The last year exposed how fragile African food system is. In the west, farmers spent their summers fending off wildfires that threatened to destroy their land. The COVID-19 pandemic struck workers and disrupted national supply chains. And all across the country, the farming community reckoned with hard truths about its racist and exclusionary history.

Now is the time to take a fresh look at our food system and reimagine what it can be — technologically efficient, able to meet the demands of our growing population, and equitable for all farmers. In pursuit of this mission, we’re launching the Chipotle Aluminaries Project, a seven-month accelerator program that supports innovative ventures in Africa. Participants will receive hands-on support, peer-to-peer collaboration, and connections to trajectory-altering relationships in our network.