Michelle cycles 1100km for African female farmers project
Between 20 and 25 October, Michelle Morris, Prof of Data Science for Food at the University of Leeds and member of our LIDA community, is taking part in the GROW for Good Challenge in Kenya, whereby GROW stands for Growing Resilience and Opportunities for Women.
When in Kenya, Michelle will be part of a 12 strong group of women cycling 75km through Embu County, and camping at three female-run farms participating in Farm Africa’s Regenerative Agriculture Project. Lending a helping hand on each farm and connecting with the community, the team will be learning the challenges these resilient women face.
To add to the physical challenge, Michelle is cycling or running the equivalent of length of Kenya - 703 miles (1131 km) – in the weeks leading up to the trip, reaching this target on a bike in the Embu County in October. The majority of these miles will be cycled or run off-road here in Yorkshire (re-creating the unsealed surfaces in Kenya).
Women are the backbone of Africa’s farming workforce, yet life for rural women isn’t easy. In sub-Saharan Africa, the female share of the agricultural labour force is the highest in the world. Farm Africa works to open up new opportunities for female farmers across eastern Africa, helping them to develop new streams of income and work their way out of poverty, while protecting local ecosystems for generations to come.
To raise awareness of and funds for Farm Africa’s work, the GROW team will help with hands-on regenerative agriculture activities on farms like composting and mulching. They will also experience life in rural Kenya and find out how Farm Africa improves farmers’ knowledge of good agricultural practices through an innovative network of Village-Based Advisors.
At the end of their journey, the team will take part in a round table event with female industry leaders in Kenya’s capital city Nairobi to raise awareness of the need to drive positive change for women in the global food system.
If you are inspired by the challenge and the work of Farm Africa, please consider sponsoring Michelle and the team. All donations add up to valuable support for these female farmers.
- £26 can provide drought tolerant seeds for a female farmer
- £48 can supply tools for regenerative farming
- £130 can fund training for Village-Based Advisors