Just Earth
Just Earth partners with local churches and small-holder farmers to bring transformation to communities in rural Africa and beyond.
Alex Lloyd Davies
P&G Alumni Grant Champion
16 years P&G Brand Management and CBD
Alex has worked with Just Earth for the past 12 years and has been a Board member for the past 10 years. She is currently Chair of the Advisory Council and oversees marketing efforts.
“I have personally met people who have had their farm transformed from scrappy maize fields to those with maize growing 12-feet tall. The program is not a hand-out. Our participants work hard tending their land and learning how to do it better, and they are proud of how it means they can create better lives for their families.” Alex Lloyd Davies
She is joined in her efforts by David Cross, another P&G alum, who worked in Sales in the UK between 1974-1982. David has been involved with Just Earth since 2012 and is currently a pro bono Director focusing on providing farmers commercial and retail sales advice.
A significant portion of the Kenyan population cannot access adequate quantities of nutritious food, especially in the arid or semi-arid areas that comprise most of the country’s land area. Agriculture is a key economic driver but is vulnerable to climate variation. The food supply network is very inefficient, and many small farmers produce inadequate quantities because of poor land management and lack of agricultural knowledge.
Just Earth has 15 years of experience in helping farmers in rural villages improve their farming methods and set up small businesses by providing Farm Schools – extensive weekly training over a two-year period by trained agricultural facilitators that are coordinated by a local agronomist. Training is provided in well-established agricultural methods, nutrition, hygiene, finance management, and entrepreneurship. The program also includes interest-free loans for seed and fertilizer required by the farmers. They have been able to demonstrate significant increases in harvest size (3x-8x), reducing hunger, increasing nutritional health, and enabling families to be able to afford to send their children to school.
The grant of $25,000, the first made by the P&G Alumni Foundation to Just Earth, will be used to expand the number of the farm schools that the organization plans for 2021-22 from 18 to 20. This includes small loans for seed/fertilizer and the compensation and expenses associated with local training of facilitators and the agronomist. The program’s 20 farm schools will enable 720 additional farmers to be trained, create 40 jobs, and indirectly impact over 22,680 people inclusive of family members, farming neighbors and other community members who will benefit from the training.
“Growing Grass to Turn a Profit”
When Mary joined the Just Earth Project, her main crop was maize, but the ground was too stony and monkeys ate up her small profit. During her farmer training, Mary learned she could successfully grow Napier Grass on her land, a feed crop that is in high demand for local milk production from cows and goats. Mary now makes enough money to feed her family and meet their needs; but the monkeys have to find their food elsewhere.
“We are proud of our land and want to be able to produce enough food to provide for our families, sell more for extra income and help those around us too. Being a member of a Farmers’ Field School is like becoming a part of a family that is committed to making a big impact – on our farms and in the community.” Mary