Baroness Batters taking part in charity cycling challenge

Between October 20 and 25, Baroness Minette Batters from Salisbury will take on the GROW for Good Challenge with an all-women team, cycling 75km across Kenya to raise funds and awareness for international charity Farm Africa. 

Camping overnight, they will stop on the way to work on farms run by female farmers taking part in Farm Africa’s regenerative agriculture project. The charity supports small-scale farmers in eastern Africa to grow and sell more, while adapting to climate change and protecting the environment.

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Minette said: "As a farmer in England, I want to be able to help and share my experiences to support fellow farmers in East Africa who face far greater challenges than I do. I know I will have much to learn from them too.”

Farm Africa works to open up new opportunities for female farmers across eastern Africa, helping them to develop new streams of income and work their way out of poverty, while protecting local ecosystems for generations to come.

Farm Africa supports small-scale farmers in eastern Africa to grow and sell more, while adapting to climate change and protecting the environment (Image: Farm Africa)

To raise awareness of and funds for Farm Africa’s work, the GROW team will help with hands-on regenerative agriculture activities on farms like composting and mulching.

They will also experience life in rural Kenya and find out how Farm Africa improves farmers’ knowledge of good agricultural practices through an innovative network of Village-Based Advisors.

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Head of partnerships for Farm Africa Anissa Msallem, said: "The GROW for Good Challenge is bringing together women across the global food system around the power of sustainable agriculture to change people’s lives and protect the environment. We are grateful to them for taking on this unique challenge and the impact they will make."

At the end of their journey, the team will take part in a round table event with female industry leaders in Kenya’s capital city Nairobi to raise awareness of the need to drive positive change for women in the global food system.

Minette runs her own farmland is former president of the NFU (Image: Farm Africa)

Minette, who runs her own farm, is an ambassador for Farm Africa and the former president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU).

She is most looking forward to “the regenerative farming practices taking place in the Grow for Good challenge", saying, "I’ve run in two marathons for Farm Africa and I’m really excited to be going to Africa and meeting the farmers.”

The team of 12 aims to raise £75,000. To donate, click here.