The evening of January 24 found over 100 students from diverse disciplines gathered to hear from Barrett Prinz, the Global Human Resources and Legal Manager for One Acre Fund, an agricultural organization in East Africa that empowers farmers with to grow their way out of poverty. Since 2006, One Acre Fund has developed innovative solutions to solve the chronic hunger problem in Africa, moving away from food aid to permanent solutions such as providing farmers with a complete investment package that has proven to double farmers’ income. In 2011, One Acre Fund was included in the Forbes Impact 30, the magazine’s first-ever list of the leading social entrepreneurs who are “tackling the world’s most intractable problems.
Students in the Social Entrepreneurship program at Northeastern learn about One Acre Fund in their course studies, particularly in regards to the organization’s rigorous commitment to impact and evaluation. For this and many other reasons, One Acre Fund was selected as the winner of the Dean Tom Moore Impact Investment Strategy, the College of Business Administration’s first impact strategy pitch competition with students from the University Honors Program. Mr. Prinz accepted the $10,000 award along with the second place winner, Njabini Apparel at the Lecture Series Event.
Throughout the evening, students had the opportunity to participate in a highly interactive session with Mr. Prinz, who discussed pathways for undergraduates to international development careers. Furthermore, students learned more about the holistic farmer-focused solution package known as the “market bundle” that One Acre Fund offers its small-scale farmers. One Acre Fund aids group formation, providing farm education in best practices and improved seed, fertilizer and other inputs, flexible payment systems that ensure improved market access and post-harvest storage, as well as crop insurance to ensure that hunger does not run rampant during the post-harvest season.
Students also learned about the fast expansion of the organization, mostly as a result of word of mouth between farmers, and the different approaches to improve environmental practices of the organization. One Acre Fund plans to reach one million families by 2020 and close the gap left between field costs and farm revenue. The organization also plans to pilot a new program in India.
Mr. Prinz ended the evening with key advice for students to break into the international development field. “Never underestimate the importance of professionalism in written correspondences and don’t waste the interviewers time when having informational interviews with questions you can find the answers to online. Networking is also a paramount skill to have in this economy,” said Mr. Prinz.
For a limited time, One Acre Fund’s online donations will be matched through April 2012. To make a donation, please visit their website: www.oneacrefund.org
