Furrow Institute
Soil carbon research with smallholder farmers in the Rift Valley · Nakuru, Kenya · Non-profit research institute
Research institute · Nakuru, Kenya · since 2019
of carbon stored per hectare each year when smallholder farms in the Rift Valley switch to cover crops.
1.8tonnes
Peer-reviewed · Nature Sustainability, March 2025 · data open under CC BY
How we know
- Farm plots measured
- 4,100
- Soil samples
- 61,000
- Growing seasons
- 5
- Farmers taking part
- 2,300
- Studies pre-registered
- 9 of 9
What we’ve shown
Cover crops add 1.8 tonnes of carbon per hectare each year on clay soils.
High confidence5 seasons, 4,100 plotsMaize yields hold steady for two seasons, then rise about 9%.
Moderate confidence3 seasonsFarmers who see their own soil results are twice as likely to keep the practice.
Early signalOne trial, 400 farmers
What we don’t know yet
- Does the carbon stay in the ground after farmers stop?Related role: Senior Soil Scientist
- Can a $40 sensor replace a lab soil test?Related role: Hardware Engineer, Soil Sensing
- How should farmers be paid for the carbon they store?Related role: Economist, Farmer Payments
Open roles · 3
Join the lab answering the next three questions
| Role | Team | Location | Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
Senior Soil ScientistSenior | Furrow Institute | Nakuru, KE | $70,000 – $90,000 |
Hardware Engineer, Soil SensingMid-level | Furrow Institute | Nairobi, KE (hybrid) | $60,000 – $80,000 |
Economist, Farmer PaymentsMid-level | Furrow Institute | Nakuru, KE +1 more | $65,000 – $85,000 |
- Team
- Furrow Institute
- Location
- Nakuru, KE
- Pay
- $70,000 – $90,000
- Team
- Furrow Institute
- Location
- Nairobi, KE (hybrid)
- Pay
- $60,000 – $80,000
- Team
- Furrow Institute
- Location
- Nakuru, KE +1 more
- Pay
- $65,000 – $85,000
None of these fit you?
New roles appear here as they open.
How the lab works
Every study is pre-registered
We publish the plan before we collect the data.
Null results get published
One in three of our papers reports something that didn’t work.
Data is open within 90 days
Anyone can check our numbers, including people who disagree with us.
Farmers see results first
Every farmer gets their plot’s results before any paper is written.
Who’s in the lab
Priya Sharma
Sensors and field hardware
Daniel Kim
Research director, soil carbon
Ayo Bankole
Field coordination, 2,300 farmers
Sarah Mitchell
Open data and methods
Amara Okafor
Farmer economics
Marcus Chen
Statistics and study design
Not sure which role is yours? Talk to Daniel for 15 minutes.
No CV needed. Ask about the research, the farms, or what a week in the lab looks like.