A New Farm Begins - Exploring Profit and Regeneration for Smallholder Farmers. Jackson Buzingo

We Are Carbon

Jackson Buzingo is a multi-generational small holder farmer who grew up facing the challenges of a changing landscape in Tanzania, East Africa.

As he witnessed rivers running dry and crops failing he set out to find a solution.

In Season 1 of the podcast Jackson shared his journey of learning about regenerative practices in agriculture. He brought his passion to the communities around him, educating hundreds of small holder farmers and establishing small demonstration farms and food forests that have since inspired with their ability to produce when surrounding lands are dry and struggling.

In this episode we catch up with Jackson over two years later. We speak at a turning point in his journey where he's taking the first steps to establish his own regenerative farm in Western Tanzania. This time to become an example of a profitable business model for small holder farmers rather than as purely a demonstration for regeneration. Jackson offers a wide range of insights into the steps that he plans to take with his farm along with exploring some of the barriers that are holding back a wider spread transition within the communities around him.

Find a video version of this episode on the website: https://www.wearecarbon.earth/jackson-buzingo-farming-transition-in-east-africa/

For a further breakdown of this discussion see the timestamps below:

00:00 - Intro

02:57 - First steps on the new farm

05:23 - Why this farm differs from the demo farms

07:52 - Trees and layers in the new farm

09:18 - Climate struggles & barriers to transition

14:03 - Conventional farming struggles - tobacco dominance and deforestation

16:39 - Hope & inspiration from food forests

23:51 - Plan and progression for the new farm

31:23 - Access to seeds

36:25 - Access to food for local communities

37:36 - Building awareness & momentum for regeneration