux has also set an ambitious goal of generating $300 million in additional income for African farmers by 2030. Early indicators of enhanced rock weathering in Africa point to a win-win situation. However, there are still concerns about the cost of crushing and spreading.

As the technology scales from pilot projects in Kenya, Zambia and Tanzania to larger initiatives across the continent, it promises to turn millions of hectares of African farmland into catalysts for both environmental restoration and human prosperity.

– Levi Ravnsborg

Levi is based in Summerland, BC, Canada and focuses on Good News and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pixabay

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Agricultural Technology: Food Systems in Vietnam

Food Systems in VietnamFood systems in Vietnam have seen massive change in recent history. The country has witnessed significant agricultural growth over the last 30 years, which has undoubtedly alleviated the nation’s socioeconomic status. It has massively reduced food insecurity, contributed to a decline in poverty and also fostered an increasingly export-oriented economy – a major source of labor opportunities for the wider population. That said, food systems in Vietnam are not immune to the general plights of global agriculture in today’s world.

About Food Insecurity in Vietnam

Although Vietnam is a major food exporter, around 10–11% of its population still faces moderate or severe food insecurity, mainly in rural and ethnic minority communities. The impact of changing weather patterns – causing fluctuating weather, saltwater intrusion and exposure to floods or droughts – is a culprit guilty of destabilizing Vietnamese agricultural production.

An aging workforce and declining productivity among its labor pool. In Vietnam, the average age of farmers has risen significantly in recent years, and its general agricultural labor force has been shrinking.

Challenges in supply chain issues, which the agricultural industry is particularly susceptible to due to fragmented production, frequent changes in season or weather, issues with storage and food maintenance, etc. This is especially true in Vietnam where, in 2017, the World Bank put out a report detailing the weaknesses of Vietnam’s agricultural supply chains and the costly consequences for the nation’s GDP. The report stated that, “the main constraint on Vietnam’s agriculture supply chains is the lack of an integrated, end-to-end supply chain model, according to Mr. Julien Brun, Managing Partner at CEL Consulting.” These all disrupt production and access to nutritious food, leaving vulnerable groups at risk despite the nation’s agricultural growth.

The Rise of AgTech

What the World Bank recommends – and what is generally becoming not simply a need, but a requirement for a competitive agricultural market – is a rise in agricultural technology: to increase productivity, to keep track of and forewarn of market or natural fluctuations and to facilitate logistical efficiency.

Fortunately for Vietnam, while it is not immune to global agricultural issues, it is also not immune to global agricultural solutions. Agrifoodtech investment in developing markets reached $3.7 billion in 2024, surging a remarkable 63% year-over-year (YoY) and bucking the 4% decline observed in the agrifoodtech sector at the global level.

Techcoop

One of the leading firms in this Agtech revolution is a small startup by the name of Techcoop, which sees 2025 as its year of stardom—both in terms of funding and public recognition. According to the website TechInAsia, “This Series A round is one of the largest in Vietnam’s agritech sector, reflecting the growing demand for tech-driven agriculture solutions.”

What Techcoop does is address one of the main hindrances to supply chain issues in Vietnam’s agricultural industry, which, as aforementioned, the World Bank reported to be one of the sector’s major issues: namely supply chain and logistics inefficiency. Techcoop enables an integration of data into the agrarian world of farming through, among other things:

  • Codifying purchase agreements between the agribusiness, farmer-owned cooperatives, and the farmers, including key clauses such as advance payment, payment terms, committed volumes, price, quality standards, etc.
  • Facilitating fund distribution from partner financial institutions to agribusinesses, cooperatives and farmers for specific purposes.
  • Monitoring and enforcing contractual commitments through field and transactional data collection.

Techcoop is on the forefront not simply of Agtech, but also operates at its intersection with financial and legal technology facilitating the movement of financial funds and the drafting of contracts. 

Supply Chain Efficiency

This work of easing and improving supply chain efficiency has allowed Techcoop to address Vietnam’s logistical shortcomings. With how small-scale farming can be, agribusiness and local farmers have often been fragmented or lacking in their communication. Techcoop offers data analytics and tracking to mediate between them – allowing for a quantification of production to track the progress of contractual obligations, with data offered as an efficient and understandable language between various actors in the supply chain. This is increasingly important to consumers who more and more want greater farm-to-shelf traceability. Techcoop enables this through allowing for easier tracking of actors and processes within the complex agricultural supply chain. 

