Ep 9 – Thomas Cole – Humanitarian Farmer and Botanist

Thomas Cole is a humanitarian farmer with a huge heart, and a passion for service. In this episode we dive into agricultural methods he develops and brings to war ravaged areas. His goal is to improve people’s access to and quality of food, while creating sustainable and empowering food production systems. He has co-developed a methodology called Permagardening, and has implemented it through agencies like USAID, and with organizations like Mercy Corps and Community Action Fund for Women in Africa.  We dive into his current challenge in Chad, with Darfur refugees near the Sudan border. We reflect back on his farming origin story, his evolution into becoming an expert in his field, and his passion for botany, especially the genus Aloe. He just co-wrote a field guide to the Aloes of Uganda, has an Aloe nursery in his home town Santa Barbara and has even named three species. Thomas is also a founding partner and VP of sourcing and sustainability for Kaibae, a lifestyle company that provides superfoods and beauty products sourced from lost crops. His story really inspires, as his work gets to the core of such a basic human need, and empowers people who have had their lives turned upside down. Highlights: * Training Farmers * Working with Darfur Refugees in Chad * Permagardens * Food Security * Community Action Fund for Women in Africa (CAFWA) * Thomas Cole’s farming origin story in Ethiopia * Managing Risk in volatile environments * How he met his wife and colleague Linda Cole * Masters in Humanitarian Aid * His Kaibae Venture   Bio: Thomas Cole has spent more than 20 years in sustainable agriculture, community development and humanitarian response work. He has many years of field experience across Sub-Saharan Africa with significant time in Mozambique, Uganda and Ethiopia. His focal areas are in urban agriculture, food production system design, post-conflict recovery, organic horticulture, agricultural extension, permaculture, natural resource management and livelihoods. Thomas currently works as an agro-ecology and drought management advisor for global USAID food security programs, and provides technical agricultural support for numerous communities recovering from conflict and disaster. In California, he is the co-owner and operator of Cold Spring Aloes, a small succulent plant nursery and award-winning garden design business. He is the co-founder of Community Action Fund for Women in Africa (CAFWA), a community-based organization empowering thousands of women in post-war Uganda. Thomas has a Masters degree in Humanitarian Assistance from the Friedman School of Nutrition at Tufts University (US) and is a 5-time world Frisbee champion. In the last 5 years he has described three new species of aloe from Uganda (Aloe wanalensis, Aloe butiabana and Aloe lukeana), and is a co-author of a Field Guide to the Aloes of Uganda currently in production. Featured Photo by Brian Hodges Links: * Community Action Fund for Women * Kaibae Superfoods & Skincare * Tufts Humanitarian Aid Masters Degree * Permagarden Technical Manual