Tag: vegetables

Sylvia Banda – How she trained 60,000 farmers and transformed Zambia’s food system

17th February 2026 koenvanseijen Diet Change, Farmers First Tech, Nutrient Dense Food, Regenerative Agriculture, Short Food Webs 0 Comments

A conversation with Sylvia Banda, Zambian business woman, restaurateur and social entrepreneur about her journey started when when she was 12. She opened her first food company, and she hasn’t stopped since. She now runs a multi-million-dollar business with over 15 restaurants in Lusaka, Zambia, a food- processing company selling traditional Zambian food worldwide, and has trained over 60,000 smallholder farmers to produce higher-quality products and process them to receive better prices.

We talk about why researchers should take a back seat and let farmers and entrepreneurs lead now; why the hand tools many farmers still use belong in a museum and why mechanisation is key, but with care; why processing and preserving are essential to ending hunger; and about nutrition, traditional food versus imported food, and how she taught urban people to re-appreciate what is often considered “food for the poor” that is traditional, nutrient-dense, and tasty food. To supply all of this, she set up two factories and trained over 60,000 smallholder farmers, changing many lives.

Enjoy the story and the knowledge of a true Zambian and Southern African powerhouse.

Erin Martin – Saving $750K by providing nutrient dense fruit and vegetables to 50 people with severe diabetes for 12 months

14th March 2023 koenvanseijen Diet Change, Nutrient Dense Food, Nutrient Density in Food, Regenerative Agriculture, Short Food Webs 1 Comment

A conversation with Erin Martin, director of Fresh RX, about insurance providers and what is holding them back, why we haven’t seen any outcome-based structures being set up, where is the first social impact bond in healthy nutrient-dense food, savings, diet-related diseases and more.

Soil Builders, 40M for carbon farming in AU and transitioning a 1000a farm using regenerative approaches

12th January 2021 koenvanseijen Regenerative Agriculture, Soil Builders 0 Comments

A check in interview with Lachy Ritchie, co founder of Agtalent and Carbon Farming Foundation plus an update with Tyler and Tim Nuss of The Modern Acre.