About “Beyond the Rows”

Beyond the Rows is a Monsanto Company blog focused on one of the world’s most important industries, agriculture. Monsanto employees write about Monsanto’s business, the agriculture industry, and the farmer.avatar Monsantoco Posts

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Tag Archives: Drought

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Despite Drought, Hope Remains for the Gold Finger Women

Recently, three of us from Monsanto’s St. Louis offices had the opportunity to visit a group of women in a Kenyan village. The village is approximately three miles off the equator, and we came there to learn more about the challenges the women, and many more like them throughout Africa, face each agricultural season.

In true Kenyan style, we were greeted with 20 minutes of singing, chanting and dancing when we arrived. They must have sensed our hesitancy to immediately join in. An older woman seized my hand, and with a huge welcoming smile, encouraged me to join in the … Full Article »

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Originally published
November 22, 2011 by Monsantoco

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Horn of Africa: Geldof, Bono and Seale

In the fall of 1984, while I was in college, BBC correspondent Michael Buerk did a television news report about the Ethiopian famine. A young Irish musician named Bob Geldof saw the report and decided to do something. He assembled popular British rock stars, under the name Band Aid, to record “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” The song raised money for famine relief.

As a young American, I took notice. With every chorus of “Feed… the… World…” the seed was planted deep in my psyche that I wanted to do something to help.

Fast forward to when I attended … Full Article »

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Originally published
November 16, 2011 by Monsantoco

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Horn of Africa: I Know the Challenges

I cannot remember exactly when I started farming. But I know that by first or second grade I knew how to plant corn and potatoes and milk cows. I was also taking care of my brother—who is three years younger than me—and working with my mother on our farm in Central Kenya, 141 kilometers north of Nairobi. It was hard work. It was important work. It was how my mother fed the family.

I am very familiar with the challenges of farming in Kenya; I have experienced these challenges for way too long.

Every year, I return to Kenya and … Full Article »

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Originally published
November 2, 2011 by Monsantoco

Helping in the Horn of Africa

We’ve been reading reports about how the drought and famine situation is the Horn of Africa has been easing, but the short- and long-term needs for between 12 and 14 million people are still serious. We caught up with Kinyua M’Bijjewe, Monsanto Corporate Affairs in Africa, and asked him for an update.

For more information, please visit Monsanto.com.

… Full Article »

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Originally published
October 25, 2011 by Monsantoco

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Drought and The Horn of Africa: The Need is Great

Nobel Peace Prize and father of the Green Revolution Norman Borlaug often talked about what he called the “traveling geography of hunger.” Fueled by a drought called the worst in 60 years, hunger has moved to the geographies in the Horn of Africa. Drought and famine in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia have left more than 13 million people in desperate need and claimed the lives of tens of thousands.

The situation begs for attention and the world has been responding.

Organizations like the International Red Cross, the World Food Program and Catholic Relief Services, among countless others, … Full Article »

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Originally published
October 17, 2011 by Monsantoco

We're all in this together…

Editor’s note: Rory Herron is one of two UK interns spending their summer at Monsanto’s global headquarters, under a program with Scotland’s Saltire Foundation. The Saltire Foundation is an independent charitable organization representing a new vision for Scotland, providing invaluable opportunities through experience, learning and business networking. Its undergraduate internship programme offers Scotland’s students the chance to spend 8 weeks working at a top multinational company with the aim of encouraging candidates to develop their confidence, skills and capacity to succeed.

By Rory Herron

I’m the youngest of seven children. Before I was born in Ireland, my parents and … Full Article »

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Originally published
July 29, 2011 by Monsantoco

Solving Our Water Woes

By Whittney

Growing up in the foothills of Southern Ohio, water never seemed to be a problem–it was everywhere I looked. Our cattle drank straight from the Scioto River, which ran through our back field before it joined the mighty Ohio River ten miles down the road. I was oblivious to any kind of water crisis that might be taking place in the rest of the world, until traveling to West Africa.

Last summer, I joined a group of fellow Ohio State agriculture students and spent more than a month in the Volta Region of Ghana on a service learning … Full Article »

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Originally published
August 11, 2009 by Monsantoco