Eric and Rebecca Kaduru have found a revolutionary way to tackle gender inequality in Fort Portal, Uganda--but they never could have predicted they would be where they are today. Rebecca was born and raised in the Silicon Valley, attended Santa Clara University, and ended up moving to Tanzania in 2008, disillusioned with office life[1]. She met Eric in Uganda in 2010, fell in love, and the two co-founded KadAfrica Estate, a social enterprise enabling out-of-school girls to establish passion fruit farming collectives. Eric first had the idea for KadAfrica when he was driving from Uganda to Kenya, and was blown away by how much fertile land was left unused or misapplied, when there was such potential for it to be used for large-scale commercial farming[2]. Not only did Eric and Rebecca find opportunity in the unused land itself, but in the unemployed women of Fort Portal. |
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KadAfrica seeks out underprivileged women who lack the education and money to pursue their business ventures, but have all of the drive and potential to succeed. Women and girls, most from the ages of 14-20, are recruited to form cooperatives of up to 30 girls per plot of land[6]. Nearly all of the recruits are school dropouts, have no previous agriculture training, and have faced hardship and economic crisis due to a lack of education or network of support. These unemployed women are particularly vulnerable to early marriage, pregnancy, and risky livelihood options such as prostitution. More than 60% of the girls are young mothers, going through the program for the sake of their child's future as well[7]. The supply of workers is far from slim, and the women are more than capable; to date, over 1,600 girls have successfully gone through the program, and over 1,000 girls are on the wait list, hoping to also become leaders in their communities[8].
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Dubbed the "KadAfrica Experience," the training is so effective because of how comprehensive it is. Not only do the girls receive a high level of both hands-on and classroom instruction in agriculture--complete with the support of a full-time agronomist--they also receive education in business and life skills to round off their 6-month curriculum[9]. Classes are taught in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, reproductive health, gender equality, and agriculture, among others. Even the girls' family members are integrated into the curriculum, with events that allow them to learn, and even earn with a few home-grown seedlings of their own[10]. Upon completion of the training program, these women have the confidence and income to make safe and healthy choices for themselves and their families[11].
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With all of the emotional, financial, and structural support they need, the women are able to focus on the quality of their work, and on their own personal development. KadAfrica buys back all of the fruit produced by the passion fruit farms at market price, saving them this extra step, and selling the fruit to vendors[12]. In this way, girls are able to earn over $50/month from KadAfrica, a 600% increase from the roughly $3/month most of them were earning prior[13]. Aside from drastically improved income, vital mentorship is offered every step of the way from farming facilitators and leadership mentors. Women are able to save money as they go with the help of savings groups that are immediately formed with other women at the time that they form a farming collective[14]. With the wealth of support provided by KadAfrica, women are inspired and able to make plans to expand their agribusinesses, and even start new business ventures aside from passion fruit farming.
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A key innovation is providing a ready market for the passion fruit farmers to ensure a successful business model for the female entrepreneurs. Bulk marketing and transport make for a profitable business, and a steady income for the girls who are the lifeblood of the organization. Building systems around the farm is essential in order to create lasting, effective and pervasive success. KadAfrica has established connections with over 20 local buyers, as well as 2 export companies based in Kampala, the capital city that is near Fort Portal[15]. Passion fruit packaged by farmers in Uganda could even find itself in the streets of London.
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Why passion fruit? |
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Farmers utilize drip irrigation technology [18] made out of used plastic bottles, which has many advantages:
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KadAfrica distributes 60 seedlings to each collective of 30 girls, as well as the tools and materials to maintain their own plot for the first 8 months[19]. The land in Uganda is particularly fertile, and suited for growing passion fruit. Even better, the climate provides ideal conditions for farming, with the appropriate rainfall pattern and temperatures--and yet only 1% of the land is used for farming[20]. KadAfrica is a prime example of taking advantage of a situation that is economically and technically "ripe" with opportunity, and using that to spark social change, by providing opportunity to underprivileged women and girls.
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At KadAfrica, farming begins with help from the community. Land is sourced from local churches, mosques, and landowners, and then the groups of girls are given their very own plot to begin farming on. In a place where women owning land is very rare, these girls are able to call these plots their own, outside the influence of relatives or landlords. This also means that they generate protected income that they can decide how to save and spend.
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Classes in reproductive health might not intuitively be included in an agricultural social enterprise, but they offer a key part of the education provided by KadAfrica. After going through the program, more women have regular access to menstrual hygiene products, as well as the knowledge and resources to address health-related issues that may arise[21]. With this important education, women are healthier, more confident, and thus better able to run their businesses.
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When Rebecca and Eric first arrived in Fort Portal, they were astounded by the many misconceptions and lack of economic awareness that were evident. In one marketplace, ten different vendors were all selling the Ugandan equivalent of breakfast burritos in the same area[22]. How did any of them make a profit, and how did consumers possibly choose among them? There seemed to be no concept of specialization, or of supply and demand; diversification was desperately needed to bring these businesses to their fullest potential.
- - - When the couple first began farming produce, one of their neighbors took it upon himself to warn them that there was absolutely no way horticulture could be successful, and that only tea can grow on this land[23]. He even gave them a tour of his plot, explaining exactly how he had been growing tea for years. Despite that his farm turned no profit, he was decidedly convinced that tea was the only viable crop. After the passion fruit farm began reaping success, the neighbor eventually returned to them, acknowledging that their method might have some merit to it after all. Even the most experienced farmers in the area were only scratching the surface of the full potential that Uganda's fertile land could yield. - - - When the torrential downpour of the rainy season threatened to flood the river, Eric saw the rising water level and prepared for the worst, along with just one other farmer: a woman who moved her plot to higher ground because she thought it was the sensible thing to do (serving as yet another example of women's unmistakable capability to foster their own business ventures)[24]. Other farmers neglected to think ahead, and their small farms were washed away. These men took out their anger on Eric and the woman, as if they had no power to prevent their situation and were simply left behind in their misfortune. After this encounter, Eric felt motivated to educate people to exercise foresight so they don't end up suffering damage that is entirely preventable, and blaming others for their hardship. - - - KadAfrica has brought many strategic and technical innovations to the farm, but it is the cultural implications of these changes that are perhaps even more important, and more challenging to address. Rebecca and Eric are really challenging the status quo in order to introduce technologies and techniques to the area. Their methods are not new, but rather novel in their application in a place where support systems for girls are rare, and underutilization of farmland is common. In a country where the agricultural sector has yet to be fully sophisticated enough to compete on a global scale, many people who are set in their ways have been uneasy at first with the changes that KadAfrica brings[25]. This initial tension is necessary so that progress can be made, so that people will become more open-minded about what it takes to be successful, and so that female entrepreneurs can flourish with an effective business model. The co-founders hope that KadAfrica's substantial success will have an even wider impact by serving as an example to small-scale local farmers. They don't see the deeply ingrained cultural attitudes as an indication that change cannot be made in this area, but as a sign that there is so much opportunity to bring innovation to people who could use it well. KadAfrica is not a distantly devised solution created just for the community, but hand-in-hand with the community it serves. The passion fruit farms are wildly successful because the business model depends on the Ugandan girls it benefits, and on the environment the farm thrives in. |