F.T.C.
A quick Google search of this acronym might bring the
following results:
-In the business world: Federal Trade Commission – an agency
responsible for consumer protection and promoting competitive business markets.
-In the legal world: Failure to Comply – the inability
to follow the letter of a court order.
-In the engineering world: Fault-Tolerance Control – the
ability to design systems of continuity and recovery given the inevitable
(something breaks or stops working properly).
These F.T.C.’s are all very important in their own right.
However, there’s another very important F.T.C. that’s less well-known but is
extremely important to fighting global hunger.
In the agricultural world: Farmers Training Centers – a place of education and community where farmers can learn how to make their
lands more productive and ultimately, serve themselves, their families, and
their communities better through increased and sustainable food production.
These Farmers Training Centers are one component of overall
agricultural extension services in many countries all over the world. Take, for
example, the country of Ethiopia. Ethiopia has invested heavily in ag extension
services that have established nearly 18,000 F.T.C.’s all over the country.
These F.T.C.’s are used as local-level focal points for farmers to receive the
latest information, equipment training, demonstration, and classroom and hands-on
field education. It boils down to farmers teaching farmers and building
community leaders in agriculture.
Want proof of those community leaders? Look no further than Ethopia's very own
Female Food Hero Birtukan Dagnachew Tegegn! When her husband passed away in 2000,
Birtukan convinced neighbors to help plow her plot of land, a job considered
too difficult for a woman to do alone. She sought out agricultural training through
extension and learned how to plant crops that would conserve water in her
drought-prone region. Her training and education empowered her to make bold
decisions, leading to great success. Furthermore, by participating in ag
extension, Birtukan can learn new skills and pass along her existing
knowledge to other farmers – continuing the cycle of empowerment.
.jpg) |
Female Food Hero Birtukan and Oxfam Action Corps Organizer Amy
pose for a picture at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market. |
Recently, Birtukan and an Oxfam delegation of farmers from
Ethopia and Ghana came to Des Moines, Iowa for the
World Food Prize 2014 Borlaug Dialogue. During
this time, she and the others spoke on panels and further discussed the importance of
investing in small-scale women farmers. Birtukan shared the importance of investing
in farmers before a crisis occurs (like a drought or famine). It happens to be
a more efficient use of funds but, and perhaps most importantly, it's empowering to the
farmers and communities who wish to take care of themselves rather than relying
on external partners to provide constant support, especially if that support
comes after a crisis has already occurred.
Realizing the impact these F.T.C.’s have on communities,
organizations such as
Oxfam and the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have
stepped up to supplement the cost of running these centers as well as further
building capacity for the centers to have longevity, adequate facilities, and
training for extension workers. Their research continues to show that ag
extension is a powerful force for fighting global hunger yet, donor support for
this common-sense solution of ag extension has historically been low.
By showing support for U.S. government programs such as
Feed the Future and legislation such as the
Food for Peace Reform Act of 2014 which improves our U.S. food aid system, you too can add your voice for
common-sense solutions that can help reduce global poverty for years to come.
Click here to send your support to Congress: fully fund these investment strategies that empower small-scale farmers and end inefficient and wasteful food aid practices!
