THE GREENPATH FOOD MODEL favors long-term, sustainable solutions that combat climate change. In contrast to large-scale industrial agriculture, which often favors monoculture and commodity crops, the company works with existing smallholder farmers to improve their planting practices and facilitate organic production.
Specifically, planting practices inspired by permaculture mean that farms more naturally resemble forests, or “food forests.” The perennial crop focus conservesbiodiversity and helps sequester carbon. Regenerative agriculture practices such as intercropping mean that soil is renewed with nutrients, not depleted. Integrated pest management via crops such as lavender mean that farmers don’t need to spray chemicals and pesticides that harm waterways and wildlife. Organic solutions are sprayed as a last result. All of this increases productivity long-term, as soil health improves and pollinators are invited to thrive.
If weather, pests, or other climatic shocks hit a farm that is using these practices, it’s unlikely that all crops would be lost. Diverse farms are more resilient and sustainable.
Renewable energy is integrated into every part of theirsupply chain where possible, including at the processing and storage facilities. At our solar-powered drying structure, we have shifted from reliance on the electric grid and aim for 100% utilization of the sun’s natural energy.
GreenPath is currently working on rolling out solar irrigation pumps to all of its farmers. GreenPath was recently awarded a P4G partnership grant alongside TechnoServe, HelloSolar, and SunCulture. This grant will fund TechnoServe to hire a personnel resource to support partner coordination and government sensitization required to rollout a solar pump program for GreenPath. Notably, this will include investment in a market assessment and business model development for HelloSolar (who will distribute pumps to Partner Farms on trade credit) and SunCulture (who will deliver smallholder appropriate pumps to HelloSolar) to demonstrate the opportunity and cement their interest in investing in Ethiopia.