Farm Africa summer reception celebrates 40 years of impact

Actor and comedian Sir Michael Palin, and model and sustainable agriculture ambassador Sabrina Dhowre Elba were amongst the guests gathered in London for a reception to mark the 40th anniversary of Farm Africa.

Supporters, ambassadors and friends celebrated the impact of four decades of the charity’s work to create a resilient, rural Africa where people and the environment thrive. Guests enjoyed food prepared by the chef Tom Booton, who has recently become a Farm Africa ambassador.

At the reception, Sabrina Dhowre Elba launched Farm Africa’s 40th anniversary appeal to galvanise support for the future. The funds raised by the appeal, which aims to raise £100,000, will support Farm Africa’s work helping smallholder farmers across eastern Africa to grow and sell more, while protecting the environment for generations to come.

Sabrina, who grew up in Vancouver in Canada as the daughter of a mother who was born and raised in Somalia, explained her personal motivation for supporting rural communities in eastern Africa:

“I want to thank Farm Africa for connecting me to their work. It’s such an amazing organisation. I started working in agriculture because my mom comes from a rural community. She knew what it meant to live off the land that you live on. She made sure we visited as much as we could and understood what rural people were going through and the support that they needed.

“Today, in an environment that’s so divisive, it’s important to remember our humanity. When I started working, there was much talk about getting more data. But as more data has come out, it’s separated people from the issue because it not only feels like a massive problem, but we see numbers and we forget about the faces. I’ve made it my life’s mission to remind people that there is a face to climate change. And nine times out of ten, it’s a woman that looks like me. It has become a massive passion of mine.”

Support for the appeal was immediate, with the presentation of a cheque for £20,000 by longstanding supporter Adam Bedford on behalf of a charitable foundation established in memory of Yorkshire farmer Michael Potter.

The event also recognised the contributions of Farm Africa’s long-standing individual supporters and partners in the private sector.

Dan Collison, Farm Africa’s Chief Executive, commented: “Thanks to the generosity and commitment of our supporters, Farm Africa’s work reached over 770,000 people in eastern Africa last year. This included empowering smallholder farmers to adopt climate-smart techniques, improving children’s nutrition and enabling displaced communities to rebuild their lives through sustainable agriculture. As Farm Africa enters its fifth decade, we are committed to scaling up our impact and ensuring rural communities continue to thrive in the face of a changing climate.”

Photo credits: Laura Hinski Photography.