If you are like me, you would probably wonder, What do Kenya, organic farming and Newbury Street have in common? It feels like one of those questions from standardized testing where you must choose the outlier.
One of the reasons I prefer Uber over Lyft is because unlike Lyft, which just operates domestically here in the US of A, Uber has operations all over the world. When people from outside the U.S. come to Boston, it’s Uber they pull up on their phones. I love the international exposure. This is exactly what happened when Joseph, a well-educated young African man from Kenya, used Uber in Boston and became one of my passengers.
Manor House Agricultural Center
Joseph is visiting relatives here and promoting a cause that is very near and dear to him and the region of the world he is from: Organic farming! He works at Manor House Agricultural Center (MHAC), a non-profit trust which teaches sustainable farming methods and technology to the small-scale farming communities across Africa, specifically in Kenya.
Manor House Agriculture Center (MHAC) was established back in 1984 after an intensive 3-year drought hit Kenya. With 75% of Kenyans making their living through farming and 85% of the farms considered small-scale operations, Kenya still imports approximately 80% of its food. This is why MHAC is focused on teaching better farming methods to its farmers: to get more production and replenish the soil with much needed nutrients lost through previous crop production. MHAC focuses on 5 areas: crops, training, research, livestock, and resources. They offer coursework ranging from 1-week workshops to a 2-year degree program.
I would not know anything about this Kenyan effort to improve farming conditions in their region of the world if I had not made a stop on Newbury Street to pick up a young Kenyan man on a mission… and now you know about it, too! Check out more on Manor House Agricultural Center by clicking on this link… www.mhacbio.org
*Names & any identifying information may have been changed to protect the the confidentiality of those mentioned.
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