ADM, through ADM Cares, its corporate social investment program, is expanding its longstanding partnership with Concern Worldwide US to help smallholder farmers in Kenya’s Tana River County build more productive, climate-resilient and self-sufficient farms. Now in its fourth phase, the Lifesaving Education and Assistance to Farmers (LEAF) program is reaching 17,500 farmers and is expected to indirectly benefit more than 100,000 people.
Building on a partnership that began in 2019, ADM and Concern have helped farmers adopt nutrition-sensitive and climate-smart agricultural practices through a combination of technical training, improved access to inputs and stronger market connections, all with a clear goal: helping farmers stand on their own. Many participating farmers have successfully transitioned from program assistance to independently sustaining and growing their agricultural businesses. To date, farmers supported through the program have collectively produced more than 2,000 metric tons of crops and have shown greater resilience than the county average to recurring droughts, flooding and pest outbreaks, while malnutrition rates in LEAF-supported communities decreased to 7.3 per cent compared to the county average of 11.5 per cent.
The latest phase of the program, LEAF IV, builds on that foundation by improving both the quality and quantity of crop production and strengthening farmers’ links to commercial and export markets. LEAF IV has also expanded the program’s reach, adding 2,000 farmers since the beginning of the year, and is promoting sustainable, private sector-led agricultural development models.
“Farmers are at the heart of everything we do at ADM, and resilient farming communities are essential to resilient food systems,” said Erdal Kurban, President, Africa & Middle East, ADM. “What makes LEAF special is its focus on independence. Seven years in, we’re seeing farmers who once relied on program support now running agricultural businesses of their own. Through ADM Cares, we’re proud to stand alongside Concern in helping more farmers in Tana River County reach that point.”
