Summary
Nuru International's Agriculture Program is in its fifth harvest and the strong maize yields have continued. The 2,006 farmers in our programs are averaging a 300% increase in production, and their agriculture loan repayment rate remains over 90%. All the praise goes to Nuru's amazing Kenyan field staff who train local farmers in new planting techniques, and to the hardworking farmers themselves. Nuru’s Agriculture Program is based upon the model of one of our partner organizations, One Acre Fund. In their model, local farmers form groups and are taught modern, technologically appropriate farming techniques. Each farmer receives a loan of high-quality seed and fertilizer and the farmers plant, weed, and harvest together in their groups. At the end of the season, each family harvests enough maize to feed themselves and repay their loan, and sells the rest for income. Nuru provides the option for our famers to sell their excess maize to us at a fair market price, and we in turn resell it to larger markets at a premium. Any revenues from these sales are dumped back into the program to make our work even more sustainable. The Agriculture Program's goals are to increase and then stabilize harvests, thereby making food and income more consistent, and to encourage further diversification of farmers' financial portfolio through livestock, cash crops, and/or small business. The ultimate goal is an increasing self-reliance and growth through reinvestment of profits earned. -Last updated 06/07/11
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