Short-Term Relief Program
CHFI is primarily a development faith-based organization. Yet, we recognize that there is need to strengthen the body of the village people in order for them to participate actively in the development of their communities. CHFI implements its ‘Strengthening the Body’ program to meet basic needs and does so in close collaboration with C-village associations (C-VAs). C-VAs are directly involved in selection of beneficiaries, distribution of food and other supplies, and supervision of the overall relief program. This program also includes vigorous awareness campaigns designed to avoid aid dependency.
Long-term Integrated Agriculture and Rural Transformation
CHFI shares the view that the disappointing performance of agriculture is the single most important cause of the observed long-standing downward spiral of hunger, poverty, environmental degradation, poor health and civil strife in Africa. The findings of the International Food policy research Institute (IFPRI) attest to this view. According to IFPRI, “each one-percent increase in agricultural productivity in Africa has been shown to reduce poverty by 0.6 per cent”.
CHFI also shares the view that agriculture is the lynchpin of rural development and that it cannot be isolated from the latter. Thus, it is imperative to adopt the principles of “sustainable agriculture and rural development (SARD)” if the agriculture sector is to be developed. Further, CHFIagrees with FAO that SARD is a process that meets the following criteria:
- “Ensures that the basic nutritional requirements of present and future generations, qualitatively and quantitatively, are met while providing a number of other agricultural products;
- Provides durable employment, sufficient income, and decent living and working conditions for all those engaged in agricultural production;
- Maintains and, where possible, enhances the productive capacity of the natural resource base as a whole, and the regenerative capacity of renewable resources, without disrupting the functioning of basic ecological cycles and natural balances, destroying the socio-cultural attributes of rural communities, or causing contamination of the environment; and
- Reduces the vulnerability of the agricultural sector to adverse natural and socio-economic factors and other risks, and strengthens self-reliance;
CHFI gives a special attention to agriculture using the principles indicated above.
SARD projects are tailored to the specific needs of the rual community of concern. They are formulated using data obtained from prior need assessment studies, make use of the existing potential resources of the community and address constraints of concern to this community.
SARD projects are essentially conceived using a combination of systems, commodity value chain and Saemaul Undong approaches. These approaches work together to avoid (i) internal inconsistencies in CHFI operations, (ii) disconnects among actors in the various stages of the commodity value chain and (iii) poor application of the principles of diligence, self-reliance and cooperation.
SARD projects address, in an integrated manner, constraints associated with the development of infrastructure (road, health, market etc), health services including insurance, rural credit, rural energy, food and nutrition, water and sanitation, shelter, production input market, sustainable production, rural small agro-industries, storage and conservation processes, marketing/trade, consumption, and investment by rural communities in high remunerative activities.
