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Change Agent | Rachel Zedeck

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Rachel Zedeck

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The "Hut" Training Meeting
USA Food Aid
Backpack Farming
Carrotzilla attacks helpless Nokia
BPF Corn towers above the rest
DEAR WORLD
Coffee Farmer
Rachel Zedeck
The "Hut" Training Meeting
The "Hut" Training Meeting
USA Food Aid
USA Food Aid
Backpack Farming
Backpack Farming
Carrotzilla attacks helpless Nokia
Carrotzilla attacks helpless Nokia
BPF Corn towers above the rest
BPF Corn towers above the rest
DEAR WORLD
DEAR WORLD
Coffee Farmer
Coffee Farmer
Rachel Zedeck
Rachel Zedeck
FAST FOOD FARMING
FAST FOOD FARMING
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A Farm in a Backpack - Working with Eco-Friendly Farming to Help Africans to Feed Africa

I work in East Africa on a personal mission to incubate projects which will help feed Africa and then the rest of the world. My projects include the Backpack Farm Program, a canvas backpack filled with eco-friendly agriculture inputs and training a rural farmer needs to triple the quantity and quality of food they produce. I believe it is possible to end the food crisis in Sub Saharan Africa using eco-friendly models of development.

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Rachel Zedeck Confessions of a Social Entrepreneur in Africa - Rejection Sucks!

Apr 16, 2012 10:41 am

Hello Changents!   The long rains have arrived in Kenya; wake freezing, fry mid afternoon and by nightfall snuggle under the quilt my mother made me listening to the rain soak the ground appeasing the fear of another drought. In February, I wrote my 1st "confession" blog.   My new confession... REJECTION SUCKS!... Continue reading Confessions of a Social Entrepreneur in Africa - Rejection Sucks!

Alex
April 16, 2012 - 2:11pm
Rachel, this post is right on the money - pun intended. Rejection is deflating, especially when it comes in such an impersonal way from people or organizations in the "values" community. With that said, it's just as tough to hear "I totally believe in what you're doing...but I'm not going to invest right now." Clearly, impact investors can't put money into everything and have to adhere to disciplined investment criteria, but the number of promising social enterprises that wither on the vine because they are too far along for seed stage investors but not far enough along for series A (i.e. looking for too little money) means a lot of potential good does not get done in the world.
RachelKenya
April 16, 2012 - 2:48pm
Oh yess.... I FORGOT to include that one! That one has stopped stinging as much!! But I will edit and add 1 more ... a REAL gem! And yes, we are stuck in the same merry go round of too late or too early! But there is a lot of money funding projects that are simply ridiculous. It's becoming harder and harder to bite my tongue .. I think its called humility !
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Rachel 's organization

  • Backpack Farm Agricultural Program
  • www.backpackfarm.com
  • Eco-farming program supporting smallholder farmers in rural Africa focusing on impacting women & girls. Shifting from conflict & aid to entrepreneurship.

Fast Facts

  • Managing Director
  • Nairobi , Kenya
  • Posted: Oct 20, 2009
  • Last Updated: Apr 17, 2012
  • Focus Area: Hunger
  • Website: www.Backpackfarm.com

Change Agent Stats

  • 70,690 Story Views
  • 555 Clicks to Backpack Farm Agricultural Program
  • 46 Backers for Rachel
  • 12 Story Forwards

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Latest Story Comments

Comments

Vanda J Gerhart
October 18, 2011 - 4:41pm
Backpack Farm is brilliant - bringing the science to the small farmers is absolutely crucial to the poverty alleviation/food security problem and I give you all the kudos I can. I also worked in the field in Indonesia/Mexico and the US and am equally horrified at the way aid agencies/NGOs/UN etc self perpetuate their own self interests at the expense of doing little else. I applaud you for not going the NGO route even though it is next to impossible to raise $$. I am just beginning a small social enterprise (visualbackstories.com) with the intent of bringing the untold stories of grassroots organizations and innovative entrepreneurs to a western audience. I would love to feature you and Backpack Farm in the future. With these backstories I hope to be able to get people to look at, and fund, the work on those outside the NGO model..... I am off on a 6 month trip to tell the rest of the story on honeybees and will be in Indonesia, India, Lebanon, Turkey and the Black Sea area. I want to stay in touch with you and will be circulating your website as far and wide as I can. Thank you for your vision.
capital
September 5, 2011 - 11:08am
hi rachel, hope you are ok, thanks alot for this unique programme, i have a farm in nyeri and it is not well utilized, i would like to visit your training centre in naivasha, so that i have first hand information, please provide me with the email adress and phone no for directions,i will highly appreciate, thanks for the good work of enlightening the small scale farmer, cheers and looking forward to hearing from you soon, my email is Leversmanagement@yaho.com thanks rachel. isaac maina.
RachelKenya
January 17, 2011 - 12:22pm
Mugo.. thank you for the words of support. Feel free to contact us at GROW@Backpackfarm.com. WE have a franchise and training site in Naivasha you can visit.
Kariuki Mugo
January 17, 2011 - 7:35am
Hi Rachel, Congrats for your determination. i am one of the upcoming smallholder farmers hoping to demonstrate how simple it is to transform farms and feed a nation. I would be happy to get more info and also support establishing a demo site in Naivasha Mugo
catecameron
July 30, 2010 - 3:04pm
Hi Rachel, wow, I love your project Backbpack Farm. It is so inspirational. I saw first hand when I was in Africa how effective giving sustainable agricultural support can be. I really identify your feeling of rawness and exhaustion - it can be overwhelming, but by stepping back and doing it little by little, step by step it happens! I am so interested in seeing more of your work and the journey from when and where you began. Thank you for all of your work! Best...Cate Cameron
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