“We lost everything” - How Kenyan farmer turned a tragedy into a $1 million win

When torrential rains washed away his entire farm in 2018, Noah Nasiali thought it was the end of his agricultural journey. 

Instead, it became the turning point that propelled him onto the global stage, earning him a spot among Facebook’s Community Leaders in Residence and a $1 million prize.

Nasiali, the founder and CEO of Afarmers AgriTech & Leadership Centre, recalled that fateful day on his Athi River farm when disaster struck.

“We lost everything,” he said in an interview with The Organic Guy Podcast.

Six greenhouses, six acres of crops, water tanks, the training area, everything was carried away by the floods.

Despite the devastation, Nasiali chose to share his story. He filmed a short 30-second video explaining that an upcoming training session had to be cancelled because of the floods. 

He posted it online and unknowingly sparked a global wave of empathy and connection.

“That post got 1.2 million views,” he said. “But what moved me wasn’t the views. It was farmers reaching out, offering help, and even showing up physically to rebuild.”

Within days, a dozen young volunteers arrived at the farm to assist in reconstruction. Then came the call that changed everything.

“Facebook reached out and told me they’d like to have me in California,” Nasiali said.

“I didn’t even understand what it meant at first. Later, I got an email confirming I’d been selected for a Facebook Residency.”

Three months later, during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Facebook officially unveiled its Community Leaders in Residence,  a global initiative celebrating individuals using social media to drive social good. 

Nasiali represented Africa and the Middle East, alongside four others from France, the United States, Latin America, and India.

“That’s when they told us we were each being awarded one million dollars to continue our work in our communities,” he recalled.

Since then, Nasiali has expanded Afarmers AgriTech & Leadership Centre into a pan-African platform empowering smallholder farmers through digital tools, training, and innovation. 

What began as a flood-ravaged farm has now become a symbol of resilience, and proof that even in tragedy, purpose can grow.