Africa





Burkina Faso


Achieving Healthy and Productive Societies in Africa

Lack of knowledge regarding farming techniques and plant varieties, limited access to water except during rainy seasons, and a poor understanding of nutrition often create a cycle of poverty in the province of Houet in western Burkina Faso, Africa. But a project by Africare has changed that for many families in 10 villages there.

Africare obtained a $400,000 grant from the Monsanto Fund for a two-year pilot food security project called Houet Agriculture and Nutrition Alternatives for Revenue Producers (HANARP). The current phase of the project involves raising awareness of the villages’ food and nutrition issues and improving farmers’ income.

Through the HANARP project, farmers are introduced to new varieties of seeds and gardening methods. They also are taught animal production techniques and given access to micro credit to purchase equipment such as water pumps.

Demesson Millogo, a 46-year-old father and cotton producer, has seen his income increase more than tenfold because of the project intervention. Water pumps allow him to irrigate his garden during the dry season, increasing production, and his family now takes water from a new village drinking well.

Djeneba Sanou, a 30-year-old mother of four, works in the fields in one of the participating villages. Through the project, she has learned how to prepare enriched porridges for children. “Now we eat more,” she says, “but the real problem was the way we would feed ourselves. Now we know we must have variety to improve nutrition.” Today, Djeneba acts as the community assistant for the project’s nutrition activities, sharing what she has learned throughout the village.

Back to Top



Kenya


Boosting Potato Production

Kenya's second most important food crop after maize is the potato. Its high nutritive value and local trade opportunities provide subsistence farmers with an income.   

Though Kenya produces about 1.2 million tons of the crop each year - at an average of 5-10 tons/hectare, the country's potato yields are a quarter of those from the same amount of farmed land in Britain. Insect-transmitted viruses affect the plants' tubers, partly because the country's virus-free potato seed production is not well-developed.  Nearly all farmers grow their main crop from home-saved seed, most of which is infected.

Working with a $193,107 grant from the Monsanto Fund, the Scottish-based James Hutton Institute is collaborating with Kenyan researchers.  The researchers are based at the Masinde Muliro University of Science, the University of Nairobi and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI).  Researchers are creating virus-free seed tubers and demonstrating the benefits of clean seeds to Kenyan farmers. The project gives farmers access to disease-free tubers in hopes of increasing their yield and income potential.




Improving Nutrition among Children

Getting enough food for a healthy and active life is a distant dream for many school-going children in the arid and semi-arid regions of Kenya. The Integrated Community Organization for Sustainable Empowerment and Education for Development (ICOSEED), through its Vegetable Gardening Project, is working with schools in these areas to brighten the outlook for these children. The gardening project supplements the government’s school feeding program by adding vegetables and fruits grown by the students to the menu.

In 2010, the Monsanto Fund supported ICOSEED and its partners and support continued in 2011 through a $195,000 grant. A technology resource kit was provided for each school and contained inputs and resources needed to build and maintain a quarter-acre garden under drip irrigation. The ICOSEED vegetable garden project has grown from 50 schools in 2010 to 125 schools today.

The project uses the school gardens as a platform to encourage the wider community to address their local food security and nutritional needs. The concept has been well-received in the community, with 23 other schools independently setting up their own vegetable gardens.

The Monsanto Fund is committed to supporting rural communities in critical needs through agriculture and education.

Back to Top



South Africa


Improving Education Standards in Rural Communities

"Thank you for reminding us how important it is to make drawings and ask questions. The course was well-presented and informative. I enjoyed it and will go and apply what I have learned at my school," said one of the 500 teachers who attended the Western Cape Primary Science Programme Trust (PSP) training course in South Africa.

With $82,824 from the Monsanto Fund, the PSP provided in-service teacher training for teachers from marginalized and previously disadvantaged areas through the PSP’s Innovation Project. The project works to improve the education standards of children in farming communities within South Africa’s Western Cape Province. In 2011, PSP-trained teachers contributed to improving the education standards of 50,000 children in the area.  

Each year the project offers complimentary courses for teachers from disadvantaged primary schools. Through the Innovation Project, teachers are able to assist children in building and enhancing their skills and knowledge for understanding the world -- and eventually, furthering their education.

Back to Top



Tanzania


Beating Vitamin A Deficiency

In Africa, orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are often thought of as a more colorful alternative to the white-fleshed variety. These sweet potatoes are a rich source of vitamin A precursors. Vitamin A is essential for eye health and the proper functioning of the immune system. A lack of this nutrient can increase the risk of illness and death from diseases such as malaria and measles. In sub-Saharan Africa, more than 40% of children under five are at risk of Vitamin A deficiency. Increasing the consumption of vitamin A-rich food is critically important for their survival.

The Helen Keller International (HKI) is working with farmer groups in Tanzania to secure a healthy future for children through the Eat Orange! Project. In 2009, the Monsanto Fund awarded HKI $200,000 toward improving nutrition in Tanzania by promoting and facilitating the production and consumption of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes in two districts in the Mwanza region.

The goal of the project is to improve the nutritional status of children under five, as well as pregnant and lactating mothers. The Monsanto Fund supports projects that provide education and training to increase healthy eating habits.

Back to Top



Uganda


Providing an Alternative to Life on the Street

Physical and emotional abuse drove Odongo* from his home to life on the street in Uganda just after completing primary school. Fortunately, after one week on the dangerous streets, he ended up at Retrak’s Uganda Tudabujja Halfway Home and Training Farm.

Retrak is an organization operating in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda that helps street children in Africa realize their potential. The organization is accomplishing its mission in part with $45,045 from the Monsanto Fund. The Tudabujja Halfway Home and Training Farm provides children with a place to stay temporarily and adjust from street life to family and community life. While there, the children learn basic farming and food-preparation skills so that when they leave, they will be able to contribute to their family’s nutritional and economic well-being. Over the past six years, more than 230 children like Odongo have stayed at the halfway home and farm.

Back to Top



Monsanto Fund is focused on investing in the following areas:

  • Burkina Faso
  • Egypt
  • Kenya
  • Malawi
  • Morocco
  • South Africa
  • Tanzania
  • Uganda
  • Zambia




* Name has been changed