The story of Sujit in Karnataka, India, illustrates well how we can help farmers. 

 

Sujit has a half a dozen cows and buffalos from which he gets milk to supply protein to his young family.  He plants corn to feed his animals in the wet monsoonal season, harvests it when the rains stop and piles it up in a makeshift shelter, praying nothing eats it or unsuspected rain doesn't drench it.  Because if that happened, Sujit would have nothing to feed his cows and in return nothing to feed his children.  He lives in constant worry.

 

But we can help with 'Farm-in-a-Box' and make sure Sujit never runs out of feed by supplying him with alternative nutritious fodder crops that can be grown either in conjunction with his corn or as a supplemental crop in the drier season.  We can also help by giving him seeds of Securidaca, an African plant from which he could draw a natural insecticide to protect the harvest.  We could also give him seeds of Acacia milotica, a very fast-growing tree with wood harder than steel in order that he can build a strong elevated shelter for his corn.