The farming program covers the whole process from production to marketing, including drying (for seaweed) and storage, to ensure that it will provide the expected quality sell the final product at a fair price to ensure their income.  Thus, we collaborate with the private sector through a “village farmer approach”: Ocean Farmers for the seaweed industry, and Indian Ocean Trepan for the sea cucumber industry. In addition to a global partnership between the private sector and WCS, each farmer has an agreement with the private sector that determines each party’s roles.

For the sea cucumber, IOT provides (i) juveniles at a competitive price, (ii) technical support to farmers; and then buys the product to the farmers at an agreed price. WCS ensures (i) raw materials and equipment for the enclosures, and (ii) organizational support to farmers. The farmers manage and look after the farm and the equipment. Farmers’ can commit to more than one production cycle. If they withdraw from the program they must leave the equipment and enclosure to the local association for other farmers.

For the seaweed farmer, Ocean Farmer provides plants, equipment, technical support and buy the product at an agreed price. Villagers manage the farm and build the storage. WCS ensures organizational support. 

Global warming and climate-change is a global issue and solutions to avert climate change from tipping over and slow down global warming should likewise be global in nature.   

"While we are relatively small individually…I believe that working together for a greater purpose, we can achieve our goals; many in body and one in mind." Ken Lee, Lotus Foods.

 ZIDOFA's attainment of near completed status for the targetted closed-loop organic SRI rice value chain in the span of just two years despite the absence of a resident sponsoring NGO or support organization is attributable to its strategic partnerships with both private organizations and government agencies.  As such, the various components of the value chain, mainly infrastructure, logistical and equipment support were granted by varying organizations and agencies.

At the start of the project, ZIDOFA submitted the Project Plan to as many private and government entities as possible and a year after project start, also submitted Executive Briefs to heads of agencies outlining the milestones, achievements and constraints met by the farmers.  As such, by year two, the concerned organizations and agencies were well aware of the project and eventually became project partners thereby setting an unprecedented model for convergence.

To make sure the project stayed on track to its aim and commitment to provide safe, affordable and healthy food for consumers, restore, protect and conserve biodiversity and to promote farmers' welfare, ZIDOFA farmers were actively engaged in the creation of ZIDOFA's Mission and Vision Statements by conducting a Strategic Plannig workshop by CORE, Philippines.  Additionally, a Communications Planning workshop was conducted by leading communications and media experts to ensure that ZIDOFA members were on the same page on how to market SRI as well as its flagship product, the Oregena (abbreviation for Organic REGENerative Agriculture) line of organic SRI Rices.
 

The ZIDOFA Mission: To advance holistic, farmer-managed and environment-friendly programs utilizing leading edge processes promoting quality agricultural and aquaculture products

The ZIDOFA Vision: ZIDOFA envisions itself as a reputable producer of quality and globally competitive organic agriculture and aquaculture products. It envisions a resilient and productive community where families are healthy,  happy and living harmoniously in a sustainable environment.

As ZIDOFA farmers trained on SRI, training for organic fertilizer manufacture was also incorporated so that the organic inputs can be available once the cropping cycle started as and such, the farmers can focus on the SRI agronomic management principles instead of having to still worry about making organic inputs. 

As the ZIDOFA farmers started planting and cultivating their organic SRI rice plants, ZIDOFA was already seeking market linkages with potential customers for the upcoming harvested paddy rice and the eventual milled organic paddy rice. 

All throughout the chain of activities, ZIDOFA was aggressively joining national and regional exhibits as well as trade fairs in order to promote SRI and to increase public awareness on the benefits of organic pigmented rice as part of consumer diet. The environmental ramifications of organic-based SRI was also highlighted with ZIDOFA adopting the following tagline "That Farmers, Soils and Oceans May Live" in all its communications engagements including social media. 

All throught the cropping year, ZIDOFA submitted project proposals for its needed equipment and infrastructure and persistently followed up on their statuses

Continous seeking of funding sources.

This ensures that the most basic concept for sustainability is practiced by participating farmers and that it is nutrient recycling to veer away from input intensive dependence and transforming into low-input organic practices.  Successfully carrying out this objective supports the  participating farmers but also other farmers, who may want to try their hands on organic farming, the readily available supply of organic bokashi, vermicast and natural farming systems concoctions.  The organic inputs will provide much needed nutrients and micronutrients required by rice plants in order for it to manifest its maximum potentials at optimum conditions.  Healthy rice plants establish what is known as the "positive feedback loop" where it develops healthy and substantial root architectures which feed the upper biomass resulting in better photosynthetic capabilities which can then provide nutrients for the roots to develop even more.  Once this loop is established, the plant can easily ward off pest and disease attacks. The preparation of organic inputs also offers an opportunity for farmers to sell to other parties outside of ZIDOFA and can supplement their income while waiting for their rice to be harvested. Sufficient supply of organic inputs lessens dependence on chemicals. 

