The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) is championing a new home-grown school feeding model designed to ensure that children are fed with nutritious foods produced within their own communities.
Dr. Daniel Willy, AATF’s Senior Manager for Policy, Agribusiness and Commercialisation, disclosed this during a panel discussion at the ongoing World Congress of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) in Kenya.
Willy said the model—which could be replicated across African countries—aims to reduce dependence on imported food by sourcing school meals directly from local farmers.
He explained that AATF was not introducing a new technology but rather an innovative procurement system to strengthen existing home-grown school feeding programmes.
According to him, the concept focuses on achieving self-sufficiency in food production while ensuring that schoolchildren have access to nutritious meals free from reliance on imports.
“By so doing, we are also incorporating regenerative agriculture—simple farming methods that allow you to grow crops while caring for the land.
It is about using more organic manure instead of chemical fertilisers and practising crop rotation to help rejuvenate soil fertility,” he said.
Willy further noted that planting different crops in rotation helps restore soil nutrients and sustain long-term productivity.
Speaking on innovative models to improve food and nutrition security, he said the approach would not only enhance child nutrition but also increase farmers’ incomes.
He added that community food aggregators who buy in bulk for schools, as well as local processors of farm produce, would benefit from the system.
The AATF official, who leads the home-grown school feeding project, stressed that implementing the initiative would require a robust coordination framework.
He highlighted the need for mechanisms to ensure sufficient production, efficient collection, safe storage, and timely delivery of food to schools, backed by strong policy support.
“We are working with all stakeholders to build a system that can sustainably deliver safe, nutritious food to schoolchildren without leaving anyone behind,” he said.
Explaining how Nigeria and other African countries could adapt the model, Willy said implementation would occur in phases—beginning with design, followed by piloting in Kenya, and then refinement.
“The next step will be to package this model for replication across Africa, because school feeding is crucial not just in Kenya but across the continent,” he added.
He noted that adaptation in Nigeria would reflect local dietary preferences, though the underlying framework would remain consistent.
