Small-scale subsistence farmers are on the front lines of a global crisis – climate change. In Sub-Saharan Africa, farmers without sustainable avenues for increasing their yields are often compelled to “harvest” their natural environments through deforestation, converting natural land to farmland, and participating in other unsustainable agricultural practices. This creates a cycle of land degradation and poor yields. Over time, these practices accelerate the effects of climate change, exacerbating long-term yield declines, and severe weather shocks.

We believe that rural smallholder farmers play an important part in disrupting the troubling cycle described above. As a result, we are working with our growing network of more than 1 million rural families to strengthen farmer resilience to the impact of climate change through research, farmer field-trials, and the scaling up of promising interventions across our operations. Our approach is guided by two core principles of climate-smart agriculture: promoting strategies that enhance smallholder adaptation, and implementing practices that mitigate climate change.

Seeds and crop diversity: Across our operations, we provide farmers with optimal seed varieties based on local climates. We also continue to test and offer new varieties for maximum yields and higher resilience to extreme weather, pests, and diseases. Additionally, it is important that farmers diversify their crops to build resilience to single-crop shocks, improve family nutrition, and diversify incomes. Therefore, in many of the countries where we work, we supply farmers with inputs for an increasingly diverse mix of crops including grains, legumes, tubers, and local greens. We also promote intercropping (the cultivation of two or more crops simultaneously on the same plot of land) for healthy soils and long-term land productivity.

Agroforestry: Trees are a low-cost, high-impact asset when planted and harvested correctly. A 10-cent seedling, properly planted, can grow over seven years into a $5-7 tree. They are less susceptible to theft and disease than livestock, and farmers can sell their products (firewood, fruits, and timber) in seasons when harvests are poor. Trees also produce a range of environmental impacts such as preventing soil erosion, improving soil fertility, and sequestering carbon. In addition, reforestation is a high priority for many governments in the countries where we operate. Since 2012, One Acre Fund farmers have planted over 40 million trees, creating significant environmental and financial benefits for rural areas.

Solar products: We are one of the largest distributors of solar light products in Africa, having provided over 1,000,000 to rural households since 2012. These have become a critical component of our product portfolio. The use of solar lights helps mitigate climate change by replacing energy sources such as firewood and kerosene that emit greenhouse gases – mainly carbon dioxide. Additionally, we have found that when a family purchases their first solar lights, their household spending on kerosene, candles, and other forms of lighting is reduced, generating an economic gain of an average $40 annual savings per home. Subsequent purchases of a second or third solar light were found to generate quality-of-life benefits rather than economic gains — such as better lighting and security, decreased kerosene-related health issues, and more evening study time for children.

The realization of our organizational goals and the success of smallholders, both now and in the coming years, depends on maintaining a healthy environment, with soils rich in organic matter, micro-organisms, and nutrients — especially in the face of a changing climate. One Acre Fund is uniquely positioned to tackle this challenge and to deliver long-term results. The foundation of our operating model is a multi-year relationship with the farmers that we serve. We engage this rapidly growing network to continuously trial promising new products and techniques in our research stations as well as farmers’ own fields. For a sampling of historical trials, please visit our Insights Library. Through the above-mentioned interventions, as well as an ever-growing suite of new innovations, we will continue to support farmers in strengthening their resilience to the impacts of climate change, and protecting their livelihoods.