In Madagascar, AKF has worked with cacao collector Mr Joma Abdoul Sylvain on upgrading the quality of his cacao beans so that he can sell them at a higher price and improve his family's revenue.
AKDN / Lucas Cuervo Moura
In Madagascar, AKF has worked with cacao collector Mr Joma Abdoul Sylvain on upgrading the quality of his …
AKDN / Lucas Cuervo Moura
Karimkol runs a nursery in Aksy in Jalalabad region, Kyrgyz Republic. He grows apple, apricot, cherry, plums and other seedlings before selling them on to farmers. As part of its food security and economic inclusion work, AKF supported Karimkol by providing him weeding equipment to increase his productivity.
AKDN / Lucas Cuervo Moura
Karimkol runs a nursery in Aksy in Jalalabad region, Kyrgyz Republic. He grows apple, apricot, cherry, plums …
AKDN / Lucas Cuervo Moura
This page is also available inAgriculture and Food Security
In 2022, our programmes reached over 800,000 farmers
Ensuring tangible food security, agricultural development and sustainable resource management has been at the centre of the Aga Khan Foundation’s activities since we began. Agriculture remains the single largest employer in the world, providing livelihoods for 28 percent of today’s global population. The world’s 500 million small farms worldwide provide up to 80 percent of the food consumed in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
However, 820 million people worldwide still lack regular access to adequate amounts of food. Adding to the traditional challenges is a changing climate that is impacting many farmers: global emissions of carbon dioxide have increased by almost 50 percent since 1990; and Himalayan snow and ice are expected to decline 20 percent by 2030.
We currently work in Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Kyrgyz Republic, Madagascar, Mozambique, Pakistan, Syria and Tajikistan. We aim to enhance food security, increase sustainable utilisation of natural resources, improve livelihoods from agriculture, and improve resilience towards climate change. Of particular importance is the role of women; it is estimated that the elimination of the gender gap would lower the number of undernourished people in the world by 150 million.
AKDN / Lucas Cuervo Moura
Regenerative and Nutrition-Sensitive Food Systems
We work alongside various partners to improve food security through integrated agriculture, livestock, aquaculture and forestry interventions. We support targeted household-level nutrition and education on healthy diets, food utilisation, preparation and storage.
We provide technical assistance to farmers, collectives, businesses and other stakeholders. We encourage and enhance regenerative and organic farming practices, the household production of inputs, self-reliance and the promotion of local high-quality nutritive and bio fortified foods. We promote carbon-neutral and organic agriculture / livestock; food safety; super-nutritious foods; and improved food utilisation, processing and storage. In 2022, over 74,000 hectares of land were under improved management.
This greenhouse business in Mehrgon is part of a Common Interest Group supported by AKF through the ESCOMIAD programme with funding from USAID.
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
Agricultural Livelihoods
We strengthen the capacity of farming communities to build sustainable and resilient livelihoods from agricultural, livestock and aquaculture value chains. Our approach is based on women and youth inclusion and equitable resource management.
We support financial literacy, economic inclusion and market integration for value chain development, by leveraging community structures such as community-based savings groups and farmers’ associations. These initiatives are linked to:
- lead firm engagement;
- out-grower schemes;
- business corridor or cluster promotion;
- cross-border market development; and
- business-enabling environment initiatives.
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
Enabling Rural Infrastructure
We support the establishment and community management of critical infrastructure. This includes:
- transportation infrastructure;
- irrigation infrastructure such as canals, solar-powered irrigation, and precision irrigation; and
- storage and processing infrastructure for commodities.
These long-term investments play a vital role facilitating and enhancing trade and value addition. In 2022, over a million people were using infrastructure constructed by us or our partners.