Big names show support for climb in aid of African farmers

19 September 2012

A team of intrepid adventurers who are climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for African farmers has been given an added boost after a number of big businesses made substantial donations to the cause.

The climbers, who start their climb in Tanzania on September 29, are raising cash for the NFU’s Africa 100 Appeal’s Kilimanjaro and have now been given support from Agrii, BASF and Massey Ferguson. The gold level sponsors join silver sponsors The European Crop Protection Association, Morrisons and Syngenta who have also donated to the cause, in aid of Farm Africa.

The team of eight novice climbers – taking on the world’s tallest freestanding mountain at 19,341ft above sea level – will spend eight days walking up the steep terrain in sub-zero temperatures with the team hoping to reach the summit on Friday October 5.

Nigel Harris, chief executive of Farm Africa said: “I wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to all the companies who have invested their support in the Africa 100 Appeal. By showing such great support for the brave individuals who are taking on Kilimanjaro, the sponsors are playing an important role in keeping everyone on the mountain motivated during this huge physical and mental journey.

“Thank you to all our sponsors for showing such solidarity with farmers in Africa by lending their support to the campaign. Everyone in Farm Africa will be cheering the team on every step of the way.”

Climber Martin Haworth, who is also director of policy and communications at the NFU, said he was delighted to be supporting the cause.

“Each step the team takes on the mountain will be helping African farmers to improve their lives for the long term and we are all looking forward to meeting and talking to local farmers to hear about the challenges they face.

“We have already seen how fundraising can make such a difference to their lives, through the highly successful Cassava Project and it will be exciting to find out what more can be done to help them grow food in a harsh climate.”

The Cassava Project was funded by an appeal in 2008 which raised £220,000. It helped to reinstate the traditional tuber crop and re-educated farmers and their families about its multiple uses to build food security.

To contribute to the Africa 100 Appeal Kilimanjaro Challenge click here.

Members of the team are:

Martin Haworth, NFU director of policy

Rebecca Wells, NFU assistant environment policy adviser

Sian Davies, assistant director at the British Agriculture Bureau, Brussels

James Hawthorne, a farmer from Somerset

Robert Lasseter, a farmer from Dorset

Rob Baker, agronomist and team manager from Agrii

Andy Jones, regional cereal value chain manager - Crop Protection at BASF

Gila Hale, Farm Africa

Notes to editors:

Sponsorship:

Gold Sponsors have donated a minimum of £5,000 to support the appeal.Silver Sponsors have donated a minimum of £1,000 to support this appeal.

For more on Farm Africa visit the website hereTo see the Africa 100 Appeal’s work with the charity to date see hereFollow the team updates on Twitter on #KilichallengeFarm Africa is a charity working with families in rural Africa, helping them to produce food more effectively. By providing training and support to help farmers improve the way they manage their crops, livestock, forests and access to water, we help families build a future free from hunger.