African Vertical Farming Association launched in Kenya

The African Association for Vertical Farming (AAVF) has been launched in Kenya. The AAVF is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2018 to help industry stakeholders from the partnership necessary to drive innovation in Africa’s growing urban agriculture sector.

The AAVF president Josphine Favre said that they intend to share knowledge about vertical farming during the launch held University Of Nairobi’s College Of Agriculture. 

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“It is very essential for us to share knowledge concerning vertical farming to farmers practising it. Vertical farming is science and I have been looking forward to bring it into Africa as a solution to end food security issues,” said Farve.

They have trained farmers in South Africa, Morocco and Egypt to about the farming method where they have recorded progress.

Vertical farming

It is the practice of growing crops and utilizing vertical space to maximise on land and increase water efficiency. It will improve food production. 

It is a new technology where smallholder farmers can engage in to yield more crops in efforts to solve food insecurity crisis in Kenya. Food insecurity has been triggered by rapid population growth, rapid urbanization, and low income and climate changes.

It aims to help smallholder farmers and people living in urban areas to be in a position where they can produce food.

It allows maximum crops production by allowing crops to be grown throughout the year, it reduces transportation cost as the vertical farms can be constructed in the cities, minimal water loses and space utilization. It is an ecofriendly method of farming as pesticides use is minimal as it discourages pests.