AgTech’s Role in Vietnam’s Trading Shifts

Startups like Techcoop that are participating in and forming this agritech revolution are going to be increasingly vital given the global shock to trade that Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs represented. Vietnam, having recently made a deal with Trump, opted to reduce U.S. tariffs on most goods to 20%, down from the previous 46% – but only in exchange for a 0% tariff on U.S. exports to Vietnam. This represents a major shift in Vietnam’s agricultural sector, which now has to compete with U.S. agricultural goods on home turf. Now, more than ever, Agtech matters in ensuring Vietnam’s agricultural productivity remains at a competitive level – particularly when facing U.S. goods paired with their own surge in agricultural technological innovation. Techcoop and companies like it will increasingly become the go-to solution for sustaining food systems in Vietnam – one of the nation’s most vital sectors.

– Inaam Munsoor

Inaam is based in Edinburgh, Scotland and focuses on Business and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Agricultural Exports in Egypt Reaches Highest Level in Years

Agricultural Export in EgyptLocated in North Africa, Egypt is known for its ancient history, with landmarks like the Pyramids of Giza and other iconic sites in Cairo still standing today. The country has a population of approximately 106.6 million people, with 14.7 million living in poverty, earning less than $3.65 daily. However, this poverty rate is projected to decline as Egypt’s employment rate continues to rise. Increased investment in sectors like agriculture plays a key role in driving economic improvement across the country.

Agricultural Expansion in Egypt

Agricultural export in Egypt has reached an all-time high of 6.24 million tonnes as of July 2025, an increase of 575,000 tonnes from last year. These exports include crops grown in Egypt as well as those imported from neighboring or distant countries. Notable increases have been recorded in potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, grapes and various fruits. Among them, citrus fruits saw the largest growth, with 1.9 million tonnes exported.

In addition to Egypt’s homegrown produce, agricultural goods are now arriving from new trade partners such as South Africa, Uzbekistan, the Philippines and others. These new import-export relationships allow Egypt to access products that cannot be locally produced, potentially benefiting its citizens and expanding market variety.

What Does This Mean for Egypt?

Approximately 96% of Egypt is covered by desert, making access to arable farmland extremely difficult. This geographic challenge limits opportunities for widespread farming and often delays access to fresh produce. However, the recent increase in agricultural exports in Egypt contributes to the economy by allowing everyone fresh and healthy produce, meats and other grown foods, regardless of social class. Additionally, this growth in the agricultural sector is creating more job opportunities for individuals living below the poverty line.

According to the World Food Program (WFP), manual labor, including farming, employed 20% of Egypt’s population in 2020. While this data is from 2020, the recent surge in agricultural exports suggests a promising future for the sector, potentially accelerating economic growth and improving livelihoods. With many Egyptians engaged in various forms of manual labor, the expansion of farming plays a crucial role in producing high-quality goods and sustaining income opportunities for a significant portion of the population.

How This Impacts the Country

Agriculture has played a vital role in Egypt since ancient times. As the sector continues to increase, it contributes directly to economic growth. A stronger economy, in turn, creates more opportunities for citizens, supports healthier living and fosters a mutually beneficial relationship between the government and its people.

As Alaa Farouk, Egypt’s Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, continues to implement policies that support agricultural exports in Egypt, the country will be well-positioned to thrive economically and socially in the years ahead.

– Erin Lee

Erin is based in New York City, NY, USA and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pixabay

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Sterile Fly Barrier in Central America Saves Lives

Sterile Fly BarrierThe parasitic fly Cochliomyia hominivorax, commonly known as the New‑World screwworm (NWS), inflicts the devastating disease myiasis on livestock by burrowing its larvae into living tissue. Since the 1950s, Panama has maintained a pioneering sterile fly barrier in Central America to halt its northward spread.

More than 100 million sterilized male flies are released each week along the Panama–Colombia border, ensuring that emerging females lay infertile eggs and preventing NWS populations from taking hold. For rural communities, many people live in extreme poverty, protecting their herds often means the difference between starvation and survival.

