Beyond meeting family food and nutritional needs, farmers also need to generate income. USC works in rural communities to enhance skills and support services for greater economic growth to the benefit of small-holder farmers.

Long term food security not only requires sustainable food production, but secure and resilient farm livelihoods. Sales of agro-biodiversity products (e.g. crops, fisheries, forests, livestock, etc.) strengthen family economy and build a stronger agriculture base for more vibrant rural economies. That economic growth helps keep farmers on their land, offering the next generation a chance to continue the family farm tradition.

We support farm family income generation by facilitating skills training on topics like post-harvest processing; packaging and quality control; marketing strategies; and small-scale business management. And with a focus on organic production, farmers are encouraged to learn about accreditation, farmer co-ops, and other mechanisms that offer protection as they venture into new markets.

Our approach is based on the premise that food security should focus on markets that small-holder farmers can ultimately manage themselves – local, regional or national, all three of which feed back into their rural economies. In this way, farmers are discovering income opportunities based on their healthy, quality products – what in North America we might refer to as heritage crops. If priced right, the enhanced nutritional value, ability to grow without expensive chemicals, cultural value, and hopefully greater ability to respond to changing climatic conditions should place these products in a competitive position.

Activities

• Supporting the sale of products (seeds, produce, etc.) within agro-biodiversity fairs.
• Providing support and training in agricultural post-harvest processing and transformation.
• Training on micro-enterprise, financial management, and marketing of diversified food and non-food agricultural products (farmers’ seeds, tree seedlings, organic plant care products, compost, etc…).
• Strengthening farmers’ and women’s associations and/or cooperatives.