Sunshine Coast, Australia | February 11, 2026

If Not for Farming, a short documentary filmed in Embu County, Kenya, has won Best Documentary Short at the Singapore Film and Script Festival and has been selected for five international film festivals.

Many smallholder farmers in Embu County rely on rain-fed agriculture. When rains are late or uneven, the impact is immediate. It can mean lower yields, tighter household budgets and tougher choices about what to plant and when.

If Not for Farming follows a regenerative agriculture initiative linked to the CGIAR Initiative Ukama Ustawi and local partners, including Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO). The work brings farmers, scientists and private sector partners together to test practical, low-cost techniques on local farms. The goal is clear: healthier soils, stronger resilience and food security that can hold up under real-world conditions.

Through a training model grounded in scientific research and the lived experience of farmers like Sarah, the film shows how low-cost, sustainable techniques are not only reviving land but also rebuilding confidence, community and leadership from the ground up.

“Sarah reminds you what resilience really looks like. It is love for your family, pride in your work and the courage to try new approaches even when conditions get harder. We hope audiences see her strength and the possibility it represents,” said Samuel Stacey, Director of If Not for Farming.

Produced by Cultivate Communications, If Not for Farming was developed through Food EDU. Food EDU is facilitated by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT as co-secretariats of The Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI), with CGIAR as a production collaborator. The project was supported by The Rockefeller Foundation.

Festival selections and screenings

Singapore Film and Script Festival
January 23-30, 2026 | Online

València Indie Film Festival (VALÈIFF)
January 23, 2026 | 7:30pm Artea Espai, Valencia, Spain

Third Culture Film Festival
March 14, 2026 | 12:30pm Luxe Cinemas, Tauranga, New Zealand

Montpellier Indie Film Festival (MONTIFF)
April 25, 2026 | Time and location TBC, Montpellier, France

The African Film Festival (TAFF)
June 18-20, 2026 | Time and location TBC, Dallas, TX

Awards

Best Documentary Short, Singapore Film and Script Festival

Trailer and film information

FilmFreeway project page: https://filmfreeway.com/projects/4044126
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lCA33z9XyQ

Press and screening enquiries

Samuel Stacey
Cultivate Communications
hello@cultivatecomms.com
+61 7 5309 3946