Food 2050 Visionaries: Nourishing Nairobi with Ubuntu
In Kenya, nearly 50 percent of children living in low-income urban areas are malnourished. This is being driven by rapid urbanization, rising food costs, and the erosion of traditional food-sharing systems. As cities like Nairobi expand, community leaders and researchers are working to reimagine urban food systems—not just to feed people, but to restore dignity, health, and social connection.
“Growing up as a young kid, there was no guarantee that we could get 3 meals in a day. I used to depend on the school meal. It was a challenge that many people are facing,” Greg Kimani, the CEO of City Shamba, says in the Food 2050 film, which premieres January 2026 in partnership with Media RED, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Food Tank. “If my neighbor cannot have food, we are not food secure.”
This belief reflects a broader cultural value rooted in Ubuntu, an Indigenous African philosophy of interconnectedness.