Techno Serve

Table of Contents World Food Day is an international day observed every October 16 to mark the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 1945. FAO’s member countries established the day in 1979, and today it is celebrated across 150 countries to raise awareness and inspire action to end global hunger.

Table of Contents In honor of the International Year of the Woman Farmer, we bring you a selection of images from women farmers who have gained new ways to build a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities. This October’s photo selection captures the first link in our food systems—the farmers who plant, grow, tend, and harvest the crops that end up on our tables.

Table of Contents Youth make up 35% of Kenya’s population and face the highest unemployment rate in the country at 67%, five times Kenya’s national average. Retail and trade is the most desired field for entrepreneurs in Kenya. Alex Amwai is a 26-year-old entrepreneur based in Nairobi County, Kenya. He has built a successful micro-retail business, Supa Shoppers, which he launched in 2020. Alex is a father of twin boys, and the business is his family’s primary source of income.

Table of Contents “Iván, I need a prototype. I want to make a sorting sieve.” Those words, spoken by TechnoServe staff member Marco Aurelio Saavedra one afternoon in 2018, helped to set Iván Ramos on an entrepreneurial journey that continues to this day. Back then, Iván was a coffee farmer, but he had always considered himself curious and had long been interested in inventing, even designing a new coffee drying bed. “Give me tonight, engineer,” he replied.

Table of Contents Ontifile Gaokgorwe, 36, remembers what it felt like to be bullied as a child growing up in eastern Botswana. That feeling of not belonging stayed with her. When she noticed children with diverse developmental and intellectual needs getting labeled and pushed aside in traditional classrooms, she decided to build a different kind of school.

Table of Contents Joaquina Varrancha, 56, has always felt deeply connected to the land. She lives in the Ribauè district of Nampula Province, Mozambique, and has been farming since she was a teenager. But for decades, her dedication did not translate into prosperity. For most of her life, Joaquina only grew enough food to support herself and her family. They grew corn, cassava, sorghum, and peanuts on their small plot of land.

Table of Contents When we picture hunger, the image that often comes to mind is simple: there isn’t enough food. The reality is much more nuanced. People can live in countries with abundant food and still struggle to afford a nutritious diet. Farmers can grow food and still experience food insecurity. Agricultural production can increase without improving nutrition. And investing in farmers does not automatically produce good results for everyone.

Table of Contents A sustainable supply chain manages environmental, social, and economic impacts at every tier, from raw materials to end of life. Many agricultural and food supply chains begin with smallholder farmers and small suppliers, and successfully engaging them is critical to meaningful sustainability efforts. For close to six decades, TechnoServe has developed business solutions to end poverty.

Table of Contents In 2017, Lucy Wacuka and James Kinyua Kamanjiri hoped to harvest 1,000 kilograms of coffee from their small farm in Kenya. They invested time, money, and hope in their coffee crop. But a fungal infection called coffee berry disease swept through the farm, and in the end, they harvested just 100 kilograms—not enough even to cover their costs. For coffee farmers like Lucy and James, failed harvests–or even poor yields in a typical year–are not just numbers on paper.

Table of Contents In Mozambique, smallholder women farmers often face barriers in accessing information on good agricultural practices, business management, and financial literacy. Without this information, it is difficult to plan production, track income and expenses, or have a say in the income generated by their small plot of land.