Stories About Agriculture
Making the World Safe for Chocolate
In the southern Philippines, CRS is helping small farmers beat bugs, revive the cacao industry and overcome poverty. »»
Cracking Poverty in East Timor
In East Timor, CRS is teaching farmers better techniques to harvest and sell cash crops. More income helps pay for education and food for locals. »»
Philippines: Uniting Farmers, Linking to Markets
A new approach to farming raises more crops, but it also helps farmers when they're not in their fields. »»
Cambodian Lake Patrol Allows Heftier Catches
Enforcing natural resource laws and learning planning techniques bring success to Cambodian fishermen and farmers. »»
Helping Pakistan's Most Vulnerable
See CRS staff as they climb mountains and reach remote areas to help the needy. »»
2009: A Year in Photos
2009 may well be remembered by CRS supporters and beneficiaries as a year of blessings in the face of a global financial crisis. »»
Nigerien Farmers' New Menace: El Niño
Find out how a little concrete and a fence spares nomadic farmers a desperate search for water during a disappointing rainy season. »»
Cell Phones Boost Nigerien Literacy, Profits
Farmers in Niger are now learning to read and to check market prices with their cell phones. »»
Livestock Gift Lifts Family Out of Poverty
Sipho Ncube is just one of thousands of Zimbabweans who have escaped poverty and built personal wealth by breeding poultry and goats. »»
Cornell and CRS Take on Africa Food Crisis
Computer-based education modules created by Cornell University and CRS are helping poor farmers to restore healthy cassava fields in Africa. »»
Midwest Diocese Helps Bear Haiti Burdens
An image of malnourished children compelled parishioners to look beyond their problems by reaching out to Haitians in dire need. »»
Kenyans Team Up to Fend Off Drought
Kenyans suffering from years of poor rains receive food vouchers from CRS in exchange for conservation work to reduce drought impact. »»
Simple Farming Delivers 10 Times the Corn
Hoes, small pits and controlled planting are increasing crop yields by tenfold for Zimbabwean farmers using conservation agriculture techniques. »»
After Burkina Flood, Hardier Rice From India
Before floods ruined his fields, Gérard thought he would have a bumper crop of rice. CRS has waded in to help him and hundreds of other farmers. »»
Witness to History, Compassion, Healing
After 26 years with CRS, Walter Blake shares memories and lessons learned in the field. »»
Hispanic Heritage Month: Raising Awareness
The Catholic Church and CRS have witnessed important advances in Latin America and continue to serve the needs of its poorest communities. »»
Tabasco Farmers Rebound After Historic Floods
In 2007, Tabasco, Mexico, lost most of its crops to severe floods. Today farmers are back in their fields and better prepared for future disasters. »»
Sisters Grow Needed Food With 'Container Garden'
At age 89, Zimbabwean Agnes Moyo works a "container garden" to grow extra food for her sister and great-granddaughter. »»
Quake Survivors Replant Lives on Broken Land
Three years after a devastating earthquake, women in Kashmir and Pakistan learn gardening tips and reap more than vegetables. »»
Author Promotes Biodiversity to Fight Poverty
Rural families depend on a healthy environment both for survival and to grow a higher living standard. »»
Cameroon Villages Seek Cut of Forest Resources
Cameroon villagers learn to access and manage their precious forest resources. »»
In Darfur, A Way to Grow Their Own
Through innovative fairs, thousands of farmers in Darfur receive vouchers for seeds and tools to help them grow critical food during uncertain times. »»
Migrant Program Profits Both Sides of Border
CITA brings reliable, willing work force to U.S. growers while building trust and lasting labor relationships. »»
Fighting A Food Crisis
By educating farmers and distributing disease-resistant cassava plants, CRS is helping to prevent a food crisis in Africa's Great Lakes region. »»
Better Rice Eases Hunger Fears in Gambia
Amie Bayo, a rice farmer in The Gambia, saw her rice crop take off thanks to fertilizer from CRS. »»
Poor Zambia Farmers Learn Success From Peers
Caritas worker uses "positive deviance" technique to help neighboring farmers share best practices and grow village wealth. »»
Lettuce: The Green Gold of Niger
Market gardens in Niger have turned struggling millet farmers into self-reliant, organic vegetable producers. »»
Protecting Food During a Global Crisis
Kenyans safely store precious grains in simple metal silos, allowing them to increase the amount of food they have to eat and sell. »»
Small Loan Profits Coffee Crop, Growers
Southern Mexico coffee growers increase the profitability of their beans by roasting and marketing the product themselves. »»
Nigerien Sesame Farmers Can Help Dry Skin
Forget swanky European skin products. Sesame oil is the new moisturizer in Niger. And thanks to a CRS project, farmers are reaping the rewards. »»
Vouchers Give West African Farmers A Boost
Through a CRS initiative, Rasmata Sawadogo and 4,000 rice farmers in Burkina Faso can buy the fertilizer they need to feed their own people. »»
Burkina Faso Farmers Fend Off Food Crisis
A CRS program shows Burkina Faso rice farmers how they can expand yields with less effort. »»
Sticking With Rice in Sierra Leone
The simple techniques CRS teaches farmers—such as how much seed to "broadcast" on their fields—are producing startling results. »»
Saplings of Hope
Growing a small kitchen garden helped change Nirmala's life. She now earns a steady income and no longer worries about going hungry. »»
CRS Commits $1 Million to Food Crisis Response
An initial $1 million commitment will help the poorest buy food and spur agricultural productivity. »»
Bolivian Farmers to Replant After Floods
After flooding caused destruction to central Bolivia's crops, CRS and Caritas provide aid and long-term recovery to farmers. »»
50 Years of Service in Ethiopia
Catholic Relief Services celebrates 50 years of providing relief and development assistance in Ethiopia. »»
Poor Farm Families to the Rescue
Poor farm families can become part of the solution to the global crisis of rising food prices, increasing supply while increasing their own incomes. »»
