Eating Your Garden: Reclaiming Africa’s Soul Through Soil, Seed, and Story

In the name of ‘Eating Locally,’ a global Slow Food movement has taken root, inviting people from every corner of the world to reconnect with the land, honor tradition, and celebrate the journey food takes to reach our plates. Over 160 countries now mark Terra Madre Day, and it was at one such gathering—organized by a fellow Seattleite and permaculture enthusiast at the Taitu Hotel in Piassa, Addis Ababa—that my eyes were opened.

Having just relocated to Ethiopia, I went out of curiosity. What I encountered was something much deeper. The energy was vibrant. Farmers, gardeners, food lovers, and conscious eaters gathered to ask questions that felt revolutionary in their simplicity: Do you know where your food comes from? Who grew it? What did it take to get to your plate?

That day was a turning point. It seeded a vision.

Investing in Myself: Returning with Purpose

To be part of the Brain Gain to Africa, I made a conscious choice: I invested my savings into myself—my spirit, my purpose, my roots. I moved back to Ethiopia after years in high-level corporate finance roles in Seattle. But I knew I didn’t want to replicate the high-speed, burnout-inducing model. I wanted more—a life aligned with my intellectual, emotional, and ancestral intelligence.

This quest led me to dig deeper—not into spreadsheets, but into soil. Not into profit margins, but into purpose.

It also awakened my lifelong dream, inspired by my father: to become a businesswoman who brings integrity, grace, and visionary service to her people. That dream became Deldeyoch—a holistic, socially responsible venture devoted to empowering ethical, sustainable African leadership and enterprise.

Africa, the Source

Despite having spent over 30 years in school, I was shocked by how little I had learned about the 54 diverse African countries—their cultures, writers, economies, cuisines, and indigenous sciences. We are taught more about Europe’s Enlightenment than Africa’s gifts to civilization, a spiritual seekers path to enlightenment through thousands of years of aligning to Gods universe that my forefathers & mother's had passed down through my genetics, culture & faith..

So I committed to unlearning and relearning: traveling across Ethiopia and the wider continent to rediscover Africa through my own lens. I wasn’t just looking for business models—I was searching for strategic solutions grounded in ethics, ecology, and empathy.

Africa is home to 60% of the world’s remaining uncultivated arable land, yet its own food sovereignty is threatened. Our history has been manipulated. Our seeds stolen. Our farmers neglected. But our resilience? Unshakable.

Eating My Garden: A Personal Revolution

In Ethiopia, where 85% of the population is engaged in agriculture, I found it baffling how little support existed for urban gardening. When I started growing vegetables in my backyard in Addis, I was met with puzzled looks from neighbors and family: “Why not plant roses instead?”

But I persisted. I studied the soil types that thrive in high altitudes, experimented with composting, and celebrated the joy of pulling my first carrots out of the ground.

Still, challenges remained:

• Why was it so hard to find organic seedlings in Ethiopia?
• Why were there no urban gardening incentives, even in a country where agriculture is the backbone?
• Why were most conversations still focused on yield rather than soil health, water conservation, and biodiversity?

I began sharing my experiences—successes, frustrations, insights. And I wasn’t alone. There were others. Quietly, lovingly, tending to their gardens, asking the same questions.

Spirituality, Agroecology & the African Way

In my journey, I encountered the philosophies of Agroecology and Permaculture—a sacred science rooted in working with nature, not against it. Agroecology emphasizes designing sustainable farms and food systems that regenerate the land, strengthen communities, and preserve cultural knowledge.

It resonated deeply with the spiritual intelligence I had always felt—the intuitive link between what we eat, how we live, and how we treat the Earth. I understood why becoming a vegetarian came so naturally to me, even as a child. I wasn’t rejecting tradition. I was honoring it.

But the threat is real:

• Just four companies control over 60% of the global seed market.
• Industrial farming is eroding our soils at a rate where we could lose all fertile topsoil in less than 60 years.
• Climate change could reduce Africa’s crop yields by up to 40% by 2050.

The stakes are spiritual, ecological, and generational..

Deldeyoch: A Platform for Legacy & Leadership

With my background in finance, leadership, and entrepreneurship, I knew I could do more. Deldeyoch was born as a platform—not just for business—but for visionary leadership, inspired by my father and shaped by my love for Africa.

My mission: to equip future African leaders with the tools to integrate Finance, Technology, Social Responsibility, Natural Resource Management, and Community Building with a conscious, creative, and ethical approach.

I envision a social media and knowledge-sharing platform that:

• Amplifies the voices of smallholder farmers, who produce 70% of Africa’s food but remain invisible;
• Connects them with scientists, artists, youth, and policymakers;
• Champions #GMO free, indigenous, and regenerative agriculture;
• Encourages cross-border African collaboration from Cape to Cairo.

The Call: From Backyard to Planet

If we want a future where our children still know the taste of real food, where we protect ancestral seeds, where climate-resilient practices are normalized—not exceptional—then we must act. We must learn where our food comes from, honor those who grow it, and teach the youth to care for this one Earth we call home.

Let’s return to what our grandmothers knew:
How to farm with the moon.
How to speak to the soil.
How to live with enough.

Let us all be part of the change that heals the land, strengthens the community, and regenerates our spiritual and ecological balance.

The revolution starts in your garden.

By Dutchess @Deldeyoch