WHAT WE DO:

Agricultural Development

OUR GOAL: to reduce hunger and poverty for hundreds of farming families in Asia by increasing agriculture in a sustainable way and bringing greater access to markets.

The Problem:

Ayas lives one sprained ankle away from catastrophe. He has lived his entire life in a small village in Siberia. He has a wife and four school age children. He tends a small herd of sheep and goats and his family maintains a tiny plot of potatoes.  Ayas usually scrapes together just enough to feed his family.  He worries about disaster constantly.

What will happen if I get sick?    Will I have enough food to feed my family this winter?    Will I be able to buy enough coal to heat my house?

As most transactions are in trade, villagers rarely have cash money on hand to pay for things like schoolbooks, tools, and medical bills.  Residents are also plagued by high rates of alcoholism.  Mothers are often unable to feed their children when the family’s limited resources are spent on alcohol.

What can be done to help these people obtain economic security? 

The Plan:

Jesse and his family have been working for the past several years to find sustainable solutions for village residents. Jesse worked with locals to analyze the most serious problems they face and to brainstorm potential long-term solutions to their economic woes. Enter: the pine nut. Local Siberian forests are bursting with raw pine nuts. Villagers often harvest a small amount to use in traditional dishes throughout the fall.  Jesse realized that if villagers like Ayas could sell raw nuts to a local processing facility they would be able to earn precious cash money.  G & G Nuts was formed in 2012. As part of their commitment to social entrepreneurship, Jesse and his coworkers raised money to build a nut processing facility which opened in 2014.  Local villagers can now gather nuts from the forest and sell them directly to the company for a fair market price.

The Promise:

One bag of raw, unshelled nuts can bring enough profit to buy four tons of coal which is enough to heat a small house all winter! An industrious man can work for one week and gather enough raw nuts to heat his house, feed his family for three months, and feed his livestock all winter. This cash profit is essential to provide economic stability to these people.  Thanks to the work of G & G Nuts, Ayas looks forward to the day when he will no longer fear small emergencies.

G & G Nuts aims to raise $35,000 this fall to ensure the processing facility is fully functional and self-sustaining. This hardworking team has already raised close to $10,000 toward their goal! G & G Nuts plans to purchase 15 tons of pine nuts from local people this fall.  If you would like to be a part of providing real hope and economic stability to the people of this village please visit our giving page to donate now. Mark donations for the “Pine Nut Project.”