Devenish boss to take on 100km trek for Farm Africa

One of agri-technology firm Devenish’s top brass will this weekend join 12 other UK food industry leaders to face a gruelling seven-day hike up and across Mount Elgon.

Alan Gibson, chief commercial officer with Devenish, will tackle the extinct volcano straddling the Uganda-Kenya border, with the aim of raising £100,000 for the international charity Farm Africa.

Along the way, he and the group will visit Farm Africa projects in both Uganda and Kenya to see how funds raised for the charity positively impact the lives of farming families in eastern Africa.

‘A challenging feat’

Speaking about the challenge, his second trek in aid of Farm Africa, Gibson said: “Devenish has been supporting Farm Africa for three years and has raised in excess of £100,000 during that time through a number of events and initiatives.

“I am extremely proud to be joining this latest trek to raise further vital funds on behalf of the charity.

Raising funds for Farm Africa will help farmers become more self-sustaining, allowing them to feed their families and help build farm businesses. This will act as a strong motivation throughout the trek.

“Whilst undoubtedly this will be a challenging feat, it demonstrates Devenish’s and the wider food sector’s commitment to making a difference.”

Upon arrival, the group will travel to eastern Uganda to visit Farm Africa’s ‘Sweet Potatoes for Prosperity’ project. The group will meet local farmers working with Farm Africa and gain an insight into how the organisation is helping local people earn more from their agricultural efforts.

Through thick forest

The group will then embark on the hike up Mount Elgon. The 100km route will take them through thick montane forest, into deep gorges, up the mountain’s four peaks and into Kenya.

The trek will be mentally and physically challenging, with the team sleeping in tents along the way, carrying heavy bags and walking at high altitudes. To wrap up their trip, the team will visit Farm Africa’s Growing Futures project in Kenya.

Farm Africa’s chairman Richard Macdonald, who is leading the trek, said: “This trek will be one of the most physically-demanding challenges many of us will face in our lifetimes. But, we’ll be spurred on every step of the way in the knowledge our efforts will help families in rural Africa escape poverty.”

Headquartered in Belfast, Devenish develops and supplies nutritional solutions and technical expertise to the agri-food and human health sectors. The company has offices in the UK, US, UAE, Uganda, Mexico, Turkey and Philippines.