A main initiative of international development organizations is to help individuals, families and communities increase productivity, especially in agriculture. But please don’t think machinery, technology and chemical inputs. It can be much more basic and inexpensive than that.
Take agroforestry. In Nepal, for instance, women integrate crops, animals and fodder trees. This enables women to grow sufficient animal fodder near their homes, which eliminates trips to the jungle to gather it. This saves 2 to 4 hours daily.
A significant amount of this time is redirected toward tending crops and animals, including basic veterinary applications. The result: More fruits and vegetables, with surplus sold in local markets; and healthier animals, which leads to more milk output, increased weight and higher prices when sold for meat. Incomes increase and farmers have more control of their production and time.
World Neighbors is the international development organization helping farmers in Nepal and other low-income countries with simple and inexpensive innovations to increase output, productivity and income.
