Gaudence Nzomukunda in her orchard in Burundi. Source: Hayley Tucker
Gaudence Nzomukunda in her orchard in Burundi. Source: Hayley Tucker
Gaudence Nzomukunda in her orchard in Burundi. Source: Hayley Tucker
Gaudence Nzomukunda in her orchard in Burundi. Source: Hayley Tucker

Social Issue

It is estimated that over 50 million small farmers in sub-Saharan Africa suffer from hunger each year because they cannot farm enough to feed their families. Malnutrition can have serious and lasting effects, especially in children. Subsistence farming depends on small plots that farmers use to feed their families. These people often lack access to affordable quality materials and techniques to increase the yield on their land. One Acre Fund’s mission is to help these farmers out of poverty and support them to produce enough to feed their own throughout the year.

Our Response

One Acre Fund is a non-profit entity incorporated in 2005 in Illinois, United States. It provides financing and training to small farmers so that they can escape hunger and poverty. In 2006, this NGO started operating in Kenya, and in the following years, it expanded to Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, and Uganda. Currently, it has more than 576,000 clients.

Expected Social Impact

With this loan, the Netri Foundation hopes to benefit more than 13,000 small farmers and their families, increasing the average yield of their land by 50%. It also aims to ensure that they can produce enough to feed their families throughout the year and that, in this way, they do not suffer from hunger. In addition, by donating the interest, the necessary subsidies will be covered to help 1,600 farmers in Kenya.

This project has also been carried out in Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi.