Foundations for Farming
Foundations for Farming International is a non-profit developing conservation agriculture methods and stewardship training for smallholder farmers, operating across 40+ countries through Stewardship Centres, volunteer Country Coordinators, and partnerships with governments and international organizations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1982
- HeadquartersHarare, Zimbabwe
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Foundations for Farming does
Foundations for Farming (FfF) International is a Christian non-profit organization founded in 1982 by Brian Oldreive in Zimbabwe, originally under the name Farming Gods Way and rebranded in 2009. The organization develops and disseminates conservation agriculture methodologies anchored on zero-tillage practices, delivered through a faith-based stewardship framework. Its core intellectual property is a methodology, training curriculum, and content library distributed through Stewardship Centres, Training Stations, and a Trainer-of-Trainers cascade model now operating across approximately 40 countries, with the international headquarters in Cape Town, South Africa.
The organization serves smallholder farmers, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, through three flagship product lines: Pfumvudza (a smallholder farming technique launched in 2011), the I Was Hungry Programme (a food security and livelihoods curriculum launched in 2015 in partnership with Crown Financial Ministries), and a library of training videos and Climate Smart Farming materials. Government partnerships are central to its go-to-market, with national-scale adoption in Zimbabwe (reaching approximately 1.8 million farmers), Rwanda, Madagascar, and Zambia. The organization also works alongside multilateral institutions including FAO, WFP, UNICEF, USAID, and the World Bank, as well as faith-based collaborators such as Crown Financial Ministries and Bridge2Rwanda.
FfF operates a donation-based revenue model with no disclosed pricing or revenue figures; donations are channeled through Crown Financial Ministries in the United States and Trust Bridge Global in Europe. Distribution is community-led through volunteer Country Coordinators and Collaboration Partners, with training delivered via Stewardship Centres and Training Stations. The organization is led by CEO Craig Deall, with founder Brian Oldreive continuing involvement and a governance board chaired by Sujit Whitin. A 2021 Presidential Commendation from Zimbabwe evidences high-level political endorsement of the methodology.
Foundations for Farming firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Foundations for Farming
- Legal name
- Foundations for Farming International LLC
- Website
- https://foundationsforfarming.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1982
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Foundations for Farming International is a non-profit developing conservation agriculture methods and stewardship training for smallholder farmers, operating across 40+ countries through Stewardship Centres, volunteer Country Coordinators, and partnerships with governments and international organizations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Foundations for Farming industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Training Services
- NAICS
- Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112), Support Activities for Crop Production (1151)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Agriculture & Food Security Development (BPAGABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Regenerative Agriculture (Soil Carbon, Cover Crops, Reduced/No-Till) (AFAGAMAA), Crop Rotation & Whole-Farm Cropping Systems Design (AFACABAJ), Sustainable/Regenerative Agriculture & Conservation Practices (EDAOAOAO)
Keywords
Where Foundations for Farming is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Harare
- HQ country
- Zimbabwe
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Foundations for Farming business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Foundations for Farming product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Foundations for Farming teaches a conservation agriculture methodology (Zero-Tillage, mulch cover, crop rotations, and four High Management Principles) to small-scale and subsistence farmers, with Pfumvudza as a household food security package enabling families to produce enough maize on just 1/16th of a hectare. Training is delivered free of charge through Stewardship Centres, Training Stations, and Country Coordinators across 40+ countries, integrating biblical stewardship principles with practical farming techniques.
Product overview
Foundations for Farming International offers a unified agricultural methodology built on biblical principles of stewardship. The core product is the FfF farming methodology (which includes the Pfumvudza sub-product for small-scale farmers) combined with management principles and spiritual guidance. The offering consists of the FfF methodology as the foundational platform, with Pfumvudza as a key product module designed for household food security on minimal land. Additional offerings include training resources (Vimeo-based training videos, climate smart farming series, composting guides, pest management resources), International In-depth Trainer of Trainer events conducted at Stewardship Centres worldwide, and the I Was Hungry Programme sub-brand developed in partnership with Crown Financial Ministries that addresses faith, family, farming, and finance holistically.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pfumvudza A simplified conservation agriculture methodology designed to achieve household food security on just 1/16th of a hectare. It includes step-by-step instructions, planting station specifications (56 rows, 75cm spacing, 60cm in-row spacing, 16m row length), and a complete input pack system (lime, basal fertilizer, seeds, top-dressing). Targets small-scale and subsistence farmers and has been implemented nationally in Zimbabwe since 2020, equipping 1.8 million farmers.
- I Was Hungry Programme A holistic training model developed in partnership with Crown Financial Ministries that addresses the '4 Fs': Faith (Finding Jesus), Family (First priority), Farming (Feed the family), and Finance (Fruits of the farm). Designed for churches, ministries, NGOs, and farming families seeking biblically-grounded transformation.
- International In-depth Trainer of Trainer Events Intensive multi-day training programs conducted at various Stewardship Centres worldwide (Rehoboth SC South Africa, Goshen SC Rwanda, Clouds End SC Zimbabwe), designed to train master trainers who can in turn train others in Foundations for Farming methodology. Participants must complete minimum 5-day training and demonstrate proficiency.
