Improved Livelihoods
Our objective is to showcase profitable and sustainable farming practices. We promote the use of simple but effective agronomic techniques. We also train farmers on the business skills they will need to get the benefits of adopting improved practices. Although simple, these practices are game changers for smallholder farmers in less developed areas. By offering farmers a wide menu of improved practices that they can adopt at their own pace, we put farmers on a positive path of change.
Market Development
As a corporate foundation, we work in areas where farmers struggle with poor-quality yields, and where we see the potential for future agricultural-input markets to develop. We leverage the first-mover drive of East-West Seed Group to inject innovation into areas that have often stagnated for years. This unique relationship with East-West Seed sparks the beginning of competitive markets along the value chain, enabling farmers to optimize production towards the specific needs of their communities.
Nutritional Security
In addition to boosting rural incomes, the use of improved seed varieties alongside better farming practices can have a significant impact on nutrition by increasing the availability of safe-to-eat vegetables. The per capita consumption of vegetables in many countries is less than half of the daily 400-gram minimum recommended by the World Health Organization. By 2025, we estimate the total volume of vegetables produced by the farmers we train will be enough to potentially double the per capita vegetable consumption of 25 million lower-income consumers.
Youth and Women Entrepreneurship
Providing technical training and positioning vegetable farming as a good business opportunity in lower-income communities is not enough. Cultural and social contexts have a direct impact on the way communities participate in the planning, production, and marketing of vegetables. Women and youth bring dynamics that are indispensable to accelerating the development of successful and vibrant vegetable markets.
