Warm Heart Africa

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Building a More Sustainable Future for Smallholder Farmers


For nearly a decade, Warm Heart has worked alongside smallholder farmers across East Africa to improve agricultural productivity, restore degraded soils, increase family incomes, and reduce the harmful effects of agricultural burning.


What began as a small knowledge-sharing effort has grown into one of the region's largest farmer-led biochar initiatives. Today, more than 20,000 farmers in Kenya and Malawi have been trained to produce and use biochar—improving crop yields while permanently storing carbon in the soil.


As our work expanded, so did the opportunities—and the challenges.

To better serve farmers across East Africa, Warm Heart Worldwide established Warm Heart Africa, a dedicated division focused exclusively on supporting smallholder farmers through practical, affordable, and locally led solutions centered around biochar, regenerative agriculture, and sustainable livelihoods.


Why Warm Heart Africa?


Africa's smallholder farmers produce much of the continent's food, yet many face declining soil fertility, rising fertilizer costs, unpredictable weather, and limited access to financial resources.


Warm Heart Africa was created to help address these challenges by combining practical agricultural training with locally appropriate technologies and long-term community support.


Rather than providing temporary assistance, our goal is to help farming communities become more productive, resilient, and economically independent.


A New Board of Directors for a Growing Mission

As Warm Heart Africa continues to expand, we have established a dedicated Africa Advisory Board to provide strategic guidance, technical expertise, regional leadership, and fundraising support.


The Advisory Board brings together professionals with experience in agriculture, business, international development, finance, and nonprofit leadership who share a common commitment to improving the lives of smallholder farmers.


Working alongside Warm Heart Africa's management team, the Board helps strengthen partnerships, expand funding opportunities, guide long-term strategy, and ensure that our programs continue to meet the evolving needs of farming communities across East Africa.


Our Progress

During the past year, Warm Heart Africa has taken significant steps to strengthen its programs and increase its impact.

Highlights include:

  • Establishing Warm Heart Africa as a dedicated regional division.
  • Forming an Africa-focused Advisory Board.
  • Developing new income opportunities for farmers using biochar.
  • Restructuring farmer training into community groups for greater efficiency and follow-up support.
  • Hiring an Africa-based grant writer to expand funding opportunities.
  • Completing one of our largest impact assessments to date across Kenya and Malawi.

The results have been encouraging:

  • 96% average increase in farm revenue.
  • 61% reduction in fertilizer costs.
  • More than 258 tons of biochar produced during the survey period.
  • Approximately 450 tons of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere.
  • 63% of participating farmers were women.
  • Approximately 80% of surveyed farmers continued using biochar more than seven years after training.

Looking Ahead

Warm Heart Africa is entering an exciting new phase of growth.


Our immediate priorities include:

  • Training more than 2,000 additional farmers in Kenya and Malawi.
  • Preparing another 2,000 farmers for future training.
  • Developing and certifying an Africa-specific biochar kiln designed for local feedstocks and carbon credit standards.
  • Expanding partnerships with institutional funders.
  • Conducting an independent third-party impact assessment.
  • Fully activating the Warm Heart Africa Advisory Board to support continued regional growth.

Local Leadership. Lasting Impact.

Warm Heart has always believed that sustainable development is most successful when local communities lead the way.


The creation of Warm Heart Africa and its Advisory Board represents the next step in that vision—strengthening African leadership, expanding regional expertise, and building the partnerships needed to help thousands more smallholder farmers improve their livelihoods while protecting the environment.


Together, we are helping create a future where healthier soils, stronger communities, and a more stable climate grow hand in hand.