Giving Compass' Take:

• Food Tank spotlights various agricultural entrepreneurs who are at the forefront of reducing food waste and innovating the food chain. 

•  How can young agricultural entrepreneurs create networks to help advance food innovation and share best practices in farming sustainability? This may be an opportunity for philanthropists to support community building,.

• Read about some food and agricultural organizations that are setting an example in Washington, D.C.

Today’s young food and agricultural entrepreneurs are developing innovative ways to revolutionize the entire food chain. They are at the forefront of reducing food loss and waste, increasing crop yields, improving market access, developing novel technologies, and increasing urban and sustainable farming practices across the globe. They come from diverse backgrounds, with unique insights, perspectives, and approaches to tackling global food system challenges.

Food Tank is highlighting 16 young food and farming entrepreneurs who have transformed their love for food, farming, and sustainability into tools to build a stronger and more equitable food system:

  1. Jamila Abass, Kenya: Jamila Abass is CEO and co-founder of M-Farm, a virtual co-operative for subsistence farmers in Kenya to help them reach buyers and access vital market information via SMS. Through M-Farm, farmers in the same areas can share their experiences and advice, pose questions to industry experts, and connect with each other to combine crops and find larger buyers. Abass was elected for the 2013 Ashoka Fellowship, 2015 Aspen New Voices Fellow, and as Quartz Africa Innovator.
  2. Onyeka Akuma, Nigeria: Onyeka Akuma is founder of FarmCrowdy, Nigeria’s first digital agriculture platform that connects small-scale farmers with sponsors who invest in the full farm cycle. Once the crops are sold at market, profit is split between the farmer, farm sponsors, and FarmCrowdy. Sponsors can receive updates throughout the farming process via text, pictures, and video. The company has more than 1,000 sponsors across Nigeria, the United States, and the United Kingdom that support more than 2,000 small-scale farmers across eight states in Nigeria.
  3. Alli Cecchini, United States: Fourth-generation farmer Alli Cecchini is the founder and Executive Director of First Generation Farmers (FGF). Providing after-school programs, summer camps, farm tours, and Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF) placements, FGF draws hundreds of people to their farm in California each year. FGF also run their Urban Edge Sustainable Farming Program, an immersive, full-time residential program for aspiring organic specialty crop farmers. The program provides training in foundational production skills, business knowledge, and personal development to establish the next generation of resilient urban farmers and farm enterprises.

Read the full list of entrepreneurs revolutionizing food and farming from Food Tank.