Our training concept is based on a set of holistic agricultural methods we call HOLISTIC AGRIBUSINESS SOLUTIONS. It is more than a guide to holistic training in organic farming. We provide solutions for organic farming that can be applied to commercial farms to increase productivity, efficiency and profitability. In doing so, we adapt our solutions to the people we work with as well as the climate, soil and region in which we operate – it makes a difference whether we are in the savannah in The Gambia, West Africa or in the southern highlands of Tanzania on the border with Mozambique. The objective of the one or two-year training programme is to enable young entrepreneurs to implement the knowledge and expertise they have acquired – with profitable and sustainable outcomes. The success of our holistic method speaks for itself: Around two-thirds of course participants are still achieving positive business results two years after completing their training and have built solid businesses.

Agricultural training includes regenerative agriculture, irrigation systems, planned/staggered planting, crop rotation, organic fertilisation and pest control, agroforestry, fruit growing, cultivation and propagation techniques, animal husbandry, poultry farming, aquaculture and the production, manufacturing and processing of animal feed. Participants also receive business management training in areas such as accounting, marketing, production planning, sales planning and budgeting.

One important aspect of our holistic approach is the personal development of young people. They live and work in the camp for one or two years together with their trainers and instructors. This proximity gives them the unique opportunity to explore and work through their personal strengths and weaknesses, conflicts between traditional and modern practices, gender roles and topics such as exclusion and inclusion. We believe it takes more than just a dedicated and responsible approach to the soil and climate. We need mindful, motivated young people with the ability to take on social responsibility and represent a key economic sector within society as a whole. These young individuals stand for an agricultural entrepreneurship committed not only to the conservation of natural resources and climate protection but also to food security and the well-being of the people around them.