Mombasa is a harbor city in the south of Kenia. Mombasa County, the metropolitan area of Mombasa, is home to more than 1.3 million inhabitants. Mombasa is, after Nairobi, the second largest city of Kenia. Throughout its history, Mombasa was first in Arab possession in the Middle Ages before later becoming Portuguese and finally English. This cultural mix is still reflected in the cityscape and way of life today.
If you type Mombasa into Google search, you will find pictures of gorgeous beaches with white sand in front of crystal clear water. Characterized by a tropical climate, the region invites you to swim and dive all year round. However, you should have an umbrella handy, especially in May/June, when heavy rainfall is traditionally expected.
What bothers tourists is vital for the locals. Because this rainy season is essential to supply the soil with sufficient water. Around 70% of Kenya’s population practices agriculture to feed themselves and their families. But for the past three years, local people have struggled with persistent drought and the absence of the rainy season. This is just one of many serious consequences of climate change, and global crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic are making this situation even worse. Already, about 40% of the population suffers from malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.
What could help better than our favorite superfood: the microalgae spirulina! The need was there and our current farm manager Eduard had also recognized this. He contacted us to establish a spirulina farm with our support. With him and Inshape Fitness Limited we have found highly motivated local partners. So the matter was clear – a new spirulina farm was to be established in Mombasa! No sooner said than done – planning started in 2019 and already two years later, in 2021, we were able to cultivate the first test culture in our new Spirulina cultivation facility. Meanwhile, Eduard is able to regularly harvest high quality spirulina, the purity of which has already been certified. The harvested spirulina can therefore now be purchased at local gyms, supplement clinics and supermarkets!
We are very pleased that we were able to successfully establish a third location in Kenya! We owe this mainly to the great commitment of our farm manager Eduard on site, with whom we still have big plans for further projects! But more about that next time…
Sources
https://www.plan.de/magazin/artikel/menschen-und-projekte/duerre-im-urlaubsparadies.html
https://www.iten-online.ch/klima/afrika/kenia/mombasa.htm,
https://kenia.de/staedte-kultur/mombasa/,
https://www.weltagrarbericht.de/leuchttuerme/kleinbaeuerinnen-in-kenia.html
Thriving Green supports the cultivation of the superfood Spirulina especially the poor rural population and thus fights malnutrition.
With a donation you can contribute something to the fight against hunger.
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Thriving Green e.V.
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