With few resources and a lack of exposure to innovative initiatives, women in agriculture are kept from realizing their full potential.
Most rural women do not own land or have the means to secure the necessary resources. For rural women, agriculture and food production involves hard labor and offers little returns because land ownership is a man’s domain. Innovative ideas and actions that minimize labor investment, cut costs, require minimal land usage and generate fast and multiple returns can change the views and participation of women in these arenas.
As an organization, The Future of Hope recognizes the importance of women’s participation in agriculture and food production. We have no doubt that women are the future of agriculture and that food production is key to addressing the plight of women, ending poverty and abuse in our day and age. Through our network we are simplifying, improving accessibility and promoting special initiatives that provide a solution to the obstacles. Our key innovation uses mushroom cultivation as an entry point.
Mushroom production uses organic waste as a resource, requires very little space and the returns are fast. We have simplified the art of farming mushrooms into a low cost and adaptive process that provide multiple benefits. Following the production of mushrooms on the organic waste, we then have an opportunity to utilize the used organic waste as a fertilizer for producing more food in the form of vegetables, crops and even animals, ultimately creating what we call an “Integrated Farming System” in a small space and with minimal investment. This kind of solution is key to sustainability and the environment.
Women trained by Future of Hope harvesting mushrooms.
In addition to our productive practice of mushroom cultivation, The Future of Hope believes in building healthy communities where children, and all of life, can thrive in peace, freedom and happiness. Through our community projects, which are built upon the framework of our successful mushroom farming techniques, orphans and women are responsibly engaging in the development of the community and pioneering the implementation of new initiatives.
We are passionate about working with rural women engaged in agriculture and food production because we are confident that women will best tackle the issues affecting them and their families by owning their means of food security. Violence against women and other forms of abuses are directly linked to poverty, and food security is the best first step to addressing these issues.
My hope for rural women is that they will become innovators and leaders in the field of agriculture, revolutionizing food production around the world. Women are the future of agriculture and it’s time that they stand up to the challenge.