- FfF Training Videos (Vimeo) A comprehensive training DVD available via the Vimeo platform covering the Foundations for Farming methodology. The training videos include composting for small-scale farmers, pest and disease home remedies, and a 7-part climate smart farming series. Some certified training content is password protected.
Quantifiable outcome
- Household food security achieved on 1/16th of a hectare
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Foundations for Farming
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Foundations for Farming technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Foundations for Farming partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Crown Financial MinistriescorePartnership formed in 2015 with Crown Financial Ministries led by Chuck Bentley, bringing influence and passion to forge an authentic partnership. The 'I was Hungry' programme was born from this collaboration - a training model envisioning farmers biblically in Faith, Family, Farming and Finance to wholistcally transform the heart of man.
- Bridge2RwandacoreLed by Dale Dawson, founder & CEO, who serves on Rwandan President Paul Kagame's Presidential Advisory Council since 2008. Partnership supports Rwanda operations and B2R Farms training centre.
- FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)majorPartnership began in 2009 to teach agricultural methods allowing self-sustainability to thousands of farmers in Zimbabwe. Implemented numerous projects working together with FAO.
- World Food Programme (WFP)majorImplemented projects in Zimbabwe alongside WFP to support food security initiatives.
- UNICEFmajorImplemented projects in Zimbabwe working together with UNICEF for community development.
- USAIDmajorImplemented projects in Zimbabwe in partnership with USAID to support agricultural development.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Foundations for Farming competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Farm Africa: UK-based charity reducing poverty by helping African farmers grow themselves out of poverty sustainably. Comparable in delivering sustainable agriculture training and market access programs across East Africa with similar donor-funded model.
- TechnoServe: International nonprofit working with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. Comparable as a training-and-capacity-building NGO targeting smallholder agriculture in Africa with similar donor base.
- One Acre Fund: Africa-focused nonprofit providing smallholder farmers with inputs, financing, and training on land as small as one acre. Directly comparable in serving sub-acre smallholders in East and Southern Africa with a bundled training-plus-input service.
- Self Help Africa: International development NGO working with smallholder farmers across sub-Saharan Africa to improve livelihoods through sustainable agriculture. Comparable in targeting smallholder farmer training, particularly in maize-based systems in countries where FfF also operates (Malawi, Zambia, Uganda).
- Heifer International: US-based nonprofit that alleviates poverty by equipping smallholder farmers with livestock, training, and values-based development. Highly comparable as a faith-rooted, donor-funded NGO focused on agricultural training for subsistence farmers in Africa and beyond.
- Conservation Farming Unit (Zambia): Zambia-based organization promoting conservation farming techniques including minimum tillage among smallholder farmers. Directly comparable as a conservation-agriculture training organization operating in the same Zambian context where FfF was first nationally adopted.
Regional players
- Total LandCare: Malawi- and Southern Africa-based NGO promoting conservation agriculture and sustainable land management among smallholder farmers. Directly comparable as a regionally focused conservation-agriculture training organization operating in the same geographies and serving similar smallholder farmer populations.
Broad incumbents
- CGIAR: Global agricultural research partnership integrating international centers focused on food-system research. Adjacent as a research-and-knowledge institution shaping conservation-agriculture best practices that FfF adapts and disseminates at the smallholder level.
- World Vision International: Large global Christian humanitarian organization running agricultural livelihoods programs across Africa. Comparable as a faith-rooted donor-funded NGO with significant smallholder agriculture programming in the same geographies, though operating as a much broader child-welfare and emergency-response organization.
Emerging players
- ECHO (Educational Concerns for Haiti Organization): Christian nonprofit that equips development workers and smallholder farmers worldwide with agricultural knowledge and resources. Comparable as a faith-rooted organization delivering conservation-agriculture and regenerative-farming training to subsistence farmers, with overlapping global footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Foundations for Farming social profiles
Digital presenceFoundations for Farming financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Foundations for Farming leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Foundations for Farming funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Foundations for Farming M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Foundations for Farming
What does Foundations for Farming do?
Foundations for Farming teaches a conservation agriculture methodology (Zero-Tillage, mulch cover, crop rotations, and four High Management Principles) to small-scale and subsistence farmers, with Pfumvudza as a household food security package enabling families to produce enough maize on just 1/16th of a hectare. Training is delivered free of charge through Stewardship Centres, Training Stations, and Country Coordinators across 40+ countries, integrating biblical stewardship principles with practical farming techniques.
Is Foundations for Farming a public or private company?
Foundations for Farming is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Foundations for Farming founded?
Foundations for Farming was founded in 1982. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Foundations for Farming based?
Foundations for Farming is headquartered in Harare, Zimbabwe, in the Africa region.
Who are Foundations for Farming's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Farm Africa, TechnoServe, One Acre Fund, Self Help Africa, Heifer International and Conservation Farming Unit (Zambia). Total LandCare is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are CGIAR and World Vision International. ECHO (Educational Concerns for Haiti Organization) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Foundations for Farming have an API?
No public API is recorded for Foundations for Farming.
What industry is Foundations for Farming in?
Foundations for Farming's product category is Agricultural Training Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGABAB, Agriculture & Food Security Development, with a secondary code of AFAGAMAA, Regenerative Agriculture (Soil Carbon, Cover Crops, Reduced/No-Till). Its NAICS code is 115112 and its SIC code is 700.