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a group of agronomic management practices and principles which delivers optimum conditions for rice plants to manifest their fullest potentials for growth and yield.  This climate and enviroment friendly method of rice cultivation uses 50 percent less irrigation water, requires 90 percent less seeds and allows for the cultivation of rice using only organic inputs with zero chemical or synthetic fertilizers.  

SRI ensures that farmers in the group all use the same protocols or method of cultivation, use the same seed varieties and prepare organic inputs using the same formulas and use them in the same dosages.  These ensure that quality of rice grains are consistently of high quality and of the same organic integrity from farmer to farmer. 

Additionally, organic SRI plants exhibit substantial root architectures which allows them to withstand long periods of drought or extreme bouts of wind and rain.  The deeply entrenched roots also allow for maximum uptake of nutriens and water as well as allows the rice plants to sequester deeper in the soil horizon, organic and photosynthetic carbon.  The use of intermittent irrigation also lessens emissions of methane as a Green House Gas and the non-use of fertilizers reduce carbon emissions.

Enterprises are most successful when they leverage strong community involvement, collaborate with a local conservation organization, and are dedicated to the conservation of wildlife. Forming strong partnerships and avenues of communication on the ground ensures that certification benefits local communities and incentivizes the protection of biodiversity.

The implementation of a community garden of about 6000 square metres costs around 33 000 USD. This includes working devices (e. g. spades and hoes), irrigation system and sun protection, measures of soil improvement such as organic fertilizer and humus, construction timber for the compost heap and planting beds, plants, seeds, petrol for the delivery of materials and machines, and personnel costs for two agricultural engineers who help residents create the garden. Costs vary depending on the size of the garden. 

The implementation of the community gardens is financed through donations from private and public persons and foundations. In 2015, a German branch was founded in Berlin (Städte Ohne Hunger Deutschland e. V.) with the objective to support Cities Without Hunger's work in Brazil financially and public relations work abroad, especially in Germany, but increasingly at an international level. 

After one year, community gardens are self-supporting. Gardeners earn their income selling their produce. Cities Without Hunger still provides technical support and lends bigger machines like tractors when needed. The NGO also supports network-building actions to integrate the gardens in São Paulo's wider economy, e. g. through delivery partnerships with restaurants.

Vacant urban land is the essential building block required for the implementation of a community garden. The urban sprawl offers spaces where such gardens can be created. Areas include land below electricity lines, near oil pipelines, city-owned land, or private properties. 

Cities Without Hunger makes contracts with land owners on the use of the respective area. The land is given to the NGO for free. In turn, land owners can be certain that their land is going to be used as a community garden, avoiding the misuse of areas as dumping sites, and helping prevent wilful damage of infrastructures such as electricity lines or oil pipelines. On such areas, other landuses such as housing are prohibited. That way, landuse conflicts do not occur. 

Land use contractors include e. g. the energy supplier Petrobras, Transpetro, or Eletropaulo. 

With a growing number of community gardens and strong media presence within São Paulo and beyond, Cities Without Hunger earned a reputation as an NGO with who private and public land proprietors want to collaborate. Hence, getting access to new areas is usually unproblematic. 

The first community garden was built by Mr. Temp and his brother on their own initiative on a plot of vacant urban land in front of Temp's house in São Paulo's East Zone.

Both have experience in organic agriculture: His brother runs their great-grandfather's farm in Agudo in the South of Brazil, and Temp, after having studied business management in Rio de Janeiro (1985-88), completed a two-years course in organic agriculture on a farm in Tübingen, Germany (1993-95). 

The garden area had been abused as a dumping site. When neighbours saw the garden being built there instead, they became aware of and interested in this alternative kind of landuse. A group of people got together to help and to replicate the implementation of gardens. Temp guided them.

Today, having implemented 25 community gardens, he considers guidance crucial for the success of the gardens. Furthermore, this guidance needs to be continuous and intensive especially in the first year of a garden's implementation. Afterwards, community gardeners are able to manage their garden autonomously, but it is important for Cities Without Hunger to be present as contact persons and to lend bigger machines when needed.