Jon Vandenheuvel on Small Farm Cities

Charter Cities Podcast

Affordable housing and economic development challenges in Africa are multifaceted and interconnected, but what is the solution? In today’s conversation, we sit down with Jon Vandenheuvel, the founder of Small Farm Cities Africa and senior advisor for the Charter Cities Institute. Small Farm Cities integrates horticulture, aquaculture, infrastructure, and residential housing for ownership and wealth creation throughout Africa. Jon is a visionary leader in agribusiness, municipal infrastructure development, and applied technology systems. His impactful work spans multiple African nations, where he has spearheaded infrastructure, agribusiness, and e-commerce initiatives to help foster economic growth. In our conversation, we unpack his hyper-affordable agribusiness concept, the importance of systems solutions to systems problems like poverty, and how Jon came to be building new cities in Africa. Discover his definition of affordable housing, what is stunting the development of African countries, and why formal ownership of housing and land is so crucial for Africa. We delve into why building and storing wealth is a core value of Small Farm Cities, how the company plans to scale, leveraging the industrial sector for development, realizing Africa's economic potential, and much more! Jon also shares details about the success of their pilot project in Malawi and how the concept is resulting in larger projects he is currently working on. To find out how Jon is driving housing accessibility and development in Africa, tune in now!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The definition of a small farm city and details about the first community he built.
• Affordable formal ownership of housing and why it is significant for African countries.
• Providing an affordable housing baseline while incorporating building options.
• Learn about the company’s approach to housing modularity and scaling.
• Jon shares his approach to sourcing and developing talent for Small Farm Cities.
• Scaling the company’s method and how it is entering the light industrial sector.
• Unlocking Africa’s industrial potential to build communities and cities.
• Malawi’s Special Economic Zone Law and why it is a win for the country.
• Valuable lessons and takeaways from their project in Ghana.
• Transitioning refugee cities into investable and productive cities.
• His professional background and career journey to Small Farm Cities.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Jon Vandenheuvel on LinkedIn

Small Farm Cities

Africa Risk Dashboard

Leif Van Grinsven on LinkedIn

Starlink

Rio Tinto

The Mystery of Capital

National Planning Commission

Thomas Munthali on LinkedIn

MIT School of Architecture and Urban Planning

Foundation for a Smoke-Free World

Patri Friedman on LinkedIn

Pronomos Capital

Charter Cities Institute

Charter Cities Institute on Facebook

Charter Cities Institute on X