Tracking cocoa from tree to trade

An urban sustainable food system project at the Ohio State University enabled 10 newly established farmers to start microfarms, which produce crops year-round, at only the cost of their time and labor. The individuals formed a cooperative so they can sell to larger institutional buyers together, while the cooperative handles marketing and finding buyers. With the potential to make up to $30,000 a year, the program aims to provide economic options to city residents, including formerly incarcerated individuals. The coop needs to find extended funding, but 6 microfarms were already built with 4 more planned.

A Ministry of Agriculture project called "Seeds of Life" grants local farmers genetically-solidified seeds in order to fight food insecurity in the country. The farmers will produce the crops and sell them back to both the Ministry and the community, thus expanding access to quality food and stimulating the local economy. Since the program has started, maize production has increased 50%, rice production increased 25%, and sweet potato production increased 65-130%.

Limited fertile land and scarce water make traditional farming difficult in Kenya, so several organizations have begun teaching women how to farm out of sacks. The practice is spreading throughout Kenya and to other African nations.

The Mvskoke 4-H Ocmulgee Club, in collaboration with Oklahoma State University and MCN Food Distribution, teaches Muscogee (Creek) Nation students hands-on pecan tree planting and food sovereignty skills rooted in Mvskoke cultural tradition.

Tiny Farms is making agriculture more accessible to people in Germany by allowing those interested in part-time farming to rent land for micro-farms that supply food locally. The company also gives farmers access to training, cultivation programs, seeds, and takes care of transport and organic certification.

The Al Barakeh Wheat Project is working to regain food sovereignty through urban wheat farming in Amman, Jordan, by partnering farmers with families to teach them how to grow and harvest wheat.

In the face of climate change, the nonprofit SABALA is working with nearly 2,000 women farmers in India to participate in millet farming, which can also strengthen community food security and empower women. Using traditional farming techniques, farmers can cultivate 15 to 20 of the climate-resistant crops on a 1-acre plot. Due to the success with millet farming, nearly 300 of the women came together to start a cooperative to process surplus millets and sell the grain to the local community.

Favela Organica is a social enterprise that address food insecurity, increases access to healthy foods, and reduces waste. The founder, Tchelly, has provided free courses to around 30,000 people in Rio’s favelas, mostly women, who learn how to repurpose food waste from local markets and grow produce at home. The premise relies on an integrated food cycle of growing food, utilizing all of it, and creating compost with what is left to fertilize the garden to grow the food. Students use the lessons to lower food costs and, for some, to increase the amount of food they can sell, which adds to monthly incomes.

For several years, the Urban Growers Collective in Illinois has been helping to bring and distribute healthy food to underresourced communities throughout Chicago by operating eight urban farms, but efforts have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. In just over six months, the organization has "delivered nearly one million pounds of produce to more than 25 partner organizations across the city."

Empowering women to practice sustainable agriculture promotes resilience and enables communities to protect biodiversity. The Kusor Upland Farmer’s Association, sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development, gives farmers an alternative to wildlife poaching and slash-and-burn agriculture by promoting sustainable, organic farming. The KUFA participates in workshops and farming demonstrations to teach women how to grow root vegetables such as yams for additional income as an alternative to more ecologically damaging practices.