My name is Josephine Waweru. I'm a farmer in rural Kenya. I grow vegetables, coffee and herbal teas, among other things. Above all, I'm a believer in innovation because just a few years ago I had nothing and a simple innovation saved me.
Today, I want to share with you one powerful insight. A little bit of reliable water goes a long way. It can turn bare soil into food. It can turn hopelessness into dignity.
But in the era of climate change, reliable water is exactly what's becoming very hard to find. This is a challenge with millions of smallholder farmers like me around the world. We grow a lot of the world's food. Yet when the rains fail, so do our crops, our income, and our dreams. I have lived this struggle.
When I moved back into my village in rural Kenya, I had only one cow named Ashley and one acre of maize. My home was a simple mud-walled house with a tin roof that echoed loudly when it rained. If it rained at all. No electricity, no running water, no supermarkets. I started with nothing. No experience, zero finances, just responsibility of my children and a small piece of land.
But my biggest challenge was water. Ashley drank 120 liters of water each day. My only source of water was the river, 400 metres far away from where my home stood. So imagine me, six times a day, carrying 20 liters, 45 pounds, of water on my back, climbing a steep path. I fell so many times. Sometimes the water spilled just before I reached home. I cried. I felt like a wasted resource.
But I was determined to move on. So in 2017, I expanded into fruits and vegetables, hoping to earn more. But without reliable water, I had to hire diesel pumps, paying for fuel and labor. I was spending more money than I was making. So in 2019, I turned into coffee farming, a long-term investment. I dug a small pond to store rain water, but the rains didn't come.
By 2020, I was ready to give up. My coffee plants were drying up. My fish pond was empty. I remember walking around my farm each morning, talking to my plants, promising them water is coming soon. But I had no idea how.
One night I lay awake, tears in my eyes, I told God, "If you don't give me a solution, I'll stop farming." The next morning at 7 am, my phone rang. A woman introduced herself telling me about a solar-powered water pump from SunCulture. I laughed bitterly and told her, "The devil is a liar."
(Laughter)
"You woke up this early to con people. If you know what's good for you, don't call me again." I hung up. And she called again and again. Finally, I listened. I went to see the pump myself. And I saw a real solution. A pump that didn't need fuel. That didn't depend on the unreliable electricity grid. Just the sun.
And the best part? They allowed me to pay slowly, over time, what we call "pole pole" in Kiswahili. I wouldn't have been able to afford the full cost of the system upfront. I took a leap of faith. I dug a shallow well five meters deep, and the company came to install the system.
As I saw the pump itself, this big, being lowered into my well, I was so nervous. This would either transform my farming or there'd be another terrible disappointment. Once the solar panels were mounted on the roof and the pump was connected, I switched on the pump and within seconds water was flowing.
(Applause)
At that moment, I felt a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I couldn't help but think about hundreds of millions of small holder farmers all around the world, who wear my shoes. They deserve this miracle.
And that day, everything changed. I mean everything. That night, I couldn't sleep. Not because of stress. My mind became a factory of ideas.
With a reliable water source, my farm came to life. My coffee trees thrived. Flowers bloomed. I expanded my fish farming to seven ponds. I embraced black soldier flies farming, turning farm waste into eco-friendly animal feed. I planted herbal teas. I started making kombucha.
(Laughter)
(Applause)
And I make the best kombucha in the world.
(Laughter)
For the first time, my farm was making me money instead of draining it. I came from nothing. And now, I have something.
(Applause and cheers)
I feel like a very useful resource. And I'll let you in on a secret. This didn't just happen by chance. This is my vision board. One year, I drew out the vision of my life.
[Sad Ashley, the cow] (Laughter)
And here I am ahead of schedule. But the most important part in this journey is helping other farmers. I opened my farm to train others, especially the young people, because I believe youth farming is the future. We cannot keep telling our young people that farming is a last resort. Farming is an opportunity. Farming is innovation. Farming is business.
And to my fellow farmers, I don't want you to be like me. I want you to be better than me. I want you to start your farms with a business plan, not a burden. I want you to know, with just a small amount of water, you can do incredible things. Because this is not just about surviving anymore. It's about turning your farm into a thriving business.
I know what it feels [like] to struggle, to question God and to almost give up. But I also know what it feels [like] to find a solution. A solution that transforms not just a farm, but a life. For me, that solution was a solar-powered pump. But the idea is bigger than one tool.
It's about climate-smart solutions like solar-powered water pumps, yes, but also solar-powered cold storage, solar milling machines, biodigesters for clean cooking fuel, and drought-resistant seeds. These tools help a farmer to use less, waste less, adapt to climate change, and make more from every part of the farm.
So I ask policymakers, investors, leaders, how do we make this happen for every farmer? What if every smallholder had access to affordable solar irrigation just like I did? What if we combine this with trainings, visioning tools, and mentorship so as no farmer has to figure it out alone?
This is not charity. This is climate resilience. This is smart investment. This is food security for all of us.
I know firsthand that it only takes a little bit of the right thing at the right time to change everything. Together, let's feed the world.
Thank you.
(Applause and cheers)
