2019 Land Accelerator Demo Day
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM EATNairobi, Kenya
The Land Accelerator returns to Nairobi!
Join the conversation: #LandAccelerator, #AFR100
There is a business case for restoring land: Developing sustainable food and land use business models overall could be worth up to US$2.3 trillion and provide over 70 million jobs globally by 2030.
Restoration businesses are proving that restoring degraded forests and farmland is both good for the planet and profitable. But they face limited access to technical knowledge and capital.
In response, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Fledge — through AFR100 and with the support of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and DOEN Foundation — created the Land Accelerator. This is the first accelerator aimed at fostering entrepreneurship in restoring degraded land to cost-effectively tackle climate change and drive sustainable economic growth.
14 African entrepreneurs representing 8 countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe) have taken part in an intensive 6-day workshop. Today, they are presenting their businesses to investors and financiers:
Watch all 14 entrepreneurs present here.
The companies:
- Addax (Niger) grows and processes gum arabic to make high-value resin and livestock feed, while adding trees to an arid landscape.
- Agromyx (Ghana) manufactures freeze-dried fruits, vegetables and grains to stem post-harvest losses and create instant food products.
- Apinec (Ethiopia) produces honey and beeswax for export to Europe and has trained over 2,000 farmers in beekeeping methods.
- E3D (Niger) grows neem trees to make natural pesticides, insect-repelling soaps, disinfectants, and related products.
- EcoH Holdings (Kenya) converts organic waste into pelleted fertilizer to enhance soil health and increase food production.
- E-moto Limited (Kenya) turns sugarcane waste into biofuel for cooking. This reduces pressure on forests and lowers indoor air pollution.
- Expression Global (Kenya) offers affordable piped water for irrigation to smallholder farmers, making them more productive and climate-resilient.
- KOFAR Ltd (Kenya) sells organic fertilizers that reverse the damage done by chemicals and improve soil health.
- Kencoco (Kenya) makes charcoal briquettes from discarded coconut husks in coastal Kenya, providing a sustainable alternative to fuelwood.
- Rejuvenate Umhlaba! (Zimbabwe) is working to establish a thriving market for land restoration offsets in Africa.
- Shekina (Rwanda) dries edible cassava leaves to produce a new, shelf-stable, nutritious source of food.
- Shoots & Roots (South Africa) is a commercial nursery that has grown over 200,000 trees over the past year.
- Tilaa Ltd (Ghana) produces honey and cashews by working with local farmers through an integrated plantation.
- Tree Resource Enterprises (Uganda) supplies tree seeds and seedlings to clients interested in agroforestry and large-scale restoration.