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Program Pillar

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Security

Building climate-resilient, food-secure communities through regenerative farming, seed systems and farmer-to-farmer extension — designed for households who cannot afford a season of trial and error.

The challenge

Smallholders are carrying climate risk they did not create

Erratic rainfall, depleted soils and fragile supply chains mean a single bad season can push a household from food-secure to food-insecure. ACV's agriculture work focuses on practices that are low-cost, locally repeatable and resilient to a bad year — not high-input methods that only work when everything goes right.

ACV Agriculture & Food Security Programme
How we work

What this program actually does

Each activity below is designed to reinforce at least one other ACV pillar — nothing here runs in isolation.

Shared plots where farmer households trial composting, intercropping and water-conserving techniques together before adopting them on their own land.
Lead farmers trained by ACV pass on techniques to their neighbours, multiplying the reach of each training session far beyond who attended it.
Community seed multiplication of resilient varieties, paired with basic post-harvest storage practices that reduce losses between harvest and the next planting season.
Shared garden plots run by women's groups, combining household food production with a small, reliable surplus for sale at local markets.
Why it matters

Measured against real change, not activity counts

Indicative figures from current and recent programming — refreshed as each cohort or season closes.

0communities running active demonstration plots
0farmer-to-farmer extension network feeding new adopters
0women’s cooperative gardens currently active
0community seed-multiplication cycle completed
Part of a bigger model

Food security underwrites health, education and everything else

A household that knows where its next meal is coming from can keep its children in school and its members healthy — which is exactly where the other four pillars pick up.

Education & Youth Capacity Building

Equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and leadership platforms to drive change in their own communities.

Explore the program

Nature Protection & Biodiversity Conservation

Protecting and restoring the Congo Basin's ecosystems around Virunga through community-led conservation.

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Community Health & Well-Being

Promoting holistic health for vulnerable communities, with particular attention to women and children.

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Socio-Economic Empowerment & Livelihoods

Opening pathways out of poverty through skills training, enterprise support and economic inclusion.

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Make it possible

Help this program reach the next community

This work is funded season by season, cohort by cohort. Here is how to be part of the next one.

Volunteer your skills

Share your expertise with ACV's youth teams — from agronomy to graphic design, remote or on the ground.

Get involved

Partner with us

NGOs, foundations and institutions: co-design a program, fund a pillar, or join a technical partnership.

Start a conversation

Support the work

Every contribution funds tree nurseries, school materials, clinic supplies and farmer training kits.

Ways to give