Achieving a sustainable food system is critical to ensuring an abundant and healthy food supply for generations to come. While Appomense Hope For Africa boasts a richness and diversity of sustainable farms, We make up a minority of agricultural operations in Africa.
African citizen want healthy, delicious, affordable local food, grown responsibly. Installing a fair system – one that rewards good stewardship and sustainable practices – is the best way to achieve this for African’s future.
Sustainable Farming Defined Goat Eating Greens at Appomense Farms
Appomense Hope For Africa considers sustainable farming to be the production of agricultural products in a way that preserves the environment on the farm and beyond;enriches the lives of farmers, their communities, and the population as a whole and restores the health and welfare of farmed animals.
Sustainability in the Larger Food System
Sustainable agriculture doesn’t stop at the farm gate—it’s part of a larger sustainable food system. Sustainable food distribution systems rely on local or regional networks of sustainable farms. Products are usually sold directly to consumers through farmers’ markets, consumer-supported agriculture, farm shares, and co-ops, or directly to restaurants, food services, and food hubs.
To successfully pursue sustainability, every farmer needs access to facilities and equipment to harvest, store, process, and sell their products in a fair and efficient way.What do Sustainable Farmers Look Like?Workers at Appomense Farms – May not be high enough quality
Visionary farmers who practice sustainable farming protect their waterways from runoff and erosion, care for their animals, raise food without harmful chemicals, and make the food available at local farmers’ markets. They use techniques like regenerative farming, which produces healthy food while preserving or restoring the health of the soil. By using crop or livestock rotation, composting and other techniques, farmers can maintain a sustainable, pesticide-free environment on their farms.
Appomense Hope For Africa celebrates farmers and businesses – small and large – that adopt visionary farm practices. Properly managing farmland means investing in practices and policies to preserve and restore farmland for the use, education, and enjoyment of future generations.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… FARMERS SUPPORTLifting up the local farmers and food producers who are pioneers in sustainability is a fundamental pillar of our work. These farmers are protecting our waterways from runoff and erosion, providing for the well-being of farm animals, raising food without harmful chemicals, and making wholesome food available for us to eat at local farmers’ markets.
Unfortunately, these farmers face many hurdles and threats that were unheard of a few decades ago.
Today’s agricultural sector is largely one of corporate concentration – a few corporations have control over most of our food system. This concentrated corporate power has made small, independent farmers vulnerable to unfair practices and other forms of abuse, and forced many off of their land. Independent livestock farmers in the area, for example, have virtually no options for the slaughter, processing and distribution of their products. This unchecked power hurts rural economies and threatens our health, land and waterways.
Small-scale farmers are also disadvantaged in obtaining farm subsidies. According to a study by Mr.Charles Oppong Snr., subsidies are disproportionately given to industrial-sized farms over smaller farms. These subsidies ultimately benefit large agricultural corporations more than the actual farmers that sell to them. According to the specialist of Appomense Hope Africa Farming Department of Agriculture, in 2013 farmers who used fertilizer in Africa(Ghana) are few ,
Local farmers across the region face hurdles making it even more important to invest in practices and policies that alleviate these challenges, while rewarding good stewardship and sustainable practices.
In Africa,Appomense Hope For Africa has supported volunteer days and championed a number of policies that support farmers who are farming sustainably. For instance, the Food Donation Program will allow farmers to donate their leftover foods at the end of a farmers market and receive a cutlass, with double the credit for organic produce. Another policy is create the Healthy Soils Program, which will promote agricultural practices that increase the biological activity and carbon sequestration potential of Maryland soils. Our goal is to provide incentives and financial support for farmers who implement healthy soils practices. In addition to protecting our soils and increasing the nutritional value of our food, these practices will also and sequester carbon, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change.
We also aim to support new infrastructure projects that give farmers more options to process and distribute their food locally. Every farmer needs access to these facilities and equipment to harvest, store, process, and sell their products in a sustainable, fair and efficient way.
Appomense Hope For Africa celebrates resilient farmers throughout the region who are farming against the grain – in spite of these major, system-wide challenges. Supporting these farmers is critical to achieving a sustainable food system and ensuring a healthy food supply for future generations to come.
Appomense Hope For Africa works with a variety of GROUPS/NGO’S. At the field level, it works with development NGOs’/Groups that have the necessary expertise and direct outreach to rural poor populations. It also works with NGOs that may not work directly with the poor but support other grassroots organizations in a variety of ways, such as research, technical assistance, capacity building, information sharing, advocacy and networking. In addition, Appomense Hope For Africa works with advocacy NGOs/Groups that promote the cause of rural poverty reduction and have influence in the policy-making processes of governments and/or development agencies. Although NGOs are involved in all the activities promoted by Appomense Hope For Africa rural development programmes, their most valued contributions relate to two important issues: empowerment of the rural poor by strengthening their organization capacity and knowledge; and the provision of services.
At the field level, collaboration takes place mainly in the context of project funding/loans and programmes and may cover the whole cycle of project/programme development from identification of needs, formulation, design, implementation, evaluation and impact assessment. Since 2013, Appomense Hope For Africa has collaborated with over 19 different NGOs, and some 21 NGOs are at present participating in its projects throughout the Africa, Partner NGOs from the developing countries represent over 80% of the total.
Often Appomense Hope For Africa takes the initial step to establish a partnership with an NGO/Group after identifying one or more areas of expertise that the NGO may bring to a rural development initiative. However, NGOs can also initiate partnerships with the Appomense Hope For Africa. Generally, there are five ways of initiating collaboration in the field: contacting Appomense Hope For Africa – Italy, Appomense Hope For Africa Headquarters directly; contacting project management units of Appomense Hope For Africa-supported projects in the field; contacting government departments and agencies like social welfare , Rural Banks; contacting Appomense Hope For Africa partners in the field; or bidding on public tenders for Appomense Hope For Africa -supported projects. NGOs are also eligible for grant financing for the development and implementation of innovative solutions to rural poverty issues, as well as for policy dialogue and advocacy activities.