THE AZMERA ORGANIC FARMS PROJECT
A Vision for the Future Viability of Food Production,
Processing and Marketing in Ethiopia

Sustainable agriculture and food production are relevant to all areas of life and the economic process. To be viable in the future, the agricultural and food production systems will require culturally rooted, economically profitable regional development that emphasizes and innovatively integrates ecological, societal, and food security dimensions. Providing for such a change is the central opportunity for creating an agricultural enterprise within Ethiopia, the Azmera Organic Farms Project. Azmera being the Ethiopian Goddess of the Harvest is best suited as the icon and namesake of Vantage Organics’ business endeavors in Africa.

In conjunction with its Strategic Alliance Partner, Farm Organic International, and through a combination of favorable, economic circumstances the Azmera Organic Farms Project is positioned to secure a viable future for the Commonwealth of Ethiopia in the highly profitable sectors of Sustainable Agriculture.

In the past two decades, the global market for organic commodities & products has grown at a rapid pace, averaging 20-25 percent per year to reach $51 billion in 2007. This demand has driven a similar increase in organically managed farmland. Approximately 306,000 square kilometers (30.6 million hectares) worldwide are farmed organically, representing approximately 2% of total world farmland. In addition, as of 2007 organic wild commodities & products are farmed on approximately 62 million hectares.

Organic agricultural methods are internationally regulated and legally enforced by many nations, based in large part on the standards set by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, an international umbrella organization for organic organizations established in 1972. The overarching goal of organic farming is defined as follows: “the role of organic agriculture, whether in farming, processing, distribution, or consumption, is to sustain and enhance the health of ecosystems and organisms from the smallest in the soil to human beings.”
Our mission for the Azmera Organic Farms Project is to facilitate the transition to a sustainable organic system of farming in Ethiopia that is ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially just, through information, education, research, and integrating the broader community into this effort. Good relationships are the foundation of a strong business and ultimately, a better planet.

Our Objective is to:

• Provide Clients with high quality organic commodities and products at a fair trade prices

• Give our Clients outstanding service and value

• Grow organic agricultural commodities from sustainable projects that benefit the surrounding local environment and community

• Build strong, flexible, long-term relationships with our Clients on mutual integrity, profitability, and trust

The Azmera Organic Farms Project, we will work exclusively with Clients who are truly committed to sustainable agricultural practices, are environmentally and socially responsible members of their communities. Additionally we will contract organic certifiers who meet or exceed IFOAM global standards and are accepted worldwide as industry leaders. Our long term objectives with local Farmers, the food processors, and the brand manufacturers is to create viable long-term business relationships that provide benefits holistically. The Azmera Organic Farms Project will enact strategic alliances that create stability for our farming operations, and for our Clients, the food manufacturer by facilitating these symbiotic relationships to ensure:

• A partner-based business model

• Stability in crop pricing

• Stability in supply for our Clients

• Long-term relationships based on trust

• Equitable profitability

The global Organic Market is growing at nearly 20% each year. We are in a new phase of agriculture where food crops are competing with feed, fuel and fiber crops for arable land. Without supply chain partnerships, organic crop supply is not certain. This new model of business has the potential to bring many benefits to the organic community. The Azmera Organic Farms Project will be committed to a sustainable food system and a healthy thriving planet.

Being the avant-garde of the organic movement, those of us at Vantage Organics have seen many changes in the past 30 years. At the same time, we know that success in this business remains simple: connect with viable supply chain partnerships, and then connect with the ever-changing market environment through the skilled application of professional expertise. Both Vantage Organics and our Strategic Partners in Ethiopia see an abundance of opportunities, especially for innovative companies that are inclined to boldness in action, and look beyond a traditional approach. What Vantage Organics and Farm Organic International provide in this collaborative effort is a creative drive and passion to promote and establish viable Sustainable Agriculture Systems in Ethiopia.

The Azmera Organic Farms Project policy objectives will ensure that 1) both private sector and government policymakers are well informed about the long-term benefits of organic farming and 2) to increase NGO support for organic farming research and education funding. Our policy initiatives consist of four areas of priority:

• Secure a substantial increase in government support for organic agriculture in Ethiopia

• Propose that government funded universities have organic research and extension programs developed with the participation of international organic farming organizations

• Cultivate NGO policies to assure the economic viability of the Organic Farmers of Ethiopia

• Support Ethiopia’s right to grow organic crops without the threat of GMO contamination

The Azmera Organic Farms Project Vision is to restore food and the Quality of Life through an Ecology of the integrated cycles of Nature and geographically close sourcing. Future viability is an idea whose time has arrived in regards to the production, processing and marketing of food. Agriculture and food production that remain viable in the future realize:

• Sustainability

• Principles of Responsibility

• Efficient economic practices

• Health & Well-being

• Marketability

• Multifunctionality

The Azmera Organic Farms Project will intelligently link regionalization with globalization and take full advantage of modern technology. Our fundamental business objective is based on the implementation of The Ecological Triad: Agricultural - Processing - Marketing.
 

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