About Guarded Harvest
Our Mission
Guarded Harvest is dedicated to empowering smallholder farmers in Africa by addressing the full spectrum of agricultural challenges—from enhancing productivity and sustainability to reducing post-harvest food loss . Through education, affordable services, and innovative solutions, we foster food security, financial resilience, and healthier communities while ensuring long-term agricultural success.
Made possible through the generosity of Matthew Mehr, President of Hawx Pest Control.
Hawx Pest Control provides substantial organizational and financial backing to The Guarded Harvest Project, an initiative envisioned and led with deep commitment by Daniel Baldwin, Vice President of Technical Services at Hawx.
Supported by Global Partners
The Guarded Harvest Project Is Underway!
Phase 1 - Understanding The Challenges - Proposing Solutions
Step 1 consisted of a whirlwind trip through Kenya and Zimbabwe and was supported by Hawx Pest Control and Syngenta Crop Protection.
Step 2 was an in-depth evaluation of the situation in Nakuru in The Great Rift Valley Region of Kenya from 03/12/25 - 03/20/25. please scroll down to see the overview.
Step 3 will focus on protecting the maize during and post-harvest.
Step 4 will address the challenges presented during the pre-planting and growing stages. (Early 2026)
Steps 2 - 4 are supported by Hawx Pest Control, Syngenta Crop Protection, Control Solutions Incorporated, Nisus Corporation, JT EATON, Rockwell Labs, Trécé, Envu, Pelsis, and The Baldwin Group.
More supporters will be announced soon!
March 2025 - Top Issues
Planting Preparation
Evaluating soil analysis capabilities reveals the potential for providing ongoing access to mobile soil testing equipment, which can significantly enhance farmers' ability to make informed fertilization decisions. The type and quantity of necessary equipment and the infrastructure needed to ensure ready access will be evaluated.
Education and Training
The farmers in the Nakuru region have demonstrated a keen understanding of their challenges. It is anticipated that the combined efforts of the experts associated with the Guarded Harvest Project can work with them to develop practical solutions.
Increased Land Fragmentation
Farmers face critical challenges in preventing losses caused by pests and inadequate storage facilities—issues that are central to the mission of the Guarded Harvest Project. Simultaneously, the pressure to maximize production on shrinking agricultural land is intensifying, as more acreage is being converted for non-agricultural purposes. Addressing these challenges requires equipping farmers with the knowledge and skills to adopt sustainable farming practices, ensuring they can enhance yields while safeguarding long-term productivity and resilience.
Why Nakuru, Kenya in The Great Rift Valley?
From Cradle to Today: Bridging Humanity's Origins to Our Fight Against Food Loss
In the heart of the Great Rift Valley, where ancient tectonic forces carved a cradle for humanity, the echoes of our shared origins resound. This vast geological marvel, stretching from Lebanon to Mozambique, tells the story of early hominins like Australopithecus afarensis and Homo habilis, whose fossilized whispers connect us to the roots of our species. Here, where the earth’s shifting plates gave rise to rich biodiversity and cultural heritage, humanity’s evolutionary journey began—etched in the soil as a living archive of Earth’s history.
Today, in Nakuru, Kenya—nestled within this cradle of beginnings—Guarded Harvest embarks on a mission that feels as timeless as the valley itself. In this ancient land, where life first flourished, seeds of hope are sown once more. By honoring the past, we ignite a transformative future, tackling food insecurity with sustainable solutions that grow resilience from the very soil where humanity took root.
It is here, in this birthplace of humanity, that the fight for food security becomes a fight for global stability. Guarded Harvest stands as a testament to empowerment, teaching agronomic principles in English and Swahili, providing life-changing tools, and planting the promise of progress. Through unity and innovation, smallholder farmers gain strength and self-sufficiency, proving that lasting positive change is not only possible but inevitable.
The Great Rift Valley serves as both a reminder and a promise: that from our shared beginnings, bound by African DNA, we can nurture a world where communities thrive, where transformation blooms, and where stability grows stronger with each harvest. A single drop creates a ripple—a ripple that, here in this sacred valley, becomes a wave of hope for all humankind.
Food Insecurity
Not having access to sufficient food, or food of an adequate quality, to meet one's basic needs.
The Great Rift Valley region has long wrestled with food insecurity, a persistent challenge deeply rooted in its historical, socio-economic, and environmental landscape. While crop-based crises have shaped agricultural systems over time, broader structural forces have further compounded these vulnerabilities.
Erratic rainfall patterns and prolonged droughts have consistently undermined crop production, with staple grains like maize experiencing repeated failures. Pests such as the fall armyworm and diseases like maize lethal necrosis continue to devastate yields, while post-harvest losses caused by inadequate storage facilities and aflatoxin contamination remain a persistent threat. Urbanization and industrialization have reduced the availability of arable land, forcing farmers to maximize productivity on shrinking plots with limited resources—a precarious balance that leaves them vulnerable to external shocks.
These crop-specific challenges are further compounded by livestock-related crises, such as the rinderpest epizootic (1887–1889), which decimated cattle populations, destabilizing rural economies and disrupting mixed farming systems. The loss of livestock, essential for plowing fields and providing manure for fertilization, exacerbated food insecurity by reducing access to critical resources. In the years since, diseases like East Coast fever and tick-borne illnesses have continued to undermine livestock health, adding layers of complexity to agricultural resilience.
Throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the region’s reliance on international grain trade has exacerbated food insecurity. Structural poverty, widespread indebtedness, and the impacts of global events have strained the Rift Valley's ability to produce and access sufficient food. This dependence on food imports has created a cycle of vulnerability, with millions exposed to price fluctuations and supply disruptions. Smallholder farmers, often trapped in precarious financial positions, are unable to invest in the tools or techniques needed to break free from this cycle.
More recently, climate change has emerged as a significant driver of food insecurity in the region. Erratic weather patterns, prolonged droughts, and extreme weather events have disrupted agricultural production, intensifying food shortages. Political instability and conflict further compound the challenges, displacing communities and undermining livelihoods.
Addressing these intertwined issues demands a multifaceted approach. For crops, solutions such as drought-resistant varieties, improved storage facilities, and integrated pest management strategies are critical. For livestock, coordinated disease control programs and enhanced grazing practices can rebuild herd resilience. At a systemic level, reducing dependency on food imports through locally adapted farming techniques and equitable financial support mechanisms can empower communities to achieve sustainable food security.
The Great Rift Valley has faced a long history of interconnected challenges. By blending innovative interventions with a respect for the region’s unique context, its agricultural systems can be transformed into models of resilience, equity, and sustainability.