Twende Green in pan-African food systems research: Seeds of the Good Anthropocene
Twende Green was identified as a key stakeholder and innovator in Mombasa’s food system as part of a four-year, IDRC-funded research project exploring sustainable and just food futures across three major African cities.
The project, linked to the Seeds of the Good Anthropocenes initiative (goodanthropocenes.net), spent four years identifying and profiling food system innovations in Accra, Mombasa, and Cape Town. Through a series of interviews and workshops with diverse stakeholders, researchers worked to envision what sustainable and just food futures could look like in each city and map out the strategies and pathways needed to get there.
The research was led by a collaborative team spanning Stellenbosch University, the University of the Witwatersrand, Ensign Global University, McGill University, the University of Guelph, and Stockholm University, bringing together African and global researchers in a shared inquiry into how cities can transform their food systems.
As part of the Mombasa case study, Twende Green was recognized as a key actor shaping the city’s food future. Our work is rooted in sustainable agriculture, community empowerment, and green innovation, but it extends beyond the land. Mombasa sits on the edge of the Indian Ocean, and we understood that a just food future here could not be separated from the health of the sea. Twende Green is actively working to protect ocean health and marine life by tackling one of the coast’s most urgent threats: marine plastic pollution. From recycling and community clean-ups to awareness, advocacy, and policy, we worked to keep plastics out of the ocean, safeguard marine ecosystems, and protect the coastal food systems that so many families in Mombasa depend on.
The Kenya engagement culminated in a networking reception held on 30 September 2025 during the WIOMSA Symposium at PrideInn Paradise Beach Resort, Convention Centre & Spa, Mombasa. The event marked the official launch of two key research outputs from the Kenya case study, the Kenya Seeds Booklet, showcasing community-led food system innovations, and the Workshop Report, capturing insights from stakeholder engagements conducted throughout the project. The reception brought together food system actors, researchers, and community innovators in an evening of connection and shared reflection on the future of food on the Kenyan coast.
On 29 October 2025, the research team then brought together food system change agents from all three regions for an online knowledge-sharing session. The event presented findings and comparative insights from Accra, Mombasa, and Cape Town and opened space for dialogue on collective strategies to advance food system transformation across Africa. Twende Green was among the Kenyan stakeholders invited to participate and contribute to that conversation.
Being part of this research was a recognition that the work happening right here in Mombasa mattered, not just locally, but as part of a wider African story of innovation, resilience, and the reimagining of how we grow, share, and sustain food. On land and at sea.
Download the free booklet here