The majority of the world's poor, roughly 2.5 billion people, are rural farmers whose needs are not met by existing anti-poverty measures. They remain trapped in poverty for several reasons:

• They lack food, money and assets.
• Their capacity to contribute to society is not valued.
• They are rarely trusted by others, and they hesitate to trust others.
• They are rejected, and live in a space excluded from the rest.
• They have little control over the trades they make with others.
• They face multiple challenges that cannot be overcome by giving a thing or two.

Overcoming such desperation and exclusion with its underlying social and economic realities is not easy for most of the rural poor even if they are given loans or technologies.

For the rural poor to achieve food and economic security, small-scale farming must be both profitable and sustainable. However, farming on small plots profitably and sustaining profits in the long-term requires informed decision making involving complex issues. Not only must the right crops be grown in the right way for the right markets, but both production and market risks must be managed without harming human health and the environment. These decisions and the required resources are beyond the capacities of most small holder farmers. Vipani helps poor farmers overcome these obstacles.