Shamba was founded in 2021 by Kennedy Ng'ang'a, a geospatial engineer whose own family farms in Kenya. The research started in 2020 with a simple observation: satellites record the state of every farm and pasture every few days, yet almost none of that reaches the farmers, lenders and insurers who carry the risk.
After five years at the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Kennedy saw smallholders, most of them farming less than two hectares, shut out of carbon markets and affordable insurance. The reason was cost: manual monitoring and verification runs $30 to $50 per hectare. Satellite data can do much of that work for a fraction of the price, if someone turns it into numbers a contract or a credit officer can use.
That is what we do. We started by delivering satellite indicators straight into insurance and donation contracts, and have since run pilots with lenders, insurers and NGOs across Kenya.
Geospatial engineer with more than 17 years in climate technology and geospatial data science. Five years as a geospatial research assistant at CIAT, helping smallholder farmers improve yields and adopt sustainable practices. Co-lead of WS4, Ground Truthing & Social Verification, in the BioCarbon dMRV Working Group.
Headquartered on Kenyatta Road, Juja, near Nairobi. Sustained on early-stage funding including Gitcoin grants and accelerator support from Outlier Ventures' Filecoin Base Camp.
| Date | Event | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2024 | Kenya Carbon Markets Conference, Nairobi | Panel: the role of dMRV in carbon markets |
| Feb 2024 | Sankalp Africa Summit, Nairobi | Opening plenary and fireside chat on dMRV |
| Dec 2023 | COP28, Hope House, Dubai | Fireside chat on dMRV in Africa, with Protocol Labs / Filecoin Green |
| Apr 2023 | Consensus 2023, Austin | Featured in CoinDesk Projects to Watch |
Today Shamba runs the pipeline and stands behind its results. Our long-term goal is a decentralized climate data oracle: the same satellite checks, run and confirmed by many independent parties, so that no single provider, including us, decides when a payout happens or a credit is issued. We will get there by proving the science first.
If you insure, lend to or fund people whose income depends on the weather, we would like to hear what you need to know.