The Screwworm’s Mode of Attack

Female NWS flies deposit eggs in fresh wounds. Within hours, the larvae hatch and begin excavating into living flesh in a spiraling motion that inspired its common name. As these maggots feed, they create deep, pus‑filled lesions that, without prompt removal, lead to severe inflammation, systemic infection and often the death of the animal.

Historically, livestock owners resorted to harsh chemical larvicides, branding techniques or manual extraction to combat infestations. These methods were costly, traumatic for the animals and frequently insufficient to prevent herd-wide losses.

Operation of the Barrier System

The Panama–U.S. Commission for the Eradication and Prevention of Screwworm (COPEG) oversees the production and release of sterile flies. In a specialized rearing facility near Pacora, screwworm larvae are raised on artificial diets under strict international standards before being sterilized using gamma irradiation.

The resulting sterile males are dispersed from aircraft across the Darien region to establish a continuous barrier. Since its permanent establishment in 2004, this sterile fly barrier in Central America has prevented reinvasion from South American endemic zones and safeguarded livestock populations to the north.

Economic Impact and Performance Metrics

Before the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) was implemented, screwworm infestations caused annual losses exceeding $300 million in Central America through animal deaths and treatment expenses. At the same time, the U.S. faced more than $900 million in direct costs each year. By neutralizing reinvasion threats, the barrier delivers an estimated $1.3 billion in annual economic benefits across the region. On a household level, smallholder farmers gain an additional $200 to $300 per year, resources that can be allocated to nutrition, education and health care.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) emphasizes that impoverished livestock owners, who often hold only a few animals as their sole asset, are disproportionately affected by parasitic outbreaks. Furthermore, the loss of even a single bovine can plunge a family into an existential crisis. By protecting up to four million of the most vulnerable rural residents in Mexico and Central America, the sterile fly barrier in Central America secures their primary source of income and food. This directly interrupts the cycle of extreme poverty and prevents further social deprivation.

Future Outlook

With climate instability accelerating parasite migration and global trade increasing the risk of cross‑border spread, sustained funding for COPEG remains essential. Moreover, the SIT model holds promise for tackling other myiasis‑causing species and livestock diseases. Expanding this approach to additional endemic areas could further stabilize agricultural livelihoods and serve as a cornerstone strategy for global poverty reduction.

– Alexander Broermann

Alexander is based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pixabay

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Climate-Smart Agriculture in Jordan Offers Hope

Climate-Smart Agriculture in JordanJordan has long been thirsty as the world’s second most water-scarce country. This scarcity affects more than just drinking water. It severely threatens agriculture, the industry that feeds the entire nation. Facing limited resources, Jordan is pioneering innovative, environmentally friendly farming solutions. Climate-smart agriculture in Jordan is a triple win: fighting food insecurity, protecting the planet and promoting long-term economic resilience by helping the country grow sustainably.

Agriculture’s Water Dilemma

The average Jordanian has access to less than 60 cubic meters of water per year, less than one-fifth of the U.N.’s 500 cubic meter threshold for absolute water scarcity. The problem continues to worsen. The climate crisis is causing reduced precipitation, rising temperatures and more frequent droughts, all exacerbating water scarcity.

Agriculture in Jordan faces a major challenge due to limited water resources. While the sector depends heavily on a steady water supply to grow food, it contributes significantly to the country’s water scarcity. Despite accounting for only about 5.6% of Jordan’s gross domestic product (GDP), agriculture consumes more than 50% of the nation’s freshwater. This imbalance has left many farmers who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods struggling to afford the water needed to sustain their crops.

Farming for the Future

Climate-smart farming in Jordan promises not only to address water scarcity but also to prevent it from intensifying. Using effective water management techniques, Jordan can better nourish its population and support agricultural livelihoods. This approach can potentially boost the country’s economy, benefit the 24.1% of impoverished citizens and help protect the environment.

In 2023, the World Bank launched “My Land,” officially known as the Agriculture, Resilience, Value Chain Development and Innovation (ARDI) project. Aiming to provide funding to 30,000 farming households and create 12,000 new jobs, particularly for women and youth, My Land is a shining example of the potential of climate-smart agriculture in Jordan to stimulate growth beyond crop production. The project also hopes to see benefits from one generation to the next by teaching farmers water-conservation techniques and helping them plant drought-resistant crops.

