The Institute for Self Reliant Agriculture

Form 990, part iii, line 4a, program service accomplishments:sra/ftw partners with other organizations to provide education andmentoring for rural farmers in developing countries in five modules: 1)nutrition & hygiene, 2) sequential gardens, 3) field crops, 4) smalllivestock, and 5) economic independence. Our largest program servicesare located in ecuador (750+ families), peru (330+ families), and kenya(470+ families). Total families directly mentored in sra programs in2015 were 1550+. Sra/ftw also supported work in malawi, mali,guatemala, and cameroon through teaching The ssam to valued partners.sra/ftw programs help rural families and communities achieve truenutritional and economic self-sufficiency by teaching small farmholders how to grow what their families eat. This provides them withsufficient nutrition, no matter what else is going on in The marketaround them. The main practice of most farmers before completing ourprogram is to monocrop, depending on a successful harvest of only one or two plants to create income. Unfortunately, monocropping does notprovide farmers with protection against crop failure or marketsaturation, both of which are all too common in The developing world.after completing The sra program, participants have learned how to growand store much of The food they need to feed their families, and willhave a supply of two plantings-worth of seeds to protect against cropfailure. They have been taught how to form co-ops and make trades withtheir neighbors for additional resources that they need. They will alsohave been introduced to methods for marketing their surplus products togenerate income for school fees, clothing, and other needed resources.sra/ftw staff in peru, ecuador and kenya include Agriculture and animaltechnicians who are native to each country. Through The five moduleteaching program,rural farmers and their families are taughtnutrition, hygiene, sequential gardens, small livestock breeding, foodstorage, seed storage, composting, creating income from surplus crops,and other self-sufficiency techniques.direct costs in all countries are minimized by leveraging resourcesprovided by partnerships with like-minded ngos, universities andgovernment organizations through gifts in kind such as seeds, smallanimals, fertilizers, transportation, housing, and meals. Governmentorganizations are anxious to work with ftw because of its ability todecrease malnutrition and increase crop production more effectivelythan The governments can alone.by helping developing country families become nutritionally self-sufficient, greater stability is introduced to The community. On alarger scale, stable communities create improved living conditionsthroughout The region, decreasing The likelihood of violence, theft,and turf wars. As communities improve, tourists traveling to thesecountries are less likely to become victims of crime. Additionally, theyouth from these self-sufficient families are less vulnerable toterrorist recruitment techniques, because they have sufficientresources for their needs.graduates of our program have been taught and mentored in implementingimportant principles of self-reliance combined with dedication and hardwork. These new skills give them The foundation they need to meet theirown nutritional and financial needs, to create permanent change intheir families, and to make a lasting impact on their communities andnations. After completing sras self-reliance training, participantsare more likely to seek out success in other areas of their life suchas advanced education, business ownership, and new careeropportunities.