AFP Story - 2 minute video
AFP began an 18 month Zeba evaluation with Mercy Corps in Zimbabwe. Multiple crops will be tested on 10 demonstration farms, beginning in Summer 2010.
Ghansu Water Conservancy Department in China begins field trials with corn and grains, beginning Spring 2010.
See harvest photos at http://www.abundancefarming.org/fieldtrials.html Vigyan Ashram grew market-grade cabbage in the dry season with Zeba and 80% less water than typical for small farmers in India.
Vigyan Ashram in India evaluated Zeba in an open-field trial growing cabbage during the dry season. Their trial grew market grade cabbage with 80-90% less water using Zeba and organic fertilizer made from a mix of cow urine, cow manure, some jiggery (sugar), a small amount of ghee (margarine) and neem leaves. They applied 80%-90% less water than typically used by small farmers growing cabbagge in India.
A new evaluation in South Africa with Seeds of Light growing school and community gradens began in April.
AFP Board of Directors
Keith Polo is AFP Director at Large for Agriculture. Keith brings 15 years of international
agricultural development experience with a variety of non-profit and private
sector organizations. For the past 7
years, he has worked with Mercy Corps and is currently their Director of
Agricultural Development in which capacity he designs, fundraises, advises, and
directs over 75 projects in 25 countries that touch over 1 million farmers. Keith’s passions relate to helping
smallholder farmers and their communities grow their way out of poverty and to
develop more sustainable food and farming systems. Keith has a M.S. in Agronomy with a
focus on International Agricultural Development from the
Lou Jaffe is AFP
Treasurer
and is based in Portland, Oregon. Lou brings
over 30 years of financial and business leadership experience in the retail
print and online catalog industry as well experience in banking and finance. He
is the GM of expresscopy.com, a division of
infoGroup, Inc., and has been the CFO
Salesgenie.com, a division of infoGroup, Inc., Norm Thompson, and Gifts.com (a
subsidiary of Readers Digest). He has held Vice President Positions with
ShoreBank Pacific and EthicsPoint, Inc. Lou’s wide ranging experience includes
executing multiple private placement offerings, driving the private sale of two
companies, building financial and business process systems for start-ups, and
serving as a commercial banker. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting
from the University of Oregon.
Paul Osterlund is
AFP President/CEO. Paul is based in Portland, Oregon. He founded AFP
following his retirement from Intel Corporation after
23 years in design and engineering roles. Paul and his wife Linda, were small
investors in Absorbent Technologies Inc, the developer and manufacturer of Zeba.
Paul proposed the idea for AFP in late ’07. ATI agreed and supports Abundance
Farming Project goals & objectives. ATI provides technical expertise, field data
and favorable pricing.
AFP Advisory Board
Peter B. Johnson PhD is advisor for Agricultural Technologies. Peter is a farmer in Peoria, Illinois and the retired Director of the USDA lab where the original starch-based superabsorbent technology was developed, that 30+ years later became Zeba. Peter is the founder of iNovaCom Partners, a company dedicated to developing business strategies based on technology innovations.
Gary Olson is advisor for Zeba Horticulture.
Gary is V.P. of Sales for Absorbent Technologies Inc. the developer and
producer of Zeba. Gary is a Gary is
a Horticulturalist and an expert with Zeba, who brings nearly 30 years of
experience in agricultural sales and technology.
Jody Peake is advisor for Marketing and Networking. Jody is CEO of 'OnPR' a boutique PR firm with offices in Portland, Seattle and Munich, helping U.S. and international technology firms create awareness and demand using traditional and emerging media.
Aaron Beverly is advisor for Communication Technologies. Aaron is a Principle
Partner with eLaunched.com, a creative and successful web services company with
offices in Portland and Tallahassee, Florida, serving clients in the U.S. and
Canada.
Andres Recalde
is advisor for International Development in South America. A natitive Peruvian
who operates in five languages, Andres is an international consultant with over
15 years of development and field experience including work in Chile, Bolivia,
Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El
Salvador, Mexico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba. Andres recently
completed and assignment with the Inter-American development Bank to expand
their social entrepreneurship in South America.
Amy Pearl is advisor for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Amy is Founder and Executive Director
of Springboard Innovation, a unique nonprofit, that develops innovative and
sustainable social entrepreneurs, who build more equitable, innovative, and
capable societies worldwide.
Executive Introduction
“Leading publications around
the world, including the
Economist, the
New
York Times and the
BBC, are increasingly recognizing a
global
food
crisis. At a time when growing numbers of the
world’s most
vulnerable citizens are facing food shortage, food riots and economic
crisis, Abundance Farming Project offers a remedy. The
Project promises
to address one of the most
persistent problems for
subsistence farmers. It will help increase crop production for farmers whose
food supply and economic well-being depend on unreliable and scarce rainfall.
The concept for the Abundance Farming Project was envisioned by Paul Osterlund.
“During the twenty years I have known Paul, he has shown the personal characteristics that make me confident that Abundance Farming Project will be a successful endeavor. As a technologist and evangelist during his long career at Intel - and in his private life - he has demonstrated the very qualities required for a positive outcome.
“I know Paul has a good part of the right solution for the problem of world hunger. I also know that Paul is the right leader to bring his vision to fruition. I am very optimistic about the concept and the implementation of Abundance Farming Project. I look forward to a future when subsistence farmers are finally able to feed their families and improve their financial position.”
Jody Peake, CEO, OnPR
AFP History
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1970s USDA starch-based superabsorbent technology breakthrough, said to be the savior of agriculture, but couldn’t produce any usable form.
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2003 Absorbent Technologies Inc. (ATI) chemists introduce complex copolymer granule, Zeba™, after 7 years working with USDA
lead researcher. To recover investment, ATI sales focus is on agribusiness. -
‘07 idea for AFP Social Venture – provide solution for rain-fed farming; use Zeba to grab rainwater when available and store it near the plant roots.
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‘07 UN Water Survey “Countries need to integrate rainwater fully into their strategies to cope with water scarcity”.
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‘08 Abundance Farming Project officially launched as a social enterprise.
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‘08 AFP invited to UN/FAO & CIP-International Potato Center conference working with IYP on solutions for the 2015
Millennium Development Goals. -
‘‘08 Evaluations planted in global south, by CIP with potatoes and Smallholders Foundation with yams and cassavas, in rain fed farming conditions.
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'09 Abundance Farming Project established as non-profit organization in Oregon, USA.
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'09 Zeba evaluations include Peru, Nigeria, Kenya, India and China.
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'09 AFP listed on theChangeXchange.org to provide seed funding.
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'10 Abundance Farming Inc is granted 501c3 tax exempt status with effective date of exemption of July 30, 2009
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'10 Zeba evaluations include Peru, Guatemala, Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, India, and China.