ONE ACRE FUND KAKAMEGA HEADQUARTERS

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Published: November 15, 2018

One acre fund is a nonprofit organization that supplies small holder farmers in East Africa with asset-based financing and agriculture training services to reduce hunger and poverty. Headquartered in Kakamega, the organization works with farmers in rural villages throughout Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi and Zambia.

The office in Kakamega has some exciting features that aren't visible at first sight. It was modeled after a greenhouse and the internal walls are made out of maize stalks and other farming products. Many of the external walls can be opened up to outdoors allowing staff to breathe fresh air and take in the beautiful countryside around them. They also have outdoor working spaces and auditorium where they host everything from training sessions to employee movie nights.

One acre fund offers small holder farmers an asset-based loan that includes distribution of seeds and fertilizers, financing for farm inputs; training on agriculture techniques and market facilitation to maximize profits. One Acre Fund states that it practices sustainable intensification and land management. It trains small holder farmers on how to create and use compost and how to minimize the amount of fertilizers used with micro-dosing technique.

I spoke to Mr. Joseph Chivai who works under external relations in the organization. He says they get weather data from Kenya Meteorological Department weekly via email. They also get the weather data from different weather stations in different counties in their branches; they work in more than 18 counties in Kenya. One acre fund sell their seeds to farmers as long term investments and train them on land preparation, how to plant, when to start planting and also top dressing. They work hand in hand with them till harvest time. They also provide them with solar lighting, phone and the farmers pay for them on credit. Mr. Joseph Chivai added that the data from KMD and other counties is enough for the headquarters because getting a new weather station maybe costly for them. But they need one therefore for more information as TAHMO we should consult the field team to find if they can buy a weather station or weather parameters.