Farmers Helping Farmers
An Initiative of Equip Canada for attaining Sustainable Profitability in Agriculture for farmers in East Africa. See how your farm or farming community can make a difference by supporting farmer outreach with training but NO handouts!
Canadian Farmers helping African Farmers through:
An established small-hold agriculture training program run through Equip Canada
This program offers small hold farmers free training and free extension follow-up. The program also offers access to national and regional training workshops for local NGOs who want to build their own capacity by training their own staff to be trainers of farmers.
Simply by making a donation to Equip Canada (Equipping Christian Workers Society) you facilitate the training of rural African farmers.
How the initiative works: Most East African farmers are small holder farmers with poor technical and management skills. By partnering with Equip Canada, a Canadian farmer can make sure his African counterpart can receive free training and follow-up.
The program does not involve give outs of seeds, fertilizer or tools but uses locally available tools and resources to cultivate the farm. We cultivate the belief that God has provided all that is needed for farming right in the farmer's community. We want our farmers to have a "can do" mentality and not sit and wait for other people to meet their needs.
Principles taught in the training curriculum include:
>Minimal tillage techniques
>Intensive management skills
>Soil and water conservation
>How to make and use compost
>How to follow God's word and come out of poverty
More about the training...
The training that farmers receive is holistic and includes spiritual, technical and management keys.
Who receives the training?
Any farmer may attend the training regardless of age, sex or religious affiliation. In some cases, special attention is given to widows or other disadvantaged groups.
The training is normally co-ordinated through existing community organizations so that farmers can be easily followed up.
Why are foundational farming skills for rural African farmers essential?
Current yields are extremely low (350kg/Ha)*
Malnutrition is endemic in rural areas (35% of the population is undernourished)**
Fertilizers (both organic and inorganic) are almost not used at all (rates are ~2kg/Ha)**
* FAO Stat 2004
**FAO Stat 2013
When you help to empower an African farmer through holistic Agriculture training and extension you are helping to build the foundation of African Society:
>Farmers make up over 50% of the population
>A profitable healthy farm is a good foundation for a family and community, lessening the need for aid programs that look after abandoned, malnourished and unschooled children.
>There are no handouts so that farmers are not made dependent on foreign aid.
How to donate:
Write a cheque to “Equip Canada”
Send Check to “Equip Canada”
Box 683 Duncan, BC
V9L 3Y1
-with a note “for Farmers Helping Farmers” attached.
Donate Online Via CanadaHelps:
www.canadahelps.org/dn/6735
or go to:
www.equipinternational.com/tax-deductible-donations.htm
-choose “Farmers Helping Farmers project” in “Choose Fund” option
A tax deductible receipt will be issued for all donations.
Find out more:
Contact: Chris Sperling
Cell: 604-300-2320
Email:sperling_equip@yahoo.ca
What will your donation do?
Your donation will go towards farmer training and follow-up costs and general farmer outreach ministry costs. We have both national trainings that we support as well as village-based trainings to facilitate the growth of Farming God's Way at all levels.
Farmer groups receive formal training and follow-up for a period of 3 to 5 years. This allows for full adaptation of the training material.
Canadian Farmers helping African Farmers through:
An established small-hold agriculture training program run through Equip Canada
This program offers small hold farmers free training and free extension follow-up. The program also offers access to national and regional training workshops for local NGOs who want to build their own capacity by training their own staff to be trainers of farmers.
Simply by making a donation to Equip Canada (Equipping Christian Workers Society) you facilitate the training of rural African farmers.
How the initiative works: Most East African farmers are small holder farmers with poor technical and management skills. By partnering with Equip Canada, a Canadian farmer can make sure his African counterpart can receive free training and follow-up.
The program does not involve give outs of seeds, fertilizer or tools but uses locally available tools and resources to cultivate the farm. We cultivate the belief that God has provided all that is needed for farming right in the farmer's community. We want our farmers to have a "can do" mentality and not sit and wait for other people to meet their needs.
Principles taught in the training curriculum include:
>Minimal tillage techniques
>Intensive management skills
>Soil and water conservation
>How to make and use compost
>How to follow God's word and come out of poverty
More about the training...
The training that farmers receive is holistic and includes spiritual, technical and management keys.
Who receives the training?
Any farmer may attend the training regardless of age, sex or religious affiliation. In some cases, special attention is given to widows or other disadvantaged groups.
The training is normally co-ordinated through existing community organizations so that farmers can be easily followed up.
Why are foundational farming skills for rural African farmers essential?
Current yields are extremely low (350kg/Ha)*
Malnutrition is endemic in rural areas (35% of the population is undernourished)**
Fertilizers (both organic and inorganic) are almost not used at all (rates are ~2kg/Ha)**
* FAO Stat 2004
**FAO Stat 2013
When you help to empower an African farmer through holistic Agriculture training and extension you are helping to build the foundation of African Society:
>Farmers make up over 50% of the population
>A profitable healthy farm is a good foundation for a family and community, lessening the need for aid programs that look after abandoned, malnourished and unschooled children.
>There are no handouts so that farmers are not made dependent on foreign aid.
How to donate:
Write a cheque to “Equip Canada”
Send Check to “Equip Canada”
Box 683 Duncan, BC
V9L 3Y1
-with a note “for Farmers Helping Farmers” attached.
Donate Online Via CanadaHelps:
www.canadahelps.org/dn/6735
or go to:
www.equipinternational.com/tax-deductible-donations.htm
-choose “Farmers Helping Farmers project” in “Choose Fund” option
A tax deductible receipt will be issued for all donations.
Find out more:
Contact: Chris Sperling
Cell: 604-300-2320
Email:sperling_equip@yahoo.ca
What will your donation do?
Your donation will go towards farmer training and follow-up costs and general farmer outreach ministry costs. We have both national trainings that we support as well as village-based trainings to facilitate the growth of Farming God's Way at all levels.
Farmer groups receive formal training and follow-up for a period of 3 to 5 years. This allows for full adaptation of the training material.