By admin 
Credit – Photo illustration by TIME (Image source: Courtesy Uka Eje)
Nigeria is home to almost a quarter of a billion people, with about 38% of the working population working in the agricultural sector. That’s a lot of farmers who work a lot of land, with a lot of power to make their land green. Uka Ejeco-founder and CEO of the agritech company ThriveAgriculturalhelps them do just that.
Under Eje’s leadership, ThriveAgric is rolling out a pilot program across Nigeria – with plans to expand to Ghana, Uganda and Kenya – planting one hectare of fruit trees such as mango and guava alongside every hectare of fruit trees. corn, rice and soybeans. As the trees capture carbon from the air, farmers will earn carbon credits, which can be purchased by the industry through the multinational bank. Rabobank– both generating income for the agricultural sector and reducing Africa’s role in climate change. ThriveAgric plans to launch the program, which has been long in the planning, early next year.
“We’re trying to make sure we get started with the upcoming agricultural season, which starts in March,” said Samirah Bello, ThriveAgric’s Global Head of Partnership. “But before then, we have to do all the training and make sure the farmers practice all the things they need to prepare for the season. We are looking at at least 30,000 farmers.”
That minimum should grow quickly, with an expected expansion to 200,000 or more after the program becomes established. With a single initiative, an increasing part of Africa will not only feed its population, but also cool the planet.
Write to Jeffrey Kluger at [email protected].