Location
Nairobi, KENYA
Grantee
John Nyabwari Nyambane Jr.
Project
Tharaka Alternative Protein Initiative
John Nyabwari Nyambane Jr.
John Nyabwari Nyambane Jr. is the founder of Ethical Transformation Impact (ETI), an organization based in Kenya dedicated to helping ultra-poor smallholder households move away from vulnerable, livestock-based livelihoods toward climate-resilient, plant-based food systems. Trained as a sociologist, Nyambane grew up watching drought devastate farming families in Kenya’s semi-arid regions and channeled that experience into building a model rooted in indigenous, drought-resistant crops and community-led agroecological knowledge. Through ETI, he has trained rural farmers and fish farmers, launched a university leadership program, and built the kind of local ownership that keeps growing well beyond the initial grant.
What the seed grant made possible
297
people directly reached through the project
123,000+
animals estimated impacted through improved welfare practices
30
rural women farmers trained in agroecological, plant-based farming techniques
246
fish farmers trained on the FAI digital welfare platform
The project
- The grant launched the Tharaka Alternative Protein Initiative, training rural women farmers in agroecological practices and indigenous, drought-resistant crops like green grams in Tharaka Nithi County.
- A partnership with Ethical Seafood Research extended animal welfare training to 246 fish farmers using the FAI digital welfare platform — reaching beyond the original scope.
- The grant funded the Nairobi Just Food Systems Leadership Program, a six-week plant-based leadership curriculum delivered across 11 Kenyan campuses, training 21 university students as food justice advocates.
- Additional seed support from Vegan Hub Africa provided seeds valued at ~KSh 5,000 ($38), and the Youth Changemakers Club was introduced to Kenya through a partnership with Living Kind.
In Kenya’s semi-arid Tharaka Nithi County, where drought repeatedly strips farming families of their livestock and livelihoods, ETI is building a different kind of food future. With TPP support, ETI launched the Tharaka Alternative Protein Initiative alongside a university leadership program that together reached 297 people directly, impacted an estimated 123,000 animals, and mobilized 7,800 volunteer hours — laying the groundwork for a climate-resilient, plant-forward food movement with deep community roots.