Backpack Farm Agriculture ProgramPromoting sustainable BOP agriculture & value chains
More than 14 million people in the Horn of Africa are in need of international food aid. At the same time, Africa has the agricultural potential not only to feed the continent but also the world. During the 2010 World Food Conference, Kofi Annan said: "improving the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of smallholder farming is the main pathway out of poverty in using agriculture for development." In response to these efforts, the Backpack Farm Agriculture Program (BPF) is designed as an all-in-one canvas backpack packaged with all the essential agriculture inputs needed for small landholders to standardize both the quality and quantity of agriculture production during an annual growing season, to mirror semi-commercial rates of production. Most important, farmers receive training on how best to use the backpack tools as well as build their core capacity.
Partners
Medea Group Limited incubated and financed Medea Group Limited incubated and financed the entire project and is responsible for the overall project coordination.
Lachlan Kenya supplies and packages the agritechLachlan Kenya supplies and packages the agri-tech for each Backpack Farm.
Irrio International manages the supply chain ofIrrio International manages the supply chain of the irrigation products.
Sandstorm Kenya designed the backpacks and is responsible for their production.