A mother’s passing set off a mission: rebuild trust in food by rebuilding the way it’s grown. We sit down with Olusola Sowemimo, a lawyer-turned-farmer and founder of Ope Farms in Nigeria, to unpack how grief became a blueprint for organic, traceable, and profitable agriculture. Her catalyst was a cancer conference in California where survivors only ate what they could trace—an idea that reshaped how she thinks about soil, inputs, and integrity. Back home, the early days were rough: antibiotic-laced manure wiped out hundreds of tomato plants, a strong tobacco extract burned cucumbers, and buyers were nowhere in sight. What changed? Relentless record keeping, strict organic standards, and smart design—corner plots with buffer zones, on-farm worker housing, and a refusal to cut down trees.
Olusola details how rabbits and carefully managed poultry helped her close nutrient loops, why fruit trees are the most underrated cash-flow asset for new organic farms, and how processing gluts into shelf-stable products saved revenue. She shares the playbook for market fit—from salad staples to premium greens like kale—and the power of traceability in winning home deliveries, retail partners, and even international lab validations for turmeric and ginger. We also explore the human side: training that prevents avoidable mistakes, social media that tells an honest story, and the mindset shift needed to move beyond “organic is impossible”.
Zooming out, Olusola imagines youth-led regenerative parks in every local government—plots equipped with drip irrigation, trainers, and nutrition education, supplying supermarkets and exporters while rebuilding biodiversity and beekeeping. At stake is more than yield: when diets improve, hospital visits fall, children learn better, and communities gain true food security. If you’ve wondered whether organic can scale, pay the bills, and restore health, this conversation offers hard-won lessons and practical routes forward.
This episode is part of The African Regenerative Frontrunners series is supported by Rootical and co-hosted by The Organic Guy.
Key points discussed:
- early failures with manure and biopesticides
- designing buffer zones and on-farm biosecurity
- rabbits, poultry, and closing nutrient loops
- finding market fit with salads, kale, and fruit trees
- processing to solve gluts and stabilize cash flow
- state of organic in Nigeria and mindset shifts
- standards via NOAN and export-quality verification
- vision for youth-led regenerative parks
- why consistent training changes outcomes
- social media as a tool for trust and sales
- food as medicine and a healthier future
LINKS:
LINKED INTERVIEWS:
- Omoke Brian – Inside Africa’s regenerative agriculture opportunity
- Million Belay – Why the USAID shutdown was a gift to agroecology in Africa
- Ivan Mandela – Unicorns can wait, African farmers can’t
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The above references an opinion and is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.