FARM-Africa

Aim

- Being innovative and practical - we catalyse processes, rather than merely providing services.

- Being effective - working with local people and their institutions in Africa, rather than building parallel structures, so rural communities can lead their own process of development.

- Bridging the gap between researchers and farmers, and ensuring that our research addresses practical problems facing communities.

Principles

- We believe in working with those most in need: rural communities with a degrading resource base and poor access to markets and services. We know that with even a little assistance, Africa's marginalised small-scale farmers and herders can dramatically improve their lives.

- Investing in small-scale agriculture - the main livelihood option for the vast majority of Africans - is the best way to tackle grassroots rural poverty. We believe that by working in partnership with communities and their institutions, academic and research organisations, governments and the private sector, we can find solutions to rural poverty together, sharing skills and increasing opportunities for advocacy.

- We know that Africa has the knowledge and resources to help itself, which is why we aim to develop the skills of communities - particularly women - governments and the private sector.

- We believe in farmer-led solutions to agricultural problems and encourage farmer participatory research and planning - involving communities in the resolution of their own problems.