Their priority is to generate lasting income with small-scale farmers. They build local community leaders into qualified Private Extension Agents (PEAs) who oversee and train farmers throughout the growing season. They support PEAs to provide frequent trainings and personalized recommendations on how their growers can make their field healthier and more productive. PEAs promote improved farm practices and deliver a farmer-friendly loan of seeds and additional inputs. At harvest, Good Nature is a guaranteed market for the certified legume seed that their growers produce. Choosing to produce these high-value crops over traditional cash crops - maize and cotton - more than doubles their income.
Farmers who sign up for Good Nature form groups of ten and nominate one member to be considered for a PEA position. They then combine four farmer groups together based on geography and interview the four nominated PEA candidates to assess their initiative, problem solving skills, community trust, and agronomic aptitude. This approach allows them to respect the choice of their grower's in whom to trust and choose the best PEA for the job.
PEAs receive a monthly stipend during their first year in their core communities program. After one year, their unique commission model rewards PEAs with a percentage of company revenue; compensation is determined entirely by the quantity and quality of seed produced by the farmers they manage.
