Go Organic – Why?
Through organic agriculture smallholder farmers sustain natural resources, increase agricultural productivity and earn a price premium for their certified organic produce. This raises farmers’ household income which is reinvested in health, education and food. For this reason, organic agriculture helps to build sustainable livelihoods.
The challenges
The transition to organic agriculture is a time and knowledge intensive innovation process. It requires competent farmers with capabilities to make well informed decisions on natural resource management, crop choices and marketing channels by farmers themselves.
Our response
By using the Enabling Rural Innovations (ERI) approach farmers access new market information, and conduct on-farm research to test crop choice and organic technology options. Participatory visioning and participatory monitoring and evaluation are key elements of the ERI approach. Through this approach farmers build their capabilities to develop competitive and profitable organic agro-enterprises for food security, local markets and export.
What we do
We conduct action research with farmer groups and associations and run trainings for students on ways and means to foster, further develop and implement the ERI approach in organic agriculture.
