Sustainable Agriculture

HOPE International Development Agency is helping families learn how to grow food and farm in a sustainable manner. For the majority of people living in the developing world, their livelihoods are invariably linked to the land on which they live. Survival depends upon good crop yields that will feed their families and their communities, and these crops yields are greatly influenced by climate, water availability, disease, and extreme weather conditions.

 

Poor weather is problematic for all food-producers around the world but in the developing world most poor farmers do not have the savings and resources needed to replant in the event of a crop failure or loss. Limited access to fertile land and increasing marginalization of small scale farmers makes a sustainable harvest difficult to attain. Furthermore, due to a lack of access to improved farming methods and technology that utilize principles of agroecology and sustainable agriculture, problems of soil depletion pose an additional challenge.

Millions of people lack access to adequate nutrition not because of scarcity, but because of economic limitations as well as governmental and agricultural policy failures. Due to political and economic influences, much of the food produced in developing countries does not stay within their domestic borders but is exported to foreign markets. While exports represent cash inputs to the economy, the distribution of income is often skewed such that large landholders benefit, while subsistence farmers continue to struggle. This lack of local food distribution produces starving nations.

 

Rural subsistence farmers are all too familiar with the link between the environment and human development. Issues such as access to arable land and sufficient water for their crops and livestock are a constant source of worry and concern. Without reliable access to water comes an acute sense of vulnerability. Nowhere is the need to develop effective strategies to deal with agricultural challenges more pressing than in an area dependent upon rain-fed agriculture, where unpredictable rainfall patterns can wreak havoc on local populations. In countries where the majority of people rely on agricultural production for their livelihoods, water shortages can translate into a major human development threat.

These resources include tools, seeds, and access to an evolving knowledge of improved cultivation techniques and practices. If resources such as draft animals or knowledge about composting are not made available, maintaining an agricultural livelihood can prove difficult or impossible. By providing access to knowledge and resources, a sense of control is gained by the people living in areas susceptible to unpredictable weather patterns.

 

HOPE International Development Agency works with the rural poor in developing countries to identify the best cultivation practices for generating higher and more reliable yields in a sustainable manner.

 

To this end, we build on existing indigenous knowledge and works in partnership with communities to find solutions that cater to their self-identified needs.

 

Additionally, securing access to safe and reliable water resources is of critical importance for rural communities. By creating wells and capping springs close to farming villages, safe water can be provided for entire communities.

 

Providing education and resources for agricultural workers in the developing world contributes to workers’ sense of stability as they gain knowledge and control of their own futures. Environmental factors are considered in order to ensure long term viability of development projects. Addressing environmental issues such as soil erosion, land degradation, and water pollution ensures crop yields are reliable and sustainable.