Nepalese valley with polytunnelsGlobal Family Farms is a marketing channel to empower impoverished rural farmers to overcome poverty and economic exploitation by connecting them with international markets for premium organic and sustainable products.

Problem

One of the recurring challenges encountered by international rural development projects is that training farmers to produce high quality, diverse food crops significantly improves local food security, but does not succeed at improving the overall economic status of the farmers. For rural communities to prosper, farmers need stable markets into which they can deliver products for fair returns. The expanded cash income enables them to meet a wide range of other non-food household needs, including clothing and shelter, healthcare, and education. Global Family Farms supports rural development projects in meeting these economic needs.

Wherever rural development projects are implemented around the world, there are culturally unique food that would be highly attractive in international markets if produced to premium organic standards, and delivered to the market in a professional and creative fashion. However it is virtually impossible for farmers or small, independent rural development projects to effectively access these markets on their own.

Solution

Currently in the pilot phase, Global Family Farms will function as a marketing channel that works with small-scale rural farmers to groom their products for the international market. We will create world-class branded food products that reflect the unique cultural qualities of the regions where they are produced. Global Family Farms will employ a highly professional marketing and sales approaches to deliver these products to market. A portion of profits from these products will then be delivered by back to rural farming cooperatives, communities and farmers.

Earth Open Source is actively working to create partnerships with family farmers and community organization. Some of our partners include:

ANSAB has a mission to conserve biodiversity and improve economic livelihoods across South Asia through organic agricultural programs. ANSAB’s strong presence throughout Nepal will help GFFto engage many thousands of impoverished farmers as quickly as our program can expand. In return, GFF will fulfill a marketing role for the farmers ANSAB supports by connecting these farmers with international markets.
Women for Human Rights (WHR) advocates for the improved economic well-being and human rights of women throughout Nepal. They are an association comprised of over 100,000 impoverished widows and single mothers. They are an association comprised of over 100,000 impoverished widows and single mothers. Our collaboration with WHR allows us to engage a highly disenfranchised demographic in Nepal who are in critical need of economic opportunity. It also allows the women to gain the economic benefits of the HHN program by partnering with an organization with which they are familiar and that is trusted in their community. This collaboration has already begun with plantings of healing herbs on a small 1 hectare plot of land under WHR’s management.
The Kanchenjunga Tea Cooperative and Research Centre (KTE) was launched in 1984 by the local farmers on a cooperative model. Over a 100 farmers joined hands, pooled in their marginal land holdings and became owners of the first orthodox tea plantation covering nearly 94 hectares of land. Training program for farmers are conducted regularly to develop their skills in IPM, (Integrated Pest Management) composting, environment protection etc. The land which was barely enough to sustain them is now utilized to produce High Quality Organic Orthodox Tea of the Himalayas.