Agricultural NGOs focus on sustainable development, fair trade, and community empowerment, using technology and research to improve productivity and address social and environmental issues in rural areas. They also provide microfinance and advocate for rural communities’ rights and participation in decision-making.
Agricultural non-governmental organizations (NGOs) generally specialize in certain types of activities, as set out in their mission statements. Larger NGOs may have a division that specializes in certain agricultural objectives, while the rest of the NGO is involved in other aspects of development. Agricultural NGOs increasingly moved away from relief or emergency supplies and towards sustainable development, using technological research with the aim of slowing or preventing environmental and social degradation in rural areas. Agricultural NGOs are also moving towards the goals of fair trade, community empowerment and participation in decision-making, helping to channel more political power towards communities or specific social groups such as women. Other NGOs are focusing on creating businesses in rural communities through the provision of microcredit.
NGOs concerned with research and development may aim to develop technology relevant to farmers in a specific region, using farmers’ skills and experience combined with modern technology to improve productivity. This agroecological approach can involve specialized issues such as soil management, introducing modern farming methods that match well with the skills of farmers. Research is usually directed at eliminating pests that threaten crops in some regions or health problems caused by harmful insects or poor sanitation in rural areas.
Agricultural NGOs often combine their activities with the broader aim of social organization and empowerment, ensuring that rural communities can have a voice in their own future and be heard by governments. For example, helping communities address their basic health needs and their children’s education can be combined with training adults in social organization and political participation. An emphasis on sustainable land use can be complemented by education about land rights and tenure, enabling rural communities to defend their rights against encroachment by large business or political interests. Other NGOs may be concerned about fair trade, allowing rural groups to form cooperatives and advocate for a fair price from participating organizations in industrialized countries.
Some agricultural NGOs focus on providing microfinance, including loans, savings and insurance. In the area of microfinance, some NGOs focus on providing microcredit to farmers and other rural businesses on fair terms, to enable them to build their businesses and account for resource use responsibly. These NGOs open up business expansion possibilities for rural entrepreneurs who would otherwise not be able to obtain a bank loan due to their inability to secure loan collateral and lack of a credit history.
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