Purpose and Mission - Seeds For a Future 0820

Planting Food and Growing Futures

Through persistence, trial and error, and successes, we've created a proven and effective food security training program that can be replicated worldwide.

Learn more about how our Program works:

  • Mission
  • Framework
  • Principles of Engagement

“When families feel the power of providing for themselves, new worlds of opportunity open up.”

Our Mission:

Seeds for a Future's mission is to create sustainable food security while increasing health and income opportunities for underserved rural communities.

Based on the long-term training and mentoring of families to provide the skills and materials they need for success, the Seeds self-reliance model also fosters the development of "home-grown" leadership, facilitating the Program's spread throughout the community.

The concepts and methods used by Seeds for a Future can be successfully applied in rural communities worldwide when proper attention is given to local environmental, cultural, and community factors.

The Program has enjoyed great success, with over 5,200 families completing it in 19 communities across Guatemala, and it continues to grow as new families and communities enroll.

Our Framework:

Families and communities are trained and mentored for 12 months to ensure they have the first-hand knowledge required for implementing and maintaining new skills and concepts. These include raising sustainable crops and food animals, understanding nutrition and mother/infant health, kitchen hygiene, and micro-business creation.

Replication of the Program worldwide is a priority of the Seeds team. The staff has developed comprehensive manuals to guide the Program's implementation in a wide variety of cultural settings and communities.

Principles of Engagement:

The success of the Seeds Program is based on understanding the environmental realities, cultural context, and needs of each region and community, as well as the resources and needs of individual families.

The Program is designed for flexible implementation. It can be adapted to virtually any local conditions worldwide, using the following principles of engagement:

  • Each person has dignity and is to be treated with respect; we work to foster the rights of marginalized groups and their full access to learning and opportunity.
  • Our role starts with understanding the needs and resources of the community and integrating local culture into our interactions with families.
  • We are committed to including local knowledge and skills and promoting sharing and exchanging ideas.
  • Community development occurs when people acquire the technical skills needed for success, learn to work together, and identify opportunities for their own future.
  • Our activities will neither promote nor disparage any religion or political group.

Based on years of experience, our project director and team of skilled extensionists have created detailed field manuals to guide the implementation of an integrated community development program that directly addresses food security, improved nutrition and health, and increased income opportunities. Currently available in Spanish, these guides are being translated into English.

Connect with us for additional information.

PDF: Your Guide to the Seeds for a Future Program

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