Reflections Under the Afghan Sun
Communities working with the Rural Development program are helping farmers like Mohammad Ayoob reap the benefits of bountiful, reliable harvests. »»
2007 Year in Photos
Our year-end roundup salutes the work of our dedicated staff and beneficiaries, whose resiliency rises above the most challenging circumstances. »»
Agriculture in Haiti
Visit our brothers and sisters in Haiti and learn how a CRS agriculture project is helping local farmers earn a better living. »»
Farmers Break Cycle of Poverty
Agricultural assistance, market connections, and support for savings and loans are enabling thousands of Tanzanian farmers to improve quality of life. »»
Sowing A New Beginning
A seed fair in northern Uganda helps a family displaced by war to rebuild their life. »»
The Rice Fields of Pulo Aceh
Rice paddy fields in Pulo Aceh were left destroyed by the 2004 tsunami, but with the help of CRS, the fields are again producing rice. »»
Preventing A Great Lakes Food Crisis
The Crop Crisis Control project is helping African farmers fill their bellies and wallets by protecting banana and cassava fields from disease. »»
The Meaning of 50 Years
Nearing the third anniversary of the South Asia tsunami, CRS reflects on 50 years of work in Indonesia and the resilience of the communities we serve. »»
A Long Day’s Work for a Short Day’s Pay
In Vietnam, the weather has a huge effect on income. CRS and Cordaid are helping farmers use knowledge and technology to better their lives. »»
Beefing Up Agriculture in Northern Uganda
A CRS oxen project is helping farmers return to their fields, grow more food and earn more money as security improves in northern Uganda. »»
Harvesting for the Global Market
When you reach for a hot cup of coffee, do you think about your relationship with the people who harvested it and brought it to market? »»
Growing Solutions to Hunger
U.S. farmers are donating crops grown on their land to help poor farmers overseas increase harvests and incomes. »»
A New Twist On An Old Crop
Improved varieties of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are making life sweeter for farmers and residents in Tanzania's Lake Victoria region. »»
Fruits of the Holy Land
Traditional farming and crafts are bringing Palestinian and Israeli women together in Galilee. »»
Farmers in Burkina Faso Grow for Themselves
After years of poor rainfall and stunted crops, farmers in Burkina Faso knew they needed water. CRS helped with a sustainable irrigation system. »»
Milking Profits in Ethiopia
Enterprising Ethiopian women are selling cows milk collectively to increase profits, save time and improve their families' quality of life. »»
From Chaos to Calm, A New Liberia
After surviving a threat to his life during Liberia's civil war, Dickson George has returned to helping the country he loves. »»
Goats Bring Hope to A Zimbabwean Family
The gift of a goat means Okelo can complete his education and his family can have confidence in its future. »»
Kenya Opens Eyes and Hearts of U.S. Students
Students gain new perspectives on peace and justice through a visit to Kenya and CRS projects. »»
Parish Social Ministries Director Visits Tanzania
Scott Cooper, director of parish social ministries for Catholic Charities in Spokane Washington recently traveled to Tanzania with CRS. »»
Fair Trade Coffee Cooperatives in Guatemala
In the western highlands of Guatemala, CRS and its local partner, Caritas San Marcos, has been supporting coffee farmers for more than a decade. »»
Conflicts Across the Horn of Africa
An arc of crisis is stretching across the Horn of Africa, from Mogadishu, Somalia, to N'Djamena, Chad. »»
From Food Assistance to Food Production
With support from CRS, Halefom Kiros has left hunger behind and built an agricultural business, providing for his wife and children. »»
Staying Home and Growing More in Guatemala
Small-scale farmers in Guatemala are seeing greater harvests and healthier families due to CRS programming. »»
White Gold in A Navy Bean
Getahun Sagni is one of the farmers participating in a CRS project to bring new navy bean varieties to poor farmers in the Oromia region. »»
Productive Farm Means Better Life for Ethiopian Family
Junedi and his family are expanding their farming capabilities with help from a USAID-funded CRS project targeting Ethiopians most in need. »»
Protecting Vulnerable Livelihoods
An agricultural program includes a range of activities that help rural communities address some of their most critical challenges. »»
Using Market Forces to Improve Urban Food Security
CRS' Market Assistance Program works closely with farmers and millers to offer Zimbabwe's urban poor consistent access to another cereal — sorghum. »»
Apples Good Enough to Live On
With the end of the decade-long drought and a little help from apple growers in Washington State, many farmers are facing a brighter future. »»
CRS Housing Project Gives New Hope to Herders
Looking at Abdoulla Issa Khdour' family, it's hard to imagine that they lived in a cave for more than a decade. »»
A Farmer, A Construction Worker and A Community Leader
After the floods of 2004, Jose's construction background came in handy as he managed CRS' efforts to rebuild dams in the effected region. »»
Sowing Seeds of Recovery
Manoj was among many farmers who were dependent on the land, and determined to become self-sufficient again after the tsunami destroyed their crops. »»
The Partnership Poverty Reduction Project
The Partner Poverty Reduction Project seeks to improve the living conditions of poor households in the Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga. »»
Sustainable Development and Peace With Peru
CRS works to promote the productive and social development of border regions and support their integration with a focus on environmental protection. »»
Meet Carmen Galeas of Caritas San Miguel
Caritas works to improve the lives of the most vulnerable members of Salvadoran society - children, farmers and victims of disasters. »»
The General Food Distribution Project
CRS' General Food Distribution project provide seeds and farming supplies to vulnerable families in the Shangombo District. »»
