The Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) was established in 1986 to help people affected by the great famine that struck East Africa in the early 1980s. For more than 30 years since, it has spread agricultural techniques, such as the introduction of high-yielding varieties and the proper use of fertilizer, among smallholder farmers in Africa.
It has focused on strengthening the agricultural extension system that delivers technology to farmers. It works with ministries of agriculture and research institutions in each country to offer training opportunities for extension workers, and supports the development and running of practical curricula in partnership with agriculture faculties at 27 universities in 11 African countries. In recent years it has also been promoting varieties suited to climate change, farming methods that conserve soil and water, storage and processing techniques, and stronger farmer organizations.
It was registered in Geneva in 1986 and registered as the general incorporated foundation Sasakawa Africa Association in 2015. Its headquarters are in Tokyo, with offices in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mali and Uganda, and about 150 staff members from more than ten countries work there. Under the slogan "Walking with the Farmer," local staff play the central role in its work.
Key points
- Spreading agricultural technology to smallholder farmers in Africa since 1986
- Partnerships with agriculture faculties at 27 universities in 11 African countries to train extension workers
- Three priority areas: regenerative, nutrition-sensitive and market-oriented agriculture
Why this organization deserves attention
A distinguishing feature is that, besides teaching farmers directly, it works on training extension workers, the system that delivers technology, and on cooperation with institutions in each country. Local professional staff play the central role and support its field strength rooted in communities.
Its perspective of supporting farming as a business that can be sustained, going beyond higher productivity to storage, processing, financing and stronger farmer organizations, is also instructive. Voices from the field and farmers' stories are published as news.
Editor's comment
The farming that supports our tables is the foundation of daily life everywhere in the world. The phrase "Walking with the Farmer" seems to express an attitude of staying close to the field.
On the official website you can read newsletters translated into Japanese and farmers' stories. Why not take a look at rural Africa today?