Born and raised in Half Assini, western Ghana, Francis earned his Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and Political Science from The University of Ghana. 

He chose to intern with Fair Planet in Ethiopia, which supports smallholder farmers by training them in improved agricultural practices, supplying them with improved seedlings, and gives them extension services, visiting their farms to learn and help with their challenges, with the goal of improving their yields and income, and subsequently their living standards. As an intern, Francis carried out an impact evaluation exercise to help assess how the project is helping to change the lives of smallholder farmers in the project’s locations: Butajira, Dire Dawa, Haramaya, and Harar, Ethiopia.

 

 

Ethiopia suffered a severe famine in 1984-5 due to armyworms, drought, and policies of the military regime at the time. It is estimated that the famine killed over one million people. To prevent the recurrence of the famine in Ethiopia, successive governments, INGOs and local NGOs, philanthropists, farmers, and other stakeholders have invested and supported the agricultural sector massively. It is currently estimated that over 85% of Ethiopians are smallholder farmers. These efforts have helped to provide some element of food security in Ethiopia in past few years, which stakeholders are hoping will continue to increase as time passes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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