Complementing the World Bank’s work, the Jordan Hydroponics Agriculture and Employment Development Project (HAED-Jo), funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, seeks to develop a more efficient and eco-friendly agriculture sector. At farms like Abu Sido and Al-Jabaly, HAED-Jo has introduced a hydroponic system that enables crops to be grown in a water-based medium instead of soil. This technology can potentially reduce water consumption by up to 80%.

A Path Toward Prosperity

As global temperatures rise, Jordan will continue to confront severe water scarcity. Yet, initiatives like My Land and HAED-Jo demonstrate that the country is rising to the challenge with innovation and resilience. This progress matters beyond the environment, as agriculture has two to three times more impact on reducing poverty than other industries. Thus, climate-smart agriculture in Jordan is sowing the seeds of a more food-secure and prosperous future.

– Caroline Clark

Caroline is based in Needham, MA, USA and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Acumen’s Agricultural Investments in Ethiopia

Agricultural Investments in EthiopiaA large portion of Ethiopia’s population is experiencing poverty and a lack of necessities. However, the nation of Ethiopia has been an assembly point for organizations and nonprofits seeking to fund agricultural investments.

Poverty in Ethiopia

Despite some progress in poverty reduction, ongoing climate and inadequate infrastructure issues leave roughly 68.7% of Ethiopia’s population facing multidimensional poverty. Multidimensional poverty expands on the financial aspects of poverty, assessing a population’s social aspects and living conditions. In Ethiopia, additional portions of the population risk falling into this elevated category if poverty rates continue.

Ethiopia struggles with a lack of clean water, a strong health care system and increasing food insecurity, all hindering efforts to reduce poverty. Malnutrition, largely driven by food insecurity, disproportionately affects children and can prevent individuals from accessing education or employment that could lift them out of poverty.

Treating malnutrition requires a functioning health care system, but Ethiopia’s medical infrastructure is underfunded and lacks sufficient professionals and resources. According to the World Food Program (WFP), more than 10 million people currently face food insecurity and many more risk displacement due to ongoing conflict in the region.

In 2021, Ethiopia’s government introduced the Food Systems Transformation Plan, aligning national policies with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The plan will enable organizations to fund agricultural investments in Ethiopia, including the agricultural sector. It also has the potential to create jobs, helping more Ethiopians earn a stable income and contribute to economic growth and poverty reduction.

About Acumen

Acumen, a nonprofit organization, focuses on using capital to reduce global poverty through innovations. Founded in 2001, the organization works to help impoverished populations access health care, education and clean water and address food security.

Acumen utilizes innovations to enhance energy and bring beneficial agricultural techniques that increase productivity and support communities. Acumen has worked to eradicate poverty around the world, but has recently focused on sub-Saharan Africa and East Africa.

EthioChicken 

Acumen supports efforts to fund agricultural investments in Ethiopia, including EthioChicken. EthioChicken was founded in 2010 and has since increased food access and boosted local economies in Ethiopian communities. EthioChicken has enabled customers to consume 83% more eggs, a nutritional food and find a new source of revenue.

Different breeds of chickens have different growth and survival rates. Before EthioChicken, many breeds were unsustainable due to diseases, climate and other growth hindrances, creating a negative balance in the agricultural sector and eliminating possible economic gains and health benefits. EthioChicken provides farmers access to improved chicken breeds, helping farms achieve higher survival rates and better growth.

This allows farmers to sell more eggs and generate additional income by selling older chickens for meat. Each chicken comes with nutritious feed and medicine to prevent disease and protect the flock. Healthier chickens lead to more nutritious meals, supporting communities struggling with both poverty and malnutrition.

After Acumen and other organizations invested in EthioChicken and similar agricultural programs in Ethiopia, the company expanded rapidly, reaching around 35 million chickens sold to farmers annually. Acumen’s support also helped improve Ethiopians’ economic and health conditions in raising, selling and purchasing the chickens.

With continued backing for initiatives like EthioChicken, Ethiopia’s agricultural sector is poised to grow, offering new opportunities for its impoverished population.

