Earth Open Source supports community-driven agriculture programs that promote local foods, indigenous medicine, and agroecological systems of farming. Our projects aim to improve the socio-economic condition of impoverished farmers, protect biodiversity and the environment, promote abundant yields, and preserve local farming traditions.
Current projects include:
Healing Herbs Nepal
Growing popularity of herbal and traditional medicine around the world is causing massive increases in international demand for Nepal’s medicinal herbs. Due to excessive wild-harvesting, many important Ayurvedic herbs are classified as threatened or at-risk, and face extinction if harvesting methods are not changed. Methods for farming the majority of Nepal’s threatened herbs are developed and proven. Earth Open Source is training farmers to grow Ayurvedic herbs sustainably in a cooperative-based model instead of over-harvesting them in their wild-forest state.
More »
Global Family Farms
Training programs that assist farmers to produce high quality, abundant food contribute significantly to local food security, but often do not succeed at elevating farmers out of poverty. Global Family Farms is working with impoverished farmers to groom their products for the international market. Our aim is to serve as match-makers in the marketplace, connecting local farmers with Western markets through world-class branded food products that reflect the unique cultural qualities of the regions where they are produced.
More »
Lost Crops of Africa
Earth Open Source intends to help restore the fading knowledge of diverse crops indigenous to Africa. Our aim is to establish a research center that preserves, multiplies and distributes the seeds of lost crops. Adjoining the research center will be a working farm to establish pilot plots for teaching and for seed propagation.
More »