The African continent faces challenges as varied as its vast landmass, some three times the size of the United States. But one that’s shared by all 54 countries is food security: how to feed a population of 1.2 billion that’s expected to double by 2050.
On tonight’s PBS NewsHour, we explore one answer that draws on lessons learned in American agriculture and customized for an African context at Rwanda’s Institute for Conservation Agriculture. The driving force behind it? One Midwestern farmer, albeit a very rich one.
“In all the places we've worked, where we've seen really bad conflict, I can tell you that one denominator is people are not getting the food they need to get. It’s not just about how do we help farmers in Rwanda farm better. It's about what does it mean to farm better?” -Howard Buffett
This is our second report on efforts in Rwanda to strengthen the building blocks of African society. If you missed the PBS NewsHour broadcast last night, be sure to click here to watch our report on a medical school training doctors in rural, low-resource communities in hopes that they’ll stay to serve in their home countries after graduation.