Future Policies and Initiatives To Reduce Poverty in Ethiopia

Government initiatives like the Food Systems Transformation Plan, the Homegrown Economic Reform and the National Food and Nutrition Policy show Ethiopia’s active efforts to reduce poverty and secure international support for agricultural investments. For example, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health states that the National Food and Nutrition Policy aims to ensure food and nutritional security while improving public access to nutritious foods.

While Ethiopia’s government has collaborated with international organizations, all regions within the country must work together to improve the well-being of Ethiopians and reduce poverty. This unity helps prevent conflicting interpretations or unwilling participants from undermining national policies. According to the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), sectoral fragmentation poses a major threat to a unified national approach in Ethiopia, as various groups have competing interests in controlling parts of the country’s food system.

However, sustained efforts and legislation to reduce poverty remain essential to driving social progress and enabling effective collaboration with organizations that fund agricultural investments.

– Avery Kachmarsky

Avery is based in Los Angeles,CA, USA and focuses on Business and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Modernizing Agriculture in Kenya: Technology and Tools

Agriculture in KenyaKenya, a country in East Africa with a population exceeding 50 million, relies heavily on its agriculture sector for economic stability. The agriculture sector in Kenya employs more than 70% of rural citizens. It is responsible for 33% of the country’s GDP, with an additional 27% through connections with other sectors.

While Kenya remains heavily reliant on its farmland, the population is growing rapidly. It is predicted to hit 81 million by 2039. The increasing population has caused farmers to relocate to make room for new residents. As a result, many farmers have moved to less ideal farmland, facing various climate challenges.

Challenges Facing Kenya’s Agriculture Sector

Most regions within Kenya are arid, with 80% of the country’s climate ranging between arid and semi-arid. The nation has been experiencing intense droughts followed by torrential rain for nearly a decade. This has caused a strain on many rural farming communities, as 95% of their crops rely on rainfall for adequate production. In March 2025, an estimated 2.2 million Kenyans experienced food insecurity, while more recent predictions in June 2025 approximate the number to be closer to 2.8 million.

Due to the rising population and food insecurity rates, integrating technology tools and new scientific developments for agriculture in Kenya can be key to ensuring an adequate food supply. This could benefit those in Kenya and other countries plagued by food insecurity. Agricultural technology in Kenya involves a wide array of approaches, ranging from digital services to climate-smart farming techniques advanced by science. These tools address many common agricultural concerns in Kenya, including climate-related struggles, product yields and overall knowledge of farmland and crops.

Digital Services and Platforms

In partnership with the World Bank, Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture implemented the Kenya Climate-Smart Agriculture Project and the National Agriculture & Rural Inclusive Growth Project. These gave Kenyan farmers access to various online support services in hopes of increasing production and profit. In addition, the collaboration led to the development of the Big Data Platform and the Kenya Agricultural Observatory Platform (KAOP). The Ministry also introduced the One Million Farmer Platform, which fostered collaboration between 24 AgTech startups and 27 county governments, connecting 1.1 million farmers.

The platforms have been vital in sharing high-resolution geospatial data with farmers and employees within the agriculture sector. These tools work by assessing specific coordinates to a location and delivering information about the geography, which has helped optimize land usage. The online services also provide advice to farmers tailored to their specific needs, such as seed and fertilizer suggestions. In addition to geographic data, the KAOP is notable for its weather forecast accuracy. The platform uses satellite-based information and shares weather advisories and patterns with the public via online messaging. This has allowed farmers to better prepare their farmland for inconstant weather events like heavy rain.

A popular app in Kenya tailored to smallholder farmers is iCow. The service works by utilizing SMS to better inform farmers on how to care for livestock, for example, providing information on disease management. In addition to SMS, iCow provides search engines to help farmers find experts nearby and also shares an online database full of information ranging from crops and soils to climate instability. Currently, 1.6 million individuals in Kenya utilize iCow and the service has sent more than 110 million messages to farmers.

Climate-Smart Farming

The joint effort between scientists at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT introduced a new bean for farmers in Kenya. Nyota beans are genetically modified to thrive in droughts and grow within shorter periods. Farmers who have grown Nyota beans have reported increased crop yields and profits. In Kenya, the bean consumption rate outweighs the bean production rate by 155,000 metric tons. However, the Nyota bean could decrease the deficit in the coming years.

