The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) is advancing a home-grown school feeding model designed to provide nutritious meals sourced from local farmers within communities.
Dr. Daniel Willy, AATF’s Senior Manager for Policy, Agribusiness and Commercialisation, revealed this during a panel session at the ongoing World Congress of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) in Kenya.
He said the initiative, which could be replicated across African nations, seeks to reduce dependency on imported food by strengthening community-based food systems that feed schoolchildren with locally produced meals.
“This is not a new technology, but an innovative procurement and coordination model aimed at achieving self-sufficiency in food production,” Willy explained.
According to him, the programme incorporates regenerative farming practices that promote soil health and sustainability.
“It’s about using organic manure instead of chemical fertilisers and practising crop rotation to rejuvenate soil fertility,” he added.
Willy noted that rotating crops helps restore soil nutrients, while community food aggregators and local processors would also benefit through improved demand and steady income.
He said the model would require coordinated mechanisms for production, aggregation, safe storage, and efficient distribution to schools, supported by enabling policies.
“We are building a system that can sustainably deliver safe, nutritious food to schoolchildren without leaving anyone behind,” he said.
On scalability, Willy explained that the initiative would first be designed and piloted in Kenya before being adapted to other African countries.
“The next step is to package the model for replication across Africa, including Nigeria, where it can be customised to suit local diets,” he said.
He added that home-grown school feeding not only supports children’s nutrition but also stimulates rural economies by empowering smallholder farmers and strengthening local food value chains.
