FAIR Farms

Vision

We envision a FAIR world, where everyone is nourished, well, and thriving. Where food brings us together, nourishes us and our earth, and supports our diverse global cultures. Our international team does this through our teaching and research.

Mission

Through our research to impact approach, we investigate the following Areas of Impact as core research themes, and deploy effective outreach strategies to teach what we learn. We welcome collaboration to achieve our goals:

• Improved Maternal and Child Health
• Women and Youth Empowerment
• Inclusive Economic Development
• Food Security and Food Sovereignty
• Environmental Stewardship

Our Approach

FAIR Farms, is built on the principles of social entrepreneurship, a business model oriented to positively address environmental and societal issues.

Our integrated circular farming methods blend traditional ecological knowledge with research evidence with local traditions that harmonize ecosystems, enhance resource and nutrient management, and responsibly raise livestock to leverage their societal benefits. FAIR Farms provides the local community access to affordable, nutritious animal-protein foods. While one farm cannot eradicate poverty’s structural complexities, it does pave the way for replicable social-enterprise models, extending their impact across The Gambia and beyond.

FAIR Farms provides the local community access to affordable, nutritious animal-protein foods, while sharing best-practices for creating agricultural enterprises of their own.

Education, Outreach, Advocacy

In addition to its function as a demonstration farm, FAIR Farms is a key component of effective in-country outreach and international education; expanding public awareness and advocacy to inspire local (and regional) adoption of equitable food systems across West Africa.

FAIR Farms educational programs currently under development include animal husbandry, entrepreneurship, food production, and marketing. Immersive learning opportunities exist for the local Gambian workforce, and for farmers from across the African continent.

Students from the University of Pennsylvania also have the opportunity to achieve a working knowledge of local practices through direct interaction with FAIR Farms’s agriculture team; to explore the value of a hyper-local business model; and to promote intercultural awareness and communication.