Post by Sylvia Kuria 🇰🇪

Late last year, I spotted a call for papers about Organic Animal Husbandry and almost scrolled past it. Why? Because in Kenya, "organic" and "animals" don't belong in the same sentence. It's basically impossible, or so I thought 😏. I submitted my paper anyway. And somehow, I ended up as one of the opening speakers at the International Organic Animal Husbandry Conference in Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL Frick, Switzerland. Me. Just a farmer 👨‍🌾! I shared our African story, how climate shocks have made it nearly impossible for farmers to grow their own animal feed, forcing a painful question: do you grow food for your family, or feed for your animals? I talked about the heartbreak many Kenyan farmers know too well, losing entire chicken flocks overnight, how I lost my 26 bulls 💔, the scourge of formalin in milk, antibiotic-laden meat. Real things, that don't often make it into these conversations. And then I saw the Swiss cows 🐮 . A regular dairy cow weighs at least 700kg. A bull can hit a full ton. I nearly cried thinking about how hard we fight just to feed both people and animals back home. But honestly? That's exactly the gap we need to close. I made myself a promise: no more conferences that end as expensive holidays. So here's my plan, I want to work with partners across Africa, Asia, and South America to develop practical organic animal husbandry standards that actually work for smallholder farmers. Then build a simple training curriculum that farmer leaders and extension workers can use to spread the knowledge on the ground. Imagine as a Kenyan, walking into your local butchery and finding certified organic meat. Or picking up a bottle of clean, verified milk at the market. It sounds far off, but it starts here, with small steps and the right people working together. If you'd like to partner with me on this journey, please reach out. Let's make this dream real, for Africa. Florian Leiber Rennie Eppenstein Patricia Flores Andrés Felipe González Christiana Chungyi Choi Selina Ulmann IFOAM - Organics International Rohan Raut Selvi Joyful Olawole Tunmise Olagbaju Paul Holmbeck Julia Lernoud Rosinah Mbenya Manei Naanyu Bathseba Ratemo