FAST International

FAST NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT TO HELP COFFEE FARMERS IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD ! Did you know coffee beans are grown in more than 60 countries and allow 25 million families worldwide to make a living? Unfortunately, coffee farmers typically live and work in substandard conditions as they face multiple barriers to growing their businesses and improving their standards of living. Among these factors is access to quality financing. Due to lack of access to funding, many farmers cannot... afford disease resistant and climate change resilient varieties of coffee seeds. They often lack the tools and financial know-how to create an investment plan that would permit them to access and manage funding from financial institutions. THIS IS WHAT WE WANT TO DO ! FAST's Investment Plan Toolkit (IPT) will include an investment template and user manual in three languages (French, Spanish and English), enabling small and medium coffee growers in the developing world to access and manage credit from financial institutions. We would be extremely grateful if you had the time to take a look at our campaign, just click on the link down below! We would appreciate it if you could share our campaign as well! Every donation counts! Let's make a difference together! https://chuffed.org/proje/every-cup-of-coffee-involves-cost

https://twitter.com/FAO/status/1033955433969532928

"Ecosystem restoration can generate tangible benefits which will increase food and water security, contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and contribute to addressing associated risks, such as climate change and migration" https://news.globallandscapesforum.org//un-environment-ch/

Today we celebrate #IndigenousPeoplesDay ! Did you know that there are approximately 370 million indigenous peoples in the world occupying or using up to 22 percent of the global land area, which is home to 80 percent of the world’s biological diversity? Indigenous peoples play a key role in the protection of the environment and their farming practices have helped shape #sustainable farming systems and practices all over the world!... Some of these practices are #agroforestry, crop rotations, mixed-/inter-cropping, polyculture or water harvesting. Learn more about how indigenous practices enhance #foodsecurity! #SDG2 #SDGs #agriculture #sustainabledevelopment #farmers https://lnkd.in/g8mpAE9

Did you know #biodiversity secures our future of #food and much more? Here are 7 ecosystem connections and contributions that you may not be aware of: - #Agriculture & healthier soils - #Nutrition & #climatechange... - Livestock & Seeds - #Forests & clean water and purer air - Poorly managed forests & decreased fish populations - Mangroves & Fewer Floods - Food security & biodiversity This is why we need to protect the ecosystems and ensure that development is implemented in a sustainable way. As Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) explains, "biodiversity needs to be part of the way we think about nature, human well-being and health. It needs to be part of our perspective, our policies and our laws." "Taking for granted everything that nature does for the world threatens our own futures and the future of the #environment". https://lnkd.in/dSFcJwf

FAST is #hiring ! We are looking for a Development Associate We are waiting for your applications !

#DYK about the UNDP and Accenture launch of the platform #YAS! (Youth for Africa and SDGs) to expand opportunities for youth? The YAS! platform will give #entrepreneurs the opportunity to acquire more knowledge about funding and specific information on how to implement innovations, and function as a knowledge hub for virtual online master classes. In addition, it will act as a matchmaking support system for potential capital providers and suitable grant candidates. "It aims... to address the four main pillars of the entrepreneurship ecosystem: Information, Mentorship, Funding and Network" Very similar to our work here at FAST ! Learn more about this initiative by reading the UNDP's article: https://lnkd.in/dh2_UJH #sustainabledevelopment #agriculture #SMEs #farmers

On #MandelaDay, let us honour Nelson Mandela's legacy and resolve to do everything we can to create the world he dreamed of. Nelson Mandela's commitment to advancing #equality and #justice was deeply inspiring. As he said, "A winner is a dreamer who never gives up" - FAST dreams about a world without #poverty, without #hunger, without #inequality, and a world that encourages sustainable development.... Today, and every day, FAST celebrates the legacy of this remarkable leader. #Mandela100 #sustainabledevelopment #inspiration

Very interesting article about #Agroecology from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Did you know? "Agroecology is both the concept and practice of managing and boosting nature’s own ecological processes to improve productivity and avoid farming griefs, such as pest infestation, disease or degradation. Focusing on plants, animals, humans, the environment and the system as a whole, agroecology is a science and a social response, connecting the k...nowledge and practices of farmers and food producers from all corners of the globe. Uniquely, agroecology is about making sure our food systems - the way food is grown, sold, traded, marketed and consumed are made fairer and more sustainable in the future" FAST is making sure that the world is transitioning to sustainable food and agricultural systems! #sustainability #agriculture #farmers #socialresponsibility #ecology https://lnkd.in/dDNUD79

FAST a eu le grand plaisir d'être présente lors de la dernière exposition de @ACEM Microcrédit Montréal dans le cadre de leur partenariat avec @Rallye-Expos de @Vues d'Afrique. Une magnifique exposition avec un message très fort et une belle cause! Voici quelques photos de notre Directeur Exécutif Raúl Gómez Velásquez lors de l'évènement.

