About us
We are here to put organic matter back into African soil.
Essentia Kanan is a compost and organic fertilizer knowledge and training organisation working in Kenya and East Africa. We believe healthy soil is the base of every other farming goal, and that compost is the most accessible way to build it.
The gap we are trying to close
Good information about compost and organic fertilizers is scattered, technical or hard to trust. Farmers and growers are left guessing about what works, what to buy and how to make their own.
Meanwhile, about 63% of Kenya’s arable land is acidic and about 75% of its soils are short of organic carbon. The need is large and the tools to meet it are mostly already at hand.
SOURCES: NATION (KALRO ANALYSIS); HEINRICH BÖLL STIFTUNG KENYA
What we do
Teach
Free guides in plain language, and hands-on training that helps people turn their own organic waste into compost.
Explore LearnAdvise
Consulting on compost systems, soil fertility plans and producing compost and organic fertilizers at scale.
See servicesSupply, through Shamba Mtaani
We resell organic fertilizers and farm inputs from other suppliers through our shop. We do not make the products ourselves.
Visit the shopHow we work
Practical first. We favour methods a farmer can start this season with what is on hand.
Evidence over claims. We use Kenyan and regional research, and we say where it is limited.
Honest about limits. Compost helps, but it does not fix acid soil on its own. We say so.
Local. Our advice is grounded in the soils, climate, markets and regulations of Kenya and East Africa.
Rooted in Kyusei Nature Farming
Kyusei means roughly “to save the world”. Kyusei Nature Farming holds that healthy soil, healthy food and healthy communities cannot be separated. It is the philosophy behind everything we do, and it puts the soil first.
- Safe and nutritious foodFarming’s first duty is to human health.
- Economic and spiritual benefitFarming has to work financially for the grower, and mean something to the eater.
- Sustainable and easy to practiseA method only counts if a smallholder can adopt it with the resources they have.
- Conserving the environmentSoil, water and biodiversity are the base layer to build up, not spend down.
- Enough food for a growing populationSustainable farming has to feed people at scale.
Essentia Kanan and Shamba Mtaani
Essentia Kanan is the knowledge, training and advisory organisation. Shamba Mtaani is our online shop, where farmers buy organic fertilizers and inputs from other suppliers. You can learn here and buy there, or do either on its own.
Let’s work on your soil
Whether you are tending a sack garden or an estate, there is a next step for you.