GOLD2023

African Future Farmers Aff Inc

The Perfect Solution for A Sustainable Agriculture

Mint Hill, NC   |  www.affarmers.com

Mission

Our mission is to improve food productivity and reduce poverty in the life of poor farmers, young men and women in West Africa. To do this successfully, we strive to strengthen farmers’ leadership qualities and personal financial success through agricultural education and practices, all while sharing God's Good News.

Ruling year info

2017

President

Espoir Tomenou

Financial Officer

Soubedath Balogoun

Main address

P.O BOX 690731

Mint Hill, NC 28227 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

81-4280817

NTEE code info

Agricultural Programs (K20)

Agricultural, Youth Development (O52)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990-N.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

In developing countries, agricultural occupations are commonly affected by low salary, low productivity, lack of social defense and exposure to a variety of risks, including weather issues and unstable markets. These are the reasons why young rural people gradually turn their backs on agriculture. Many of them prefer to migrate to urban areas, or even to other countries, in the hope of finding decent jobs. More often, they realize quickly that they lack the skills needed to compete in saturated job markets. Many farmers face constraints in gaining access to land, credit and new technologies. They also need extensive and broader educational opportunities and access to relevant vocational training programs.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Training

African Future Farmers (AFF) recognizes the importance of opening a Research and Development Center (RDC) in strengthening research for development in Benin. The RDC will support formal and informal training activities as part of the AFF strategy to improve food security and reduce poverty in the region. AFF uses a variety of training approaches, which include individual short-term and long- term courses and group training. The following are our focus: Production & Processing Techniques Risk Management & Quality Control Distribution & Marketing Income & Household Resources Management

Population(s) Served
Women and girls
Men and boys

AFF will support students with access to commercial finance to sustain and expand their businesses. AFF will provide microloans to students to help them engage in meaningful agricultural production and output. These loans will be paid off with no interest rates after the student make a successful harvest and sells their produce. Once the loans are repaid, it will be reinvested into other projects. AFF links students to markets while supporting them in the negotiation of contract and farming agreements with buyers.

Population(s) Served
Women and girls
Men and boys

Where we work

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Our goals are to increase food productivity, to integrate technology into small-farm methodology, to develop marketing skills necessary to compete globally, to teach life management skills to young farmers, and to build sustainable food systems in West Africa, which will not only address the issues of poverty and hunger, but will also inspire and train the next generation of farmers.

• Assist and support small scale farms with proven technology, affordable growing plans and sustainable methods;
• Train youth/young farmers in new agricultural techniques, community involvement and life skills;
• Assess and evaluate food delivery systems and innovate pathways out of poverty for youth in rural areas, where farming may be the only potential livelihood.
• Collaborate with educators, researchers and businesses to teach best practices, environmental sustainability and high-yield food production.
• Strengthen farmers’ leadership qualities and personal financial success through agricultural education and practices.

In 2017, AFF partnered with Rural Self-Employment Training Centers CFAER to provide garden marketing training, financial support to five students’ young men and women in Tori-Bossito, a small village in Benin over a period of seven (7) months, from September 15, 2017, to April 15, 2018.
• Two professors were chosen to introduce students to a scientific and natural method on market gardening techniques and poultry production techniques.
• The class configuration was a project-based learning experience where students spent 85 percent of their time on the hands-on project.
• Four graduate students have been equipped to start working on their agribusiness project.
• AFF evaluation team will follow up with these students every six months to make sure they are on track and successful.

We have had four graduate students in May 2018 and have been equipped to start working on their agribusiness project. These students are fully independent and are making progress.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection

Financials

African Future Farmers Aff Inc
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

African Future Farmers Aff Inc

Board of directors
as of 05/13/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Espoir Tomenou

Ray Kowalski

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 5/13/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Black/African American
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Black/African American
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 05/13/2023

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.