20-Year-Old Creates Eco-Friendly System to Feed 1,500 Students

Jefferson Kang’acha is a great example of Millennials around the globe committed to making a positive impact: the 20-year-old Kenyan applied his tech skills to farming to feed 1,500 school pupils in his hometown of Limuru.

Inspired by The Young Climate Movement led by the Swedish Greta Thunberg, Kang’acha founded the social enterprise Eden Horticultural Hub upon coming up with an automated hydroponics system – growing plants in trays with water-based nutrient solution instead of soil – built from recycled waste and plastic bottles.

“At first it was hard to be heard, particularly as the average age of a farmer in Kenya is about 60,” said Kang’acha during the 12th annual Social Enterprise World Forum in Ethiopia. “But young people have the advantage of exposure to technology and can bring solutions to old problems, working together with the experience of older people, not as rivals.”