Premises and Objectives

Global Objective

Our goal is the support of socially sustainable Agro-Projects in developing countries. Here, the association alludes to the social, economical and ecological aspects of such projects.

Sustainability refers to the conservation of ressources in order to guarantee the preservation of a system for the benefit of following generations. On this note we want to offer the participating farmers materials and knowledge, which they can pass on to neighbours and surrounding communities.

The support of the association is carried out by means of financial promotion of on-site measurements and by information and awareness training as well as collecting donations in Germany.

Secondary Goals

Environment

The Agro-Projects conduce to the preservation of habitats and the protection of the environment. Measures are, amongst others, the growing of solely endemic plant species, in order to ensure the preservation of the natural habitat, and/or the co-housing of plants, which mutually favour their growth. With the enrichment of plant species, the number of animal species is being increased as well, such as insects, birds and rodents.

Another contribution to environmentalism results from the fact, that a permanent intense, area-wide planting counteracts the erosion and a reduction of water pollution through artificial fertilizing methods can be achieved.

Economy

A higher diversity of economic plants brings about a larger variety of crops and thus a broader market offer. Furthermore, through the different harvest times of the individual plants the farmer has a longer harvest season.

The combination of different plant species protects the cultivation better against bugs.
Harvest of the single agricultural crop in contrast to monocultures results in a higher total yield.

His thus enlargened market offer helps the farmer to more financial stability and permits him continuative measures, such as the education of his children. The later is currently refused to most landsmen, in a large extent due to the predominant subsistence economy.

Society

By virtue of the low earnings many farmers are forced to take on additional occupations, which results in them having not sufficient freedom for furthering e.g. their education, which would be essential to fundamentally improve their situation. If their crop yields lie above home requirements they are able to sell their products in the market and thereby obtain an independent source of income, which allows them to better care for their social concerns.

Traditional inheritance sharing of an estate leads to a diminishment of the agricultural areas of each family from generation to generation and thereby to a reduction of their respective crop yields.

This adds to the pauperisation of the rural population and leads to an increasing number of people migrating to the cities, where the mostly destitute migrants settle down in uncontrolled growing marginal colonies. Unfortunately, the desire for improved living conditions does not come true in most cases, but on the contrary rather intensifies the social and economic problems of the country.

By means of alternative manners of cultivation and an assurance of the farmer’s maintenance we want to counteract this trend.

Furthermore, the recultivation of medical plants as well as culturally and religiously meaningful plants will be advocated, supporting the preservation of traditional rites and strengthening the people in their identity.

Research and Development

Eventually, alongside the farmers the research and development work profits from our project as well. Since the beginning of our commitment we have been working closely together with native scientists and specialists and attach importance to the scientific documentation of our work, which we want to publish later on in the form of a publication. Thus, our experience is supposed to be also used supraregionally. In the long run, we understand our commitment as helping people to help themselves, so that in the future it is possible to regionally and idependently practise sustainable agriculture.