New developments have allowed scientists to detect nutrient, water and carbon levels throughout Kenya to determine the most efficient technique for planting and growing crops in a certain area. They also observe the best soil and watering techniques in regions with frequent drought and water scarcity. Scientists share the information with farmers through hundreds of “farmer field schools” administered by KALRO. The farmers who used the farming techniques reported a crop yield increase of 20% and a 20% decrease in fertilizer use.

Conclusion

With shifting climate patterns and a growing population facing food insecurity, Kenya’s agricultural sector faces mounting pressure. In response, integrating modern technologies has become a significant step forward. From digital platforms that deliver localized weather forecasts and farming guidance to climate-smart innovations, modern technologies are addressing many of the top concerns of individuals living in Kenya. The success of these initiatives emphasizes the growing potential of agriculture technology and sustained investment and collaboration are crucial to expanding these accomplishments.

– Grace Johnson

Grace is based in Chicago, IL, USA and focuses on Technology and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Freepik

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Clearing Invasive Water Weeds in Senegal Fights Disease

Clearing invasive water weeds in SenegalIn rural northern Senegal, a surprising anti-poverty strategy is taking root: cutting down invasive aquatic weeds. These plants, often seen as nothing more than a nuisance, are now at the center of a low-cost, community-led solution to two pressing issues: disease and declining farm productivity. Local villages are improving public health and raising agricultural incomes by removing vegetation that hosts disease-carrying snails and turning it into compost.

Schistosomiasis: A Barrier to Health and Economic Growth

This initiative targets schistosomiasis, a parasitic infection spread by snails that inhabit stagnant water. The disease affects more than 200 million people globally, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. Infected individuals, especially children, suffer from fatigue, stunted growth and organ damage, which limit both education and income-generating potential. Senegal’s Saint-Louis region has long been a hotspot for the disease.

However, rather than relying solely on drug treatments, researchers from Cornell University and the University of Notre Dame partnered with eight Senegalese villages to try a local intervention: vegetation removal. Over three years, communities cleared more than 400 tons of invasive aquatic weeds from rivers, lakes and irrigation points. Within months, snail populations dropped by and schistosomiasis infections among children declined significantly.

Composting Waste Into Agricultural Wealth

The removed invasive weeds were composted and used to fertilize local crops such as onions, peppers and rice. Farmers who used the compost reported better soil quality, larger harvests and reduced need for synthetic fertilizers. As Molly Doruska, lead author of the study, explained, “This is about really thinking hard about the microeconomics in the cycle of poverty and disease, really thinking hard about households making decisions and the tradeoffs that they’re facing.”

Researchers developed a bioeconomic model to estimate the long-term impact of the intervention. The results were promising: communities that participated in vegetation removal and composting saw improved household incomes and lower rates of schistosomiasis. The low cost of implementation, using only machetes, baskets and compost pits, makes it both scalable and sustainable.

Environmental and Gender Benefits

The strategy yields environmental wins as well. Clearing invasive water weeds in Senegal helps restore freshwater ecosystems, reduces erosion and improves access to water. The composted material replaces chemical fertilizers, cutting input costs and supporting soil health. The approach also has significant gender implications. In many rural households, women are primarily responsible for water collection and caregiving. With fewer children getting sick, women could have more time for farming, education or income-generating activities.

Beyond physical health, the intervention contributes to long-term social development. Reduced infection rates mean more children can attend school regularly without suffering from the fatigue or pain associated with schistosomiasis. In addition, the project has sparked environmental awareness. In participating communities, residents now better understand the link between environmental care and health outcomes and many have begun to self-organize cleanup efforts.

Scalability Across the Continent

Experts believe this “win-win-win” model could be replicated across other parts of sub-Saharan Africa where schistosomiasis and aquatic vegetation are prevalent. Since the required tools are simple and the work is labor-based, it can be easily adapted to local conditions. It also aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including No Poverty, Good Health and Well-being, Gender Equality and Life on Land.

Clearing invasive water weeds in Senegal has proven that locally driven, low-cost interventions can have wide-reaching benefits. By removing harmful plants and turning them into a resource, communities reduce disease and invest in their economic futures. In the global fight against poverty, sometimes the most effective tools are machetes, compost piles and a little teamwork.

– Mamie Hirsh

Mamie is based in Berkeley, CA, USA and focuses on Good News and Celebs for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr