Agros

TURNING FARMERS INTO BUSINESSMEN

For a farmer, making money is not just a matter of having the technical skills or applying the correct agricultural practices. It’s about markets. Lining up customers to buy their produce. Farmers don’t get paid unless they have a buyer. So, making the money they need to support their families, pay for school supplies, and be ready for emergencies – the money required to live a dignified and prosperous life – requires integration with bigger markets, where there is consistent demand and profit for their labors.

This is our 2016 roadmap: business-driven crop cycles with private sector partners, so every harvest produces a guaranteed income for our families. We’re hosting a webinar to discuss these plans this Friday at 12:00pm PST, so we can share and hear from you.

4 REASONS YOU’LL WANT TO TUNE IN:

1) Your donations are about to go further than they’ve ever gone before. With these plans, your contributions aren’t just supplying basic needs – you are investing in a profitable crop cycle. Your investment produces a guaranteed income for farmers, cultivates longterm purchasing relationships between our families and agricultural exporters, AND provides a return to Agros to reinvest in the next crop cycle with more families.

2) You will be given a first look at our roadmap for the next 12 months

3) Magdalena Lamprechts Wallhoff, social investment superstar with Regal Springs Tilapia, will join us to talk about why the private sector is interested in working with smallholder farmers.

4) This is your chance to join the discussion and ask important questions. A major component of our plan this upcoming year is to maintain an open and transparent dialogue with you.

WASN’T THIS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT TILAPIA?

It is, though! Because we’re seeing an example of what a business-driven approach to farming can produce in a group of our farmers in Piedra de Horeb.

“The families in this community have become businessmen. They’re connecting to the local markets and the prosperity in their lives is evident.” – Alberto Solano

Five years ago, farmers like German, pictured, were forced to work for giant haciendas, without any control over their futures. Now, well-organized, they’ve created their own sustainable, registered and profitable business. They consistently supply in-demand tilapia to markets that guarantee a steady income. That stable income, combined with safe housing, healthcare access, and education for their children, has changed the trajectory of these families’ lives.

Witnessing the success of Piedra’s small scale business operation is an encouraging and promising glimpse at what the future can look like for all of our communities if we implement this strategy on a much larger scale.

2016 is sure to be an exciting and prosperous year. We hope you’ll join us at the Direct from the Field webinar to start it off right!

   Anna Lehn

Marketing & Communications Manager

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