Three pathways to sustainable impact
Rabo Foundation changes the lives of farmers permanently by giving them access to finance, knowledge, our network and innovations. We create economic impact by enabling farmers to sustainably increase their income. Ecological impact by enabling farmers to work in an environmentally friendly way and making them more resilient to climate change. And social impact by allowing farmers to strengthen their position in the local community. To achieve these positive changes, we focus our interventions around three strategic objectives.
Promote climate-smart agriculture
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges smallholder farmers face. Extreme drought, unpredictable rainfall and plant diseases cause them to lose more and more of their crops. And they lack the knowledge and resources to arm themselves against these challenges, which keeps farmers from increasing their productivity, earning more income and building a better life.
Reduce post-harvest losses
Smallholder farmers are losing more and more crops after harvest. Currently, for instance, a third of the food is lost before it reaches the market. This is because farmers hardly have access to facilities to preserve their produce for longer periods. Or because they lack the knowledge to farm more sustainably.
Reinforce the value chain
The food and agricultural value chains are often long, inefficient and complex and involves multiple stakeholders. Smallholder farmers generally have a weak position in the value chain. This is because the farmers for example have limited access to efficient markets or lack knowledge. This leads to lower incomes and sometimes unsustainable practices.
