Topl Spotlight #26: Empowering Farmers Through Data With Shamba Network’s Kennedy Ng’ang’a
Topl Spotlight showcases innovators and changemakers who are reimagining economic systems through web3 technologies. Today, we’re excited to welcome Kennedy Ng’ang’a, the Founder and CEO of Shamba Network, with 15 years of experience in tech, agriculture, and environmental sectors. Kennedy is leading initiatives to equip smallholder farmers with tools for regeneration, carbon trading, and web3 applications, promoting financial inclusion through regenerative finance and digital monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) technologies.
Can you introduce yourself and talk about your experience in web3?
Hi! I’m Kennedy, an engineer, data scientist, and regenerator based in Nairobi, Kenya. I’m the founder and CEO of Shamba Network, a web3 project that enables ecological data to be brought on-chain and develops tools for people to use this data effectively. Our mission is to make data available to drive two things: climate action (to mitigate climate change) and climate adaptation (to support communities that need to build climate resilience).
I got into web3 around 2016 when there was a lot of hype, and we were in the middle of a bull run. Like most people, I started out on the “degen” side, exploring everything from liquidity mining to peer-to-peer trading through different platforms in Kenya. I realized that the spatial data I worked with professionally could be very useful in the web3 space. As the regenerative finance (ReFi) space started to expand, discussions about impact, representation of that impact on-chain, and the required types of data became more common. It was here that we identified a gap we could fill — and that’s what led to the founding of Shamba.
What sparked your interest in the intersection of blockchain and impact?
I started seeing quite a number of impact projects and followed the work of the OGs, such as Regen Network. I’ve always been very passionate about environmental protection and conservation. When I saw the possible connection between something I found fascinating, web3, and what I work on, the environment, it all clicked. I realized that some of the skills I had could provide value to the web3 ecosystem, especially through a strong data lens. And that’s how I started diving deeper.
What are the benefits of blockchain in driving climate action?
The most significant benefit that blockchain brings to the impact space is transparency. Previously, anyone could make any claim — like saying, “I have saved ten thousand acres of forest” — without a reliable way to verify it.
A lot of the data used in, for instance, traditional MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification), has been locked in a black box, accessible only to a select group able to verify that impact — data that was out of reach for others. Blockchain fundamentally changes this: You can have all the necessary data to verify the impact recorded on-chain and accessible to anyone interested. Therefore, transparency — and radical transparency at that — is one of the most significant contributions of web3 to the climate space.
Another key benefit of blockchain protocols is their ability to act as human coordination mechanisms. Climate change is intrinsically linked to human coordination. There are situations where people are not on the same page, and web3 can help to rectify these issues. We can create protocols that incentivize correct behavior, unite people, and facilitate structured actions, leading to a far more significant impact than if all parties were acting independently.
Can you tell us about Shamba Network?
At Shamba, our mission is to regenerate the world by not only providing data but also by empowering the communities and land stewards who inhabit this land.
In Africa, there’s an abundance of natural capital; however, there aren’t always viable means for locals to convert this capital into financial resources that they can use to enhance their lives and sustain their lands. By providing data to catalyze climate action and adaptation and offering tools for these communities to tokenize their ecological capital, we enable them to transform it into tangible resources. This, in turn, improves their livelihoods and helps regenerate their lands.
What has been the biggest achievement and the biggest challenge of Shamba?
I’m happy to say we’ve had several big achievements! One is that the data we provide on-chain is already being used for climate adaptation. We’ve been part of two pilots with Diva Protocol and Fortune Credits, where they used data from our oracles to provide climate insurance and safety nets for vulnerable pastoralists in the dry areas of Kenya. It’s rewarding to see our data directly impacting lives and helping to build climate resilience against drought and other risks they face.
We’ve had great success with climate action, too. We’ve enabled communities in central Kenya to engage with carbon programs by providing them with tools, data, and methodologies. As a result, they have launched climate programs, started carbon credit projects, planted thousands of trees, and are on their way to translating these efforts into carbon credits and income. We now have almost 10,000 farmers in Kenya plugged into our network!
The challenges have been substantial as well. Enduring the bear market for over a year has led to restricted fundraising activities, making this year particularly tough. Additionally, we’ve observed a significant erosion of market confidence due to some dubious actors. However, we’re confident we can overcome these issues and are hopeful for a market recovery that will help us resume our positive trajectory.
As a web3 project, what have you learned working with local communities?
Our biggest lesson when working with local communities is engagement and communication. There’s a need to build a relationship, not just interact. You need to talk regularly, plan visits, and have a structure for engagement with events, workshops, and seminars. Because ultimately, most climate action is going to be done by the people on the ground. We, as builders, can only provide the tools, but it is the stewards on the ground who are going to go ahead and implement the vision and be able to make an impact at scale.
We’ve been having many meetings across Kenya — and even the whole continent. We’ve been visiting villages, sitting down with the representatives, the men, the women, the youth. You have to be careful to include all the different groups so that nobody feels left out. You need to paint this picture where everybody can see their role within the grand scheme; it’s the only way you can get people aboard with your vision and for it to be executed in the right way.
For us, engagement has been crucial. We’ve managed to organize the national event, ReFi Kenya, in both 2022 and 2023, and have held numerous meetings throughout the country, a commitment we’re dedicated to continuing. At the end of the day, beyond the development of products, we hold a responsibility to engage in awareness and capacity-building activities. It’s not just about the technology — it’s about the impact we create by getting people involved.
What do you want to see more of in the ReFi space?
The ReFi space is wonderful, and the best thing is the inspiring people and the community. What we need more of is straightforward: capital. Securing funding remains a persistent challenge, with funds in sectors like climate declining noticeably. Voices within the ReFi community have raised concerns about insufficient funding constraining projects. Although there’s enormous potential for impact, the scarcity of resources has been holding us back.
What excites you the most about the future of web3?
There’s a lot! We’re just beginning to uncover what’s possible in this space. Historical patterns show us that after every downturn in the market, the subsequent upswing not only recovers but often surpasses previous heights. This pattern offers a lot of hope, especially now, so I’m looking forward to seeing an even stronger rebound!
There’s an observable shift within economic activities towards web3, with a transition from centralized control to broader community-driven governance. It’s still early days, but it’s shaping up to be the internet’s next big phase. For those already knee-deep in this field, it’s an opportunity to continue building and refining our projects. We’re laying down the tracks for future developments as the world starts to take notice.
Curious to learn more about Kennedy? Follow him on Twitter or find him on LinkedIn. And to explore similar content and stay up to date with Topl, make sure to join our Discord. 🍃
