Agriculture

About Agriculture and Nutrition

WHAT WE DO

CRS integrates nutrition into its agriculture programming to help farm families improve their health. We work with farmer groups, savings groups and care groups to ensure that households can not only grow nutritious foods but also increase their income so they can purchase nutritious foods, seek health services and invest in their children’s nutrition.

Our innovative voucher and fair initiatives provide access to local nutrient-rich seed and crops while sharing practical information about nutrition. We also help small and medium-size businesses to produce and sell fortified ingredients. We empower women by improving intrahousehold decision making, reducing workload through labor-saving technology, and increasing their control over income and resources.

OUR APPROACH

• Agriculture production: We support the growing of nutrient-rich crops through CRS’ innovative vouchers and fairs initiatives that provide seeds along with nutrition messaging and decision-making support. We promote holistic home gardens, from the sustainable supply of seed to the marketing of surplus vegetables.

• Agriculture income: Our approach looks beyond just increasing income. It also influences the use of the income for nutrition-related behaviors. By using interventions that involve couples’ communication within the household, such as CRS’ Faithful House approach, we have noticed that households are making more equitable decisions.

• Women’s empowerment: By improving women’s equitable access to resources, training and markets, we support agriculture production increases for consumption and sale. We make concerted efforts to increase women’s voices in the household and community decisions, while reducing their workload through labor-saving technologies and shared family responsibilities. We broaden knowledge of nutrition needs for pregnant and lactating women while they are working on the farm. Our approach expands the involvement not only of females, but also of males and the broader community when appropriate.

Partners in Nutrition and Health

Partnerships between CRS, government and the private sector are improving health and nutrition in Africa.