The Farm Africa blog: Dine out and do good

Food brings us together. However simple or sophisticated the menu, we all take enormous pleasure when gathering to share a meal. While there may be a huge difference between fine dining in the UK and subsistence farming in Africa, Farm Africa’s Dine for Good initiative bridges the gap.

The concept is a simple one. During March and April participating restaurants add £1 to each table’s bill, which goes to Farm Africa projects helping to end hunger for families in eastern Africa.

Customers can opt out, but few do when they learn where the money goes.

This year we have a number of very different restaurants participating in Dine for Good, ranging from Michelin star establishments through country gastropubs to a student-run restaurant. What they all have in common is a huge desire to help end hunger by supporting some of Africa’s poorest farmers.

Join the campaign

And there is still time for you to join the campaign and show your support. Dine for Good, which runs until the end of May, giving you plenty of time to sign up and raise significant funds which will help us to reach more farming families.

Farm Africa will provide you with small table cards. The card explains to guests that a discretionary donation will be added to their bill and shows the impact each donation can have.

We know that waiters and other front-of-house staff are very busy so we have made the scheme simple and transparent. The £1 is added via a button on the electronic till after the service charge and VAT and the amount is clearly separate from the costs of food and service. Our past experience shows that the extra £1 has no effect on staff tips.

That £1 extra can go a long way in Africa. For example, £1 could provide a farmer with 1kg of specialist seeds, seeds that are more resilient in drought conditions or more resistant to pests, to help crops grow and thrive so there is a harvest this year and every year.

There are other ways we support farmers. We support farmers to grow a variety of crops, including sesame, mangos, sweet potatoes and coffee, which can feed their families and sell at good prices in local markets. We also have poultry, tilapia and goat rearing projects. We encourage farmers to join self-help groups and cooperatives, so that they can store and sell crops collectively and get higher prices for their produce.

All of these activities help farmers to feed their families and to work their way out of the poverty that dominates their lives.

If you would like to sign up your restaurant or find out more about out more about Dine for Good contact Sarah Wren at sarahw@farmafrica org or go to Dine for Good on Farm Africa's website.

See Farm Africa's other blog posts here.