1. Farmers Club in Africa
F arming is the most vital source of a livelihood for most of the people in Africa. 70% of the people derive their livelihood from
farming. This is mainly people who are growing crops on smaller pieces of land for sustaining their families.
According to FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of United Nation, food security exists when all people, at all times, have
access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
Currently there are 852 million food insecure people in the world. Some of the problems that the farmers face are modern means of
production and input for the farming, small pieces of land, lack of money for investing in the production, lack of access to markets
for the goods they produce and lack of training in modern methods of farming. There is a great need for training the farmers, so that
they can increase the yield of the crops they grow on their land, diversify the crops and through that improve their food security.
The training must also include how to protect the environment so that the land can be kept fertile and productive. Farmers training
take place within Humana People to People (HPP) in different forms and shapes. Members of HPP run specific agriculture projects
to address these questions. These projects are called Farmers Club and From Subsistence to Professional Farmer.
A group of 50 farmers form what will be known as a Farmers
Club. Upon registration and payment of the fee, the interested
farmers start the Farmers Club.
Common activities
1. Model Fields
The project recruits and makes agreements with 60 farmers or
Women’s Groups to establish Model Fields, where they will use the
Farmers Club Committee
farming techniques and introduce new crops. They will establish a
The Farmers Club elects a Committee with 5 members that will
well with a low-tech water pump.
administer the club. The Committee constitutes itself with a
chairman, a vice-chairman, a secretary, a treasurer, and a member. 2. Common tools
Each club establishes its own constitution that the members are The Farmers Club areas will be provided with some common
required to follow in order to have guidance for their activities. The farming tools for lease or borrow. This way, the farmers get access
Committee takes on the entire responsibility of the organization, to training and using more tools.
administration and economy.
3. Small start-up kits for selected farmers
General meetings 1.200 farmers will be helped with a start-up kit with seeds and small
The Farmers Club has a general meeting once every month at which tools. They will be selected based on their economic situation.
new ideas are introduced, results and difficulties are discussed, new
techniques are learned and any other general business is handled.
4. Grants
100 grants at an average of 750 $ will be given to farmers for
Workshops investment in their farm. The 75 grants are for improving agriculture
Special workshops are organized in a specific subject where new based on an application with a business plan for the investment.
techniques can be taught such as herb growing, bee keeping or Based on the application given, the 25 grants will be provided for
dairy farming. improving the homestead of the farmers.
5. Revolving Fund
Field visits
A revolving fund will be set up. This will grant smaller loans to
Education of the farmers and demonstration of new and cheap
farmers with good business and repayment plans.
technologies take place on the ground in the fields.
6. Yearly Agriculture Show
Quarterly meetings for Committees In each of the 4 Farmers Club Areas, a yearly agriculture show will
1. members of each Committee in a district will get together on a
2 be organized and carried out. The farmers exhibit their products
quarterly basis in order to evaluate the achievements, celebrate and prizes are given for the best products.
the results and plan the coming period.
7. Promotion of Preschools
2. meeting will be based on the records from each Farmers Club
The Farmers Club will encourage the establishment of smaller preschools
presented on posters for all to see, comment on and learn from. in the farming communities which will make it possible for the
children to be under guidance while the parents are in the fields.
Description of Activities
Practical Farming Achievements
Participants in the Farmers Club follow a five step program.
Each Farmer has a set of informative booklets that he uses for his • rganising farmers in Farmers Clubs, where they get training
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planning and record keeping. and work together to improve knowledge, farming technologies,
and marketing of products.
Step 1: he farmer measures his own field, builds up contours
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for protection and also calculates how much seeds and • evelopment of high valued crops for small holder farmers.
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fertilizer should be used. • trengthening of the institutional and extension support systems
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Step 2: he farmer is in a position to produce surplus food and
T at section, block and district level through capacity building.
begins to grow cash crops. • ntensifying soil fertility and sustainable natural resource
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Step 3: he farmer adds irrigated and intensive crops for sale.
T management, including water shed management and agro
forestry through training and provision of some basic supplies.
Step 4: he farmer makes a small orchard on his land to grow fruit
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trees, learns to graft mango trees and plant wood trees. • xpanding small scale irrigation to increase the output.
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Step 5: he farmer learns to do other small income generating
T • romoting agri-business development technologies and skills.
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activities such as cattle production, dairy farming etc. • Promoting affirmative action for women farmers.
• mproving the health of the farmer families through health
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Learning about Farming, Economy and Health education and concrete actions to improve hygiene.
Besides these practical steps in the farming, the Farmers Club
program has 3 elements to upgrade the farmers’ knowledge of
Farming, Economy and Health.
Element 1: Farmers Training
Knowledge about Agriculture, Crop Husbandry, Animal Husbandry,
Vegetables and fruits, Planning and managing the field, Soil
improvement, Water and Irrigation, Storage and preservation,
Farm registers.
Element 2: Farm and Family Economy
Budgets, accounts and registers, Business planning and grant
applications, Income Generating Projects, Marketing, Saving, loans
and financing.
Element 3: Health, Hygiene and Education
Home improvements, Nutrition, Health, Child Care, Community
action.
Humana People to People
Designed by Call Service Centre, Humana People to People Services
E-mail: csc@humana-india.org Phone: +91 11 43054059