Agroforestry can be defined as a dynamic, ecologically based natural resource management system that, through the integration of trees on farms and in agricultural landscapes or through the production of agricultural products in forests, diversifies and sustains production for increased economic, social and environmental benefits for land users. Learn more about why agroforestry systems are multifunctional systems that can provide a wide range of economic, sociocultural and e...nvironmental benefits! Once again, the FAO shared valuable information that we thought was very interesting and important to share with you. #agriculture #landscaping #trees #forest #ecology #farms #inform #agroforestry #sustainableproducts #naturalresourcemanagement #agriculturalproduction #sustainabledevelopment https://lnkd.in/dyhg7W9

Today is #WorldPopulationDay! 767 million people live below the international poverty line of $1.90 a day and 815 million are undernourished. We are working diligently every day in order to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. Climate change and environmental health have drastic impacts on the population.... Every decision we make and every project we undertake are based on the same goal : making our World a better place and ensuring that we can meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Our dreams are not utopias, join us in the fight for sustainable development. We need to act FAST ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyd2C_R0xu8

FAST is hiring ! We are looking for a Development Associate. Check out our website for more information at http://www.fastinternational.org/fast/careers/ We are waiting for your applications !

"Forests are critical to livelihoods" said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva. "Healthy and productive forests are essential to sustainable agriculture and we have proof of the significance of forests and trees for the quality of water, for contributing to the energy needs of the future, and for designing sustainable, healthy cities." Forests and trees contribute far more to human livelihoods than is commonly known, playing crucial roles in food security, drinking w...ater, renewable energy and rural economies. learn more about why #forests and trees are key for a #sustainable future in today's FAO news article! https://lnkd.in/dFAKb3i

While the 9th transformative initiative is to develop finance programs to provide financing to farmer organisations including on lending to smallholders, coffee... businesses and investors. Smallholder farmers need finance for access to inputs and irrigation. In addition, co-ops need finance so that they can pay farmers immediately otherwise, need for quick cash may force farmers to sell at a lower price to middlemen. UCDA and UDBL have partnered together in a bid to implement these two initiatives. Uganda Development Bank Ltd Uganda Coffee Development Authority ITC Coffee Guide See more

Those who produce our #food are the hardest hit by #ClimateChange. We need to support them. FAST works closely with producers, providing them with targeted financial literacy training and tools. Our goal is to close the financing gap and to eradicate poverty because " communities can be more prepared for climate change if they are not poor" . UNFCCC Climate Change is global but adaptation is local http://bit.ly/2u5EnU1

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) posted an important message today : " #Water scarcity is one of the greatest challenges of our time. How we can address it in #agriculture ? "

#CanadaDay is right around the corner! FAST celebrates this important holiday and #Canada’s greatness, and we would like to take the time to thank and express our gratitute to Canada’s International Development Global Affairs Canada for supporting our mission. We are extremely proud and fortunate to be established in this beautiful country where we work actively to promote sustainable development in the developing world. Happy Birthday Canada ! FAST souhaite une bonne et heureuse #FêteNationale à tous les canadiens ! photos : Kimberley Megis

Today we celebrate the second International Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Entreprises Day! Thoses entreprises are the backbone of most economies worldwide and play a key role in the developing world. They account on average for 60-70% of total employment and 50% of GDP according to the UN. However, #MSMEs face many challenges in day-to-day operations and many obstacles to grow. ... FAST works diligently with #SMEs and helps them have access to #finance to close the financial gap, which is the primary obstacle that affects MSMEs. Micro-, Small and Medium-sized entreprises are vital to achieving the #SDGs, in particular #SDG8 and #SDG9. We are helping them grow FAST ! #SMEDay #MSMEDay

"It's not pity and handouts that are needed. It is access to markets and finance, land tenure security, knowledge and technology, and the right policies". #Agriculture WILL help reduce poverty, it is our best chance to reach #SDG1 https://lnkd.in/d5gs5sk https://lnkd.in/dPhd52i

À l’occasion de la Fête Nationale du Québec, FAST souhaite une bonne et heureuse Saint Jean Baptiste à tous les québécois qui la célèbrent ! FAST a la chance d’être établie à Montréal, dans la Belle Province, depuis dix ans. Grâce au travail et au soutien de l’organisation Montréal International, beaucoup d’organisations comme la notre ont l’opportunité d’être présentes dans la métropole afin de construire ensemble un avenir prometteur. Happy Saint Jean Baptiste Day ! Enjoy ...the long weekend ! Montréal International #Québec #Montréal #SaintJeanBaptiste

"FAST International has extensive experience supporting SMEs in Latin America and East Africa, having carried out access to finance activities in the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Peru, Bolivia, Honduras, Kenya and Tanzania among others. This work has enabled high-potential, sustainable SMEs to improve their investment planning and capacity to present this investment plan to a range of lenders and acquire the required capital to maintain and grow their businesses" said Raúl Gómez Velásquez, FAST's Executive Direcor