News & Insights

The AfriFOODlinks project led by ICLEI-Africa invites applications to join an exciting 20 city research initiative, the AfriFOODlinks project. Please submit your proposals to eastafrica.recruitment [at] rikolto.org and CC AfriFOODlinks [at] iclei.org by September 4th, 2023. For more details, please refer to the attached document containing the terms of reference.

In spite of what the title might suggest, we’re not going to tell you the story of a Walt Disney princess who found the prince of her dreams. Our heroine is Merab, a sweet and charismatic young woman from Uganda. Our featured adventure is her Generation Food journey and her metamorphosis into a successful businesswoman, and beyond. Let’s start from the beginning.

Deo runs Eastern Coffee, a coffee-roasting company in Mbale, Uganda. He is involved in Rikolto's Generation Food programme in Uganda. Learn about the values that guide him as a young agrifood entrepreneur, something he is eager to share with other young people on the same path.

Hope Dina is about to launch her own organic pesticide and fertiliser. The Generation Food programme in Uganda gave her the last push to make her business idea come true. She hopes her story inspires government and private companies to create an environment that supports young entrepreneurs to flourish.

We all enjoy a delicious meal, but is our food also safe for consumption? From sight or smell only, consumers cannot determine whether the food on their plate is safe. Food safety is everyone's business, and we can only ensure that all food is safe when everyone works together.

Imagine a world where everyone has access to nutritious, affordable food, where surplus foods are made available to those who need it most, and by-products and waste become inputs for new products... Circular economies can be a game-changer to transition to more sustainable food systems. Join us to learn more.

Reducing the health and environmental risks of pesticides on the farm in Arumeru in northern Tanzania through training and pesticide collection centres.

We’re becoming one big East Africa team working closer together for better and stronger programmes in DRC, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda!

Among the oldest references known to the use of credit or loans in urban cities was Sumer, an ancient civilisation in Mesopotamia (3,500 B.C.). It was farming alone that prompted a method for receiving goods on the promise of future payment. Long since then, today access to credit for agriculture faces many challenges, although the importance of food is not in doubt.

Generation Food Mbale is a project implemented by Rikolto in East Africa and SHONA and funded by YOUCA and DOEN Foundation. It aims at identifying and supporting innovative business solutions contributing to a sustainable and inclusive food system in and around Mbale. Apply by 18 March.

On Friday 4 February, the first edition of the Generation Food Accelerator celebrated the end of its incubation phase with a “Demo Day” in Mbeya. Youth are catalysts and leaders of innovation in all spheres of life, and agriculture is not different.

The Pangani basin in northern Tanzania is increasingly water-stressed. While climate change and degradation is changing and reducing water flows, water demand is increasing due to population growth and economic development. What are we doing? Explore it here.

In 2021, Rikolto, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) committed themselves to boost Kampala's urban farming future. On 12 November 2021, we closed our project in beauty. Explore the report here.

Fish, worms and bio-waste are the key ingredients for three different farming technologies that are fit for an urban setting: Aquaponics, vermiculture and biogas. Together with KCCA and UN Environment Programme, Rikolto popularised these technologies in Kampala, Uganda.

Farming within cities? Yes! Simple technologies like sack gardens and food towers require little space and investment, perfect for an urban setting.

From Kampala's Kyanja Resource Center to the communities: Promoting urban farming technologies for a future-proof city.

Our rice experts, John Ereng and Djalou Franco, took part in the AGRF 2021 conference to give their insights into Rikolto’s experience with introducing the SRP standard in East Africa, specifically referring to evidence from a project in Iringa, Tanzania (2019-2021). Watch the video!

Tag along with 8 European Ambassadors on their trip to Njombe, Tanzania and visit two essential building blocks for a sustainable future: Home gardens & avocados seedlings.

Kampala is preparing to expand urban farming in the city: Food from the city, for the city. Rikolto, KCCA and UN Environment Programme teamed up to promote urban farming. Explore the project here.

To make the road from farm to fork shorter, East Africa Fruits eliminates middlemen. The company is currently working with around 5000 farmers to deliver produce to the markets in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's biggest city.

Young people are full of compelling and promising ideas to change the recipe of our food systems. This is the reason why for this #AfricanCITYFOODmonth campaign, Rikolto has decided to put young changemakers in the spotlight.

Are you a young and passionate food entrepreneur, who wants to create new and innovative solutions to ensure sustainability and inclusiveness in the food system in Tanzania’s Southern Highlands? Join the Generation Food Accelerator in the Southern Highlands! Deadline for application 19 July 2021, 23:59pm

Food safety is everyone's business, but awareness is one of the gaps in ensuring that all fresh fruits and vegetables consumed are safe & healthy. Together with Bringo Fresh, we are organising a webinar on 2 June to enhance food safety awareness throughout the value chain. This webinar is organised ahead of World Food Safety Day on 7 June.

In 2009, secondary schools in Lira partnered up with Rikolto and YOUCA to empower Ugandan youth to become active in agriculture. Now more than a decade later, we revisited the schools in Lira to learn from our previous experience and integrate learnings in our future programmes. Tag along with Rikolto colleague Hannes and read his story about his journey to the schools in Lira.

In a mutually beneficial deal between onion farmers from the Pangani riverbank and East Africa Fruits, farmers are growing quality, healthy onions for the markets in Dar es Salaam.

With covid-19 interrupting many interventions, we had to find new ways to promote sustainable rice cultivation with rice farmers and other stakeholders in Uganda. Explore more in this story!

Is the food Arusha's citizens consume healthy? Is it safe & nutritious? Together with Iles de Paix and Farm Radio, Rikolto has kicked of an interactive radio programme to raise consumers’ awareness about healthy, safe, and nutritious food.

Access to finance as the last piece of the puzzle to achieve mass production for farmers in Arusha and Manyara. Explore their story here.

One failed contract does not mean the end of a partnership. Find out more in the story about the Kwapa chili famers and MACE Foods.

Equipping young entrepreneurs with the right tools to pursue their innovative ideas, that's what the Generation Food Bootcamp is all about. To create a sustainable food system in Arusha, we need fresh & innovative ideas. Read more here!