Author: Njoki Kangethe

Njoki Kangethe  WHO OWNS THE DATA THAT FEEDS US? For centuries, knowing what was happening on a farm depended on being close enough to see it. A farmer could walk through a field and inspect the colour of the leaves, feel the moisture in the soil, look at the sky and make a judgement about […]

WHEN THE RAINS NO LONGER COME: FARMING ON THE FRONTLINES OF CLIMATE CHANGE Njoki Kangethe  For generations, African agriculture has followed a rhythm that was as familiar as the changing seasons. Farmers planted when the rains arrived, harvested when the crops matured and prepared their fields for the next cycle with a confidence born of […]

WHO REALLY OWNS AFRICA’S FARMS? LAND, POWER AND THE POLITICS OF FOOD Njoki Kangethe  Africa possesses around 60 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land, a statistic that has become central to discussions about the continent’s agricultural future. It is often cited as evidence that Africa has everything it needs to become the world’s […]

AFRICA FEEDS THE WORLD. WHY CAN’T IT FEED ITSELF? Njoki Kangethe Every morning, millions of people around the world begin their day with Africa. They may not realize it, but they do.The coffee they pour into their favourite mug may have been grown on the misty highlands of Ethiopia. At lunchtime, they might eat a […]

Njoki Kangethe  The Future of Thirst When I began writing this series, I found myself thinking about water as more than a resource, but as a memory, as I experienced it growing up. Like many people who grew up in Nairobi, some of my earliest memories involve waiting for water, storing water, carrying water, and […]

The People Building Africa’s Water Future Njoki Kangethe Throughout this series, we have followed water through many of its contradictions. We have seen how childhood experiences can reveal inequalities that seem ordinary until we look more closely. We have examined rapidly growing cities struggling to provide reliable water to expanding populations. We have explored informal […]

When Climate Hits the Tap: Droughts, Floods and Africa’s Water Crisis Njoki Kangethe  There is a particular kind of fear that comes with watching the sky and not knowing what it will bring. For farmers, it is the fear of clouds gathering but refusing to break into rain. For pastoralists, it is the sight of […]

Thirsty Cities: Why African Urban Areas Are Running Out of Water Njoki Kangethe  At around three o’clock in the morning, while much of the city is asleep, some families in African cities begin their day. Plastic drums scrape against pavements. Metal gates creak open. Sleepy children stumble outside carrying yellow jerricans almost as large as […]