Almost one billion people are affected by chronic hunger and poverty worldwide.  Malnutrition or lack of access to food can jeopardize overall productivity, health and well-being. 

In many countries, agriculture is the cornerstone of the local economy.  The vast majority of people living in rural communities own or work for small family farms, and rely on food production to feed their families and generate income.

Episcopal Relief & Development and its partners work with small-scale farmers to ensure that food is available, accessible and affordable.  Along with Church partners and local organizations, we empower communities to improve food production by providing training, tools and resources.  Using the value-chain model, our programs help farmers gain access to credit, learn about improved agricultural techniques and inputs, grow more food, and find creative ways to access local markets and increase their income. 

Women play a major role in smallholder agriculture production in Africa and are vital to ensuring their children have enough food.  Yet they are less likely to have access to oxen and ploughs, modern technology, or credit -- and are consigned to long hours of labor and low productivity as a result of having to work with hand tools.  To empower women farmers to reach their full potential Episcopal Relief & Development and our partners promote their participation in training and access to credit and improved inputs.  

Our programs also improve household nutrition and protect the environment by increasing the quality, quantity and diversity of crops.  Sustainable farming practices empower families to be self-sufficient and maintain a consistent supply of healthy and nutritious food. Regular nutrient-rich meals improve health, enable students to concentrate in school, and boost a community’s productive power and well-being.

Your support enables people to lift their families and communities out of poverty by: 

• Providing tools, drought-resistant seeds and training to support small-scale and family farms
• Giving families and communities healthy animals – goats, chickens, pigs and cows – that can help generate income from the sale of products such as milk and cheese
• Enabling improved nutrition and diversification of the types of crops that families grow, sell and eat
• Training farmers to implement agricultural techniques that increase overall food production
• Helping communities embrace sustainable agriculture and environmentally-sound practices that improve crops
• Increasing access to local markets
• Enhancing food processing capability to create value-added products and products that have longer shelf life or are easier to transport