Sowing the Seeds of Prosperity in Africa
Poverty: Woman threshes millet for daily meal.
Poor soil fertility plus droughts result in low yields.
No employment during the dry season.
Smart Agriculture: Compared to motor pumps, solar pumps cost less to operate and require minimum maintenance.
Smart Agriculture: Sell tomatoes off season to maximize revenue and profits.
Smart Agriculture: Irrigate by hose for year-round production. Intercrop vegetables with moringa to provide high profit and steady cash flow.
Smart Agriculture: Shade enables sweet pepper to grow in the hot season when supply is low and prices are high.
The Challenge: Innovative
The vision of Farmers of the Future (FOF) is to change the current situation by:
• Addressing poverty and hunger through youth and women’s empowerment
• Approaching farming as a business
• Moving beyond food security to economic security
FOF’s Core Strategies:
• Produce high value crops year-round using irrigation
• Utilize “Smart Agriculture” techniques to maximize profits
• Empower women and children as the agents of change
Niger’s population is well over 20 million
and growing rapidly. Approximately 80% of
households make their living from rain-fed
agriculture and livestock. Poor soil fertility,
frequent drought and low value field crops
result in poor yields, frequent hunger and
chronic poverty. Indeed, Niger ranked
second to last in the world on UNDP’s
2015 Human Development Index.
Niger’s Extreme Pover ty
An
Solution:Farmers of the Future
Women from Sadoré village selling mango plants in the market. Each woman earns $2,000 per year, five times Niger average income per capita.
FOF technician demonstrates proper tree grafting technique.
FOF is designed with the end in mind: Doubling farmer’s per capita income!
• Our vision is to establish FOF in hundreds of villages by partnering with national and
international organizations engaged in Niger’s agricultural and educational development.
• Niger must build its technical capacity: trained technicians able to work closely with
local women and students to implement FOF. We propose a Farmers of the Future
National Training Center to teach the theory and practice of FOF.
• Regional “FOF Showcase Sites” should be established so visitors can see firsthand
the transformative power of this innovative program.
• We have created a 70–page Implementation Manual, a 100–page Technical Manual,
and a library of videos to support the successful expansion of FOF. Copies are
available on request.
Professor Dov Pasternak, FOF Founder Email: [email protected]
Mr. John Craig, President, Eliminate Poverty NOW (USA) Email: [email protected] site: www.eliminatepovertynow.org
Ms. Robin Mednick, President, Pencils for Kids (Canada)Email: [email protected] site: www.pencilsforkids.com
Mssr. Hamani Djibo, President, ONG LIBO (Niger) Email: [email protected] site: www.onglibo.wordpress.com
FOF Leadership Team
Way Forward:Scaling Farmers of the Future
Farmers of the Future was tested and refined in 18 pilot sites over six years.
The model is realistic, successful and sustainable.
The