Mountains of mangos - Africa 100 Appeal funds set to boost new Kenyan project

28 August 2012

The Africa 100 Appeal’s Kilimanjaro climbing team has less than one month to go before tackling the world’s highest freestanding mountain.

Working with innovative UK charity, Farm Africa, the Appeal has today announced all funds raised will go to the Maendeleo Agricultural Enterprise Fund (MAEF) mango farming project based in Kenya.

News that their efforts will help to transform the lives of more than 800 women mango farmers in the Kitui district means training for the trip has stepped up a gear.

Kili Challenge climber, NFU Director of Policy, Martin Haworth said that one of the reasons he wanted to support Farm Africa and take part in the Kilimanjaro Challenge was the way that innovation and business skills are used to support farmers.

“Farm Africa is a different sort of charity, working to tackle hunger, not with food aid, but with agricultural innovation and business enterprise”, he said. “We are hoping to fund part of this three-year project that will provide these hard working women farmers with better a quality mango stock and varieties that fruit at different times of the year.

“This project will also help them to develop their business skills meaning they will be able to produce value-added commercial products like juice and jam. Not only are we helping provide a secure food supply, we are also helping them to earn money which can cover things we take for granted such as medical care, school costs for their children. The success if this project will mean farmers can really start to invest in their future.”

Farm Africa’s Chief Executive, Nigel Harris, welcomed the support. He said: “The NFU has been a long-standing and generous supporter of our work. We are thrilled that the NFU is continuing its support with this challenging climb.

“It is really satisfying to witness the solidarity between farmers, even when their farms and environment could not be more different. 

“The funds raised by the team of eight will completely transform the lives of 800 families, unleashing their entrepreneurial skills to build a more profitable future.”

Members of the Kilimanjaro Challenge 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
• Robert Lasseter, a farmer from Dorset
• James Hawthorne, a farmer from Somerset
• Rob Baker, Agronomist and Team Manager from Agrii
• Andy Jones, Regional Cereal Value Chain Manager - Crop Protection at BASF
• Gila Hale, Farm Africa

Follow the team updates on Twitter on #Kilichallenge

Notes to editors:

1. 1.       Images from Farm Africa’s MAEF mango project are available on request from the NFU press office sharon.hockley@nfu.org.uk 02476 858 686
2. To contribute to the Africa 100 Appeal Kilimanjaro Challenge click here.
3. 3.       Please contact the NFU press team if you would like to become a corporate sponsor of the Africa 100 Appeal Kilimanjaro Challenge sharon.hockley@nfu.org.uk 02476 858 686
4. For more on the Africa 100 Appeal’s work with the charity to date see here
5. About Farm Africa

Farm 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. For more information about Farm Africa please visit www.farmafrica.org