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Center for Agriculture & Food Security
Convoy of Hope is passionate about equipping vulnerable individuals, families, and communities with the agricultural education, tools, and seeds they need to produce life-sustaining crops. When we give people the ability of knowing exactly where their next meal is coming from, it opens doors to the future — to freedom. Independence. Resilience. Peace.
To date, more than 110,000 individuals around the world have been resourced with education, tools, and one-on-one coaching through Convoy of Hope’s Agriculture initiative. Now, we have the opportunity to significantly expand our work to meet the rising worldwide need for food security.
Partners
Just a few of our outstanding partners:
“Convoy of Hope has always been dedicated to providing food solutions in challenging situations, and this center will help us do that better than ever before. We are equipped to be on the front lines of innovative solutions to change the world.”
Senior Director, Center for Agriculture & Food Security
Publications, Resources & Stories
The Center for Agriculture & Food Security is committed to bringing science to the people and people to the science. Our publications and resources are an integral tool in this process.
Publications
Education at the Center for Agriculture & Food Security …
- • Increases Convoy of Hope’s capacity and expertise.
- • Accelerates the organization’s progress toward feeding more children and helping more farmers every year.
- • Serves as one of the nation’s most reputable agricultural education training and coaching centers.
- • Showcases farming techniques to help partners catch the vision behind Convoy of Hope’s Agriculture program.
- • Provides resources to assist local churches and communities with agriculture-related questions or issues.
- • Paves the way for building regional agriculture centers around the world.
- • Aids in the creation and implementation of novel training techniques.
- • Contributes exemplary applied research — often alongside collaborators — that will advance agricultural science and innovation.
CAFS
Growing Out
of Poverty Through Agricultural Education
The Center for Agriculture & Food Security will exponentially increase Convoy of Hope’s capacity to train and resource people in need. Our goal is to help 100,000 farmers annually by the year 2030.
We hope the center serves as a beacon of hope to participants in the Agriculture initiative — becoming a place of training, demonstration, collaboration, and innovative problem-solving.
In the U.S. and around the world, a gap exists between what “could be” and what “must be.” Individuals who want to grow their own food for the first time aren’t afforded the luxury of innovation. Every dollar and minute must be spent on guaranteed production — even if it’s inefficient.
Additionally, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are realizing for the first time that food security is a complex issue and that even the most reliable supply chains can be disrupted.
The Center for Agriculture & Food Security will help Convoy of Hope resource, train, and equip a global network — consisting of individuals, families, and communities — to address worldwide food and nutrient security.
Our team will demonstrate and teach innovative, practical, and contextually relevant solutions to help our program participants increase their yields — empowering them to provide for themselves and others.
Thousands of volunteers and visitors can see what agriculture looks, feels, and tastes like in different parts of the world. This will broaden their worldview and help them understand the importance of agriculture.
Demonstration Areas
For farmers to adopt innovative agricultural techniques, they must first understand the basic concepts, witness their success, and believe in their profitability. To prove these techniques effective, Convoy will create special demonstration areas, including:
- • Hoop Houses – These low-cost, high-reward structures empower farmers to leverage resources already at their disposal.
- • Orchards – In an orchard, the team can demonstrate proper pruning, growing, harvesting, and processing techniques.
- • Fields – Cultivating fields enables Convoy to show examples of different plant varieties and how to best grow them in various climates.
- • Animal Husbandry Barn – We will have the ability to demonstrate and teach the best methods for each aspect of animal husbandry with areas dedicated to livestock.
- • Greenhouses – These simple buildings could be divided into different climates — from warm and wet like El Salvador to dry and hot like North Africa. Building climate-controlled areas enables Convoy of Hope to create training resources, such as instructional videos for specific regions.
- • Storage Areas – Demonstrating proper storing techniques and instructing farmers how to efficiently process their own crops will benefit their families and communities.
Research, Experimentation Lab & Classroom
We believe Convoy of Hope has been called to conduct exemplary applied research — specifically centered on solving global challenges — using top-tier agricultural science in the lab and field alongside collaborators. Constructing a dedicated classroom outfitted with innovative technological enhancements will allow Convoy to teach, train, and help people around the world.
Coaching
Utilizing Convoy of Hope’s web-based systems and face-to-face interaction, the center will come alongside key internal and external stakeholders — from university interns to pastors and families — to help them identify food security solutions within
their communities.
Collaboration, Engagement & Outreach
The center will promote collaboration among experts, universities, and farmers to find solutions for food security and production issues.
Technology & Training
Convoy of Hope’s agriculture experts have traveled the world to provide hands-on experience and agricultural education … but now, thanks to technological advancements, teams have the ability to reach more people while reducing travel. In the face of a pandemic or natural disaster, Convoy of Hope will leverage new training capabilities to continue serving vulnerable people.
Stories
Goats & Goals: Convoy’s Center for Agriculture & Food Security
Spring Into Summer at Convoy’s Center for Agriculture & Food Security
Plant Nutrients: A Comprehensive Guide to What Plants Need & How They Get It
Center for Agriculture Provides Growth Opportunities for Interns, Veggies & Chickens
Top 10 Tips To Successfully Start Seedlings Indoors
Something New Is Growing at Convoy (Hint: It’s Corn)
Realtime Environmental Conditions at the CAFS Weather Station
The University of Missouri Extension has set up weather stations at numerous locations around the state of Missouri, including one at Convoy of Hope’s Center for Agriculture and Food Security. For modern farming to work well, it’s crucial to track weather events that happen before and during farming. This weather station is connected to the National Weather Service and helps Convoy of Hope and our local farming community monitor environmental conditions.
Become a Volunteer
Convoy offers several volunteers opportunities with the CAFS farm. Every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 8:30 to 11 in the morning and every Tuesday evening from 6 to 8, volunteers help our team with planting, cultivating, harvesting, and more.