Harvest of Hope Contact: Marianne Crock - 886-3215
During this upcoming harvest season, CRS and Foods Resource Bank (FRB) have partnered to give farmers in the United States an opportunity to fight hunger overseas in a unique way—by getting farmers to reach into their grain bins rather than their pockets.
Through the CRS and FRB partnership, farmers can donate a portion of their land to a special program for one year, dedicating the proceeds from the crops harvested to this program. These proceeds are then used by CRS and FRB to fund overseas agricultural development programs that provide critical farming supplies for struggling farmers and communities in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Typical supplies purchased by the proceeds include hoes, seed, and other necessities that help these farmers become self sufficient by growing the food they need to sustain their families.
Already, this program has recruited Iowa farmers who are helping crop and livestock farmers in Uganda to better manage natural resources and improve their farming techniques. Farmers in Kansas are helping provide clean sources of water in a Kenyan village for drinking and watering gardens and livestock. And farmers in Illinois are helping Nicaragua farmers reduce their burden of debt by supporting programs that help them cultivate corn and beans, and integrate their gardens with traditional and non-traditional crops.
How The Program Works
The CRS-FRB program relies both on the generosity of individual U.S. farmers, as well as entire communities. At the community level, groups can develop a "growing project", where different members divide the labor and expense involved in growing and harvesting the land. In a typical growing project, farmers donate the land, church communities agree to cover most expenses, and local businesses donate seed and fertilizer. The growing project community selects which overseas programs their proceeds will fund from a variety available from FRB.
208 Meridian Street, PO Box 309 - Tipton, Iowa 52772
Ph: 563-886-2506 Fax: 563-886-6326
tiptonsm@netwtc.net
Last updated 07/13/2008