Nnaemeka is a farmer, community radio agricultural presenter, Founder and CEO of ColdHubs and Executive Director of Smallholders Foundation. He founded Smallholders Foundation (www.smallholdersfoundation.org.ng) in 2003 at the age of 21; the organization uses its Smallholder Farmers Rural Radio (FARM F.M) Network to reach an estimated 250,000 farmers with daily agriculture, environmental management and market access, radio educational messages.
In 2015, he launched ColdHubs (www.coldhubs.com) a social business that designs, installs and commissions 100% solar powered walk-in cold rooms in farms and marketplaces, to enable smallholder farmers, retailers and wholesalers to store and preserve fresh fruits, vegetables and other perishable food 24/7 extending the shelf life from 2 days to 21 days. ColdHubs aims to eliminate the impact of food spoilage and lack of small scale post-harvest infrastructure facing 470 million smallholder farmers globally and increase the income of farmers and retailers because, previous losses have been eliminated.
Nnaemeka is Nigeria’s most prominent young agriculturist. He is an Ashoka Fellow 2008, Laureate of the Rolex Awards for Enterprise 2010, Laureate WISE Awards 2010, Future Awards Nigeria’s Young Person of the Year, 2011, Fast Company USA 100 Most Creative in Business 2012, Laureate of the Niigata International Food Prize, Japan 2012 and 2013 Laureate of the prestigious Yara Prize for Green Revolution in Africa (now Africa Food Prize) among other international and local recognitions.
