Kickstart-International Inc

KICKSTART PROMOTES SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND FOOD SECURITY IN AFRICA.

HEADQUARTERED IN NAIROBI, KENYA, KICKSTART DESIGNS AND DISTRIBUTES IRRIGATION TOOLS ACROSS 17 COUNTRIES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, PROVIDING SMALLHOLDER FARMERS AND THEIR FAMILIES A SUSTAINABLE PATH OUT OF POVERTY THROUGH INCREASED INCOME, CLIMATE RESILIENCE, AND FOOD SECURITY. WITH SIMPLE IRRIGATION TOOLS, FARMERS NO LONGER DEPEND ON SEASONAL RAINS TO GROW FOOD, ENABLING HOUSEHOLDS TO CONSUME AND SELL THEIR HARVESTS THROUGHOUT THE DRY SEASON AND IN TIMES OF DROUGHT. TO COST-EFFECTIVELY SCALE ITS IMPACTS, KICKSTART WORKS WITH OVER 350 MISSION-ALIGNED NGOS, RELIEF AGENCIES, MICRO-FINANCE INSTITUTIONS, AND GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS TO INTRODUCE IRRIGATION TO THEIR NETWORKS OF FARMERS. TO ENCOURAGE PUBLIC AWARENESS AT THE GRASSROOTS AND GENERATE DEMAND FOR SMALL-SCALE IRRIGATION, KICKSTART CONDUCTS A RANGE OF FARMER OUTREACH AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING SESSIONS ON LOW-VOLUME IRRIGATION, USAGE, AND MAINTENANCE OF KICKSTART'S TOOLS, AND AGROPRENEURSHIP BEST PRACTICES. THIS TRAINING FRAMEWORK EMPOWERS FARMERS WITH SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE ON SUSTAINABLE IRRIGATION AND WATER MANAGEMENT, AGRICULTURAL BIODIVERSITY, PLANTING STRATEGIES, CROP STORAGE, COMMERCIAL OPTIMIZATION, AND KEY FINANCIAL ACUMEN. IN FY22 (JULY 2021 - JUNE 2022), KICKSTART'S IRRIGATION SOLUTIONS HELPED FARMERS START 9,800 SUCCESSFUL AGRICULTURAL BUSINESSES THAT ARE COLLECTIVELY GENERATING APPROXIMATELY $6.9M IN NEW PROFITS AND WAGES PER YEAR AND HAVE ENABLED OVER 49,000 PEOPLE TO DISRUPT THE CYCLE OF POVERTY ACROSS SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. TO DATE, KICKSTART HAS HELPED OVER 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE TO CLIMB OUT OF POVERTY; CREATED 280,000 PROFITABLE FARMING BUSINESSES; AND FEEDS OVER 14 MILLION PEOPLE WITH NUTRITIOUS FRUITS AND VEGETABLES ANNUALLY.TO BRING OUR TOOLS TO AS MANY FARMERS AS POSSIBLE, KICKSTART EXPANDED ITS DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM ACROSS OUR THREE REGIONAL HUBS. IN WEST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA, WORKED CLOSELY WITH OUR PARTNERS TO SUPPORT LIVELIHOODS IN COMMUNITIES EXPERIENCING POLITICAL VIOLENCE, INCLUDING DISPLACED POPULATIONS IN NORTHERN MOZAMBIQUE, NORTHEAST NIGERIA, AND ZAMBIA. IN KANO SATE, NIGERIA WE WORKED WITH PARTNERS TO INTRODUCE OFF-SEASON COMMERCIAL FARMING AND GET OVER 1,000 IRRIGATION PUMPS TO FARMERS TO BOOST FOOD SECURITY AND PROVIDE SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS, WEALTH CREATION AND SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC GROWTH. IN MALAWI AND ACROSS ZAMBIA, KICKSTART PARTNERED WITH GAME PARKS AND CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOODS TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES LIVING IN FRAGILE BIO-DIVERSE ECOSYSTEMS, HELPING THEM TO BUILD REGENERATIVE AND PROFITABLE AGRICULTURAL LIVELIHOODS RATHER THAN POACHING AND CUTTING TREES FOR TIMBER AND CHARCOAL. KICKSTART WORKED WITH WOMEN ALL OVER THE CONTINENT-FROM YOUNG MOTHERS SEEKING TO IMPROVE THEIR FAMILY'S HEALTH AND EDUCATIONAL PROSPECTS, TO ELDER WIDOWS ESTABLISHING FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE AND COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP, TO WOMEN COOPERATIVES BANNING TOGETHER TO DEVELOP LOCAL AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAINS. AND ACROSS SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, KICKSTART CONTINUED TO WORK WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERS TO REACH NEW GROUPS OF FARMERS EXPERIENCING INTENSIFYING IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, INCLUDING PROLONGED DROUGHTS AND SUPER STORMS, TO BUILD GREATER RESILIENCE TO WEATHER SHOCKS.THROUGHOUT THE FISCAL YEAR, KICKSTART CONTINUED TO RESPOND TO UNPRECEDENTED FOOD AND INCOME PRESSURE ON RURAL FARMING FAMILIES, RESULTING FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN GLOBAL INFLATION. KICKSTART DEVELOPED NEW WAYS TO REACH FARMERS WITH OUR HIGH-IMPACT TOOLS AND SERVICES IN THE POST PANDEMIC CONTEXT, INCLUDING LAUNCHING A FREE SMS-BASED ON-DEMAND TRAINING SERVICE . TRAINING TOPICS COVERED MANAGING FARMING AS A BUSINESS, THE BASICS OF COMMON VEGETABLES GROWN IN KENYA, AND HOW TO USE AND MAINTAIN KICKSTART'S PUMPS. OVER 6,000 SMALLHOLDER FARMERS TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THIS TOOL, ENABLING THEM TO MAKE BETTER DECISIONS IN THEIR FARMING AND BUSINESS PRACTICES.