One Acre Fund

One Acre Fund develops market systems for subsistence farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. With the Fund's services farmers are able to farm more productively, profit from their harvest and reinvest in their farm. As a result, the farmers have a more reliable food source and increase revenue which enables them to buy essential goods and services to improve their lives. The One Acre Fund has five components:

1. Farmers can connect and deal with food markets to sell their surplus food as well as to each other. Subsistence farmers often cannot sell the food they produce which can cause deprivation in other essentials such as education and health care.
2. Farmers receive education on farming methods so they can produce as much as possible and prevent crop loss.
3. Farmers are sold and/or loaned seeds and fertilizer. Fertilizer helps rejuvenate fields that have lost quality from misuse.
4. Farmers learn improved storage techniques for the resulting harvest. The ability to store food safely allows it to be sold later when prices are better.
5. The organization offers insurance against crop failure to minimize its impact on the farmer.

One acre fund was founded in 2006 by Andrew Youn. He studied subsistence agriculture in Africa and thought that minor improvements in farming techniques could reduce malnutrition and improve living standards. By 2010 the organization had served 30,000 families. and has received multiple grants to continue their work.

Publicly available: yes
Countries where available: Rwanda and Kenya