By Heather DeLong, Programs and Outreach Coordinator at DUG’s DeLaney Community Farm
Cabbage harvestNearly seven years ago, I came to Denver Urban Gardens as the Farm Manager of DeLaney Community Farm, after living and working in Mauritania, West Africa for 3 1/2 years as a U.S. Peace Corps Agroforestry Extension Agent. As the DUG Farm Manager, I remember the excitement of having the opportunity to manage a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm, in addition to directing community programs for underserved communities. Programs such as WIC at DeLaney (Women Infants Children), Community Partner Shares, and the Somali Bantu Refugee Farming Program (2006-2009) have allowed me to deepen my commitment to the work of healthy food access and food security for people of all socioeconomic levels.
DUG has been instrumental in supporting my ideas and endeavors to continue the work in strengthening local food security, while acknowledging the importance of regional and global food systems. Utilizing industry leading work, for which DUG has fostered and allowed me to expand upon, I believe there is a social responsibility that this knowledge should be freely shared within the global community. This, in turn, led me to research organizations such as CNFA (formerly known as the Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs) to further spread knowledge on a global scale. CNFA’s mission is to stimulate economic growth and improve rural livelihoods in the developing world by empowering the private sector.
An opportunity presented itself in August of this year to work with CNFA as a Cooperative Management Specialist in their Farmer-to-Farmer (FTF) program in Mozambique, Southern Africa. With the flexibility and support DUG provided I was able to further DUG’s organizational values, as well as my own, with those of the FTF program in lieu of the busiest period of DeLaney’s farm season.
CNFA is founded on the principle that empowering people economically gives them the tools and confidence they need to change their lives. To achieve this, CNFA employs a market driven approach that is focused on strengthening value chains to allow farmers and other agricultural enterprises to access and compete in high-value markets, see more profits and reinvest in their businesses.
FTF is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of the US foreign aid program. These funds are appropriated through the Food for Peace program as authorized by the US Farm Bill. The program relies on the expertise of volunteers from US farms, land grant universities, cooperatives and private agribusiness to provide short-term technical assistance. This work is supported in the long term by highly knowledgeable and qualified CNFA staff in the countries they work in.
While in the Sofala Province of Mozambique, working with the Farmers Association in the small community of Nhabirira, I engaged with thirty-three farmers (twenty-two men and eleven women). This group of farmers is composed of kind, humble and welcoming people, who have communicated that they not only want to improve their individual lives, but improve their communities as well. To realize these goals, the theory of organized farming was made real in 2006 by forming a formal farmers association. Rosita Farnela, a 50-year old member of this association, summarized it well with the following statement:
The reason for the association is to unite and work together. I am happy we now can work, we own fields and have individual plots, but the main reason is to unite… things have changed since joining the Association. I can now afford to pay school fees for my grandchildren and can pay hospital fees.
This is further corroborated by CNFA:
Farmers associations, worldwide, have the potential to greatly benefit their members. Unfortunately, over time they can stagnate or become plagued by mismanagement, loss of interest, or mission drift. Fortunately, the newly organized Associação Nhabirira in Gorongosa is well organized, optimistic and energetic. Its members have seen real benefits since its founding in 2006 and the board of directors recognizes that this is the ideal time to improve its associations best practices and learn more about sustainable and healthy cooperative growth.
Continuing to expand on the farmers’ success to date, I spent the first week facilitating guided conversations to further my knowledge about the farmers and their farming practices. With this knowledge I could then begin to formulate and instantiate future work streams. This included topics around crops grown, soil quality, pest/disease management, water access/availability, economics, market constraints, and equipment procurement/maintenance. While unique challenges exist, there is a clear opportunity in sharing ideas. Ideas can be interpreted to fit a unique community’s needs, then integrated into the culture and community, working towards a singular success.
Heather with farmersThe following week was focused on providing interactive presentations on the following Cooperative and Community Development topics: Community and Association Assessment, Prioritization of Problems, Solutions by Priority, Cooperative Values/Common Characteristics/Principles, and Steps for Development of Cooperative.
The farmers welcomed and engaged in the conversation, communicating that their unique execution of cooperative development ideas could further their success. They were excited to implement many management ideas into their Association and the greater community, where the community realizes what models and ideas truly work best for them.
CNFA has proven to be a world class organization that continues to be a demand driven program, in which farmers request volunteers to focus on capacity building, to enhance knowledge, in order to reach their own goals. Integrating my approach with those of DUG and CNFA proved to be an ideal combination for the program. Due to the success of the program, there is the potential to further the work with the Nhabirira Farmers Association. It was an honor to participate in this program and a privilege to further the work I believe in most!
