Dear SunCulture Supporters,

We’ve always known that SunCulture is important to our customers, their families, and their communities. But this year showed that being a SunCulture farmer makes all the difference. This is most easily seen when comparing how SunCulture farmers fared versus non-SunCulture farmers in 2020.

Our friends at 60 Decibels, an impact measurement company, spoke with farmers in Kenya during the height of the pandemic, and this is what they found:

• 87% are in a worse financial position due to the pandemic
• 90% have used a financial coping mechanism such as digging into savings, selling an asset, or borrowing money
• 63% are receiving lower prices for their produce, even though 68% say that food prices are higher - which means that the price increase has not made it down to the people who grow the food

As 60 Decibels put it, 2020 has been exceptionally hard for Kenyan farmers. Their farms have been ravaged by floods and locusts, and, since March, a national curfew due to COVID-19 has brought the farming economy to a stand-still.”

A 26-year-old farmer summarized the situation, saying, “Both lives and livelihoods are at risk from this pandemic. We risk a looming food crisis.”

Here’s how SunCulture farmers did during the same period:

• 81% increased their revenue from farming
• 87% increased their production on their farm
• 95% improved their overall quality of life