Tag Archive for: unreached peoples

The Most Strategically Important BAM Opportunity of Our Generation? Agribusiness!

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by Mark Ingram

 

According to Joshua Project, the overwhelming majority of the world’s remaining unreached people groups are located in rural, economically vulnerable, and often geographically isolated regions across Asia, Africa, and parts of the Middle East. This reality carries profound implications for the future of global missions.

Agriculture is not merely an economic activity in these contexts—it is the foundational structure of life itself. It shapes family systems, community relationships, land use, nutrition, income stability, migration patterns, education access, and social resilience. In many unreached regions, farming is the dominant livelihood of the majority population. As a result, any missions paradigm seeking long-term presence, credibility, sustainability, and transformational impact in these regions must engage meaningfully with rural economic realities.

Business as Mission (BAM) agribusiness therefore represents far more than a funding mechanism or entrepreneurial trend. It may constitute one of the most strategically important missiological developments of the 21st century.

Unlike externally dependent models that can struggle with sustainability, restricted access environments, donor fatigue, or perceptions of foreign dependency, BAM agribusiness has the potential to embed Gospel witness within the ordinary economic fabric of rural life. It enables long-term relational presence among communities while simultaneously addressing tangible challenges such as poverty, food insecurity, unstable markets, low productivity, unemployment, and exploitative value chains.

This is especially significant because many frontier missions contexts are not primarily urban knowledge economies. They are agrarian societies. In such contexts, agribusiness may provide:

•⁠ ⁠legitimate social and economic participation,
•⁠ ⁠durable local credibility,
•⁠ ⁠pathways for local leadership development,
•⁠ ⁠opportunities for discipleship within everyday life,
•⁠ ⁠and sustainable mechanisms for community flourishing.

Importantly, BAM agribusiness also aligns with the reality that local believers and entrepreneurs are often better positioned than foreign missionaries to build enduring influence in restricted or sensitive environments. Enterprise-based models can create decentralized, locally owned, economically viable ecosystems that are significantly more resilient than heavily centralized institutional models.

The strategic implications are enormous.

If even a modest percentage of global Christian missions capital were progressively redirected toward well-designed BAM agribusiness ecosystems—particularly those focused on smallholder farming communities, rural processing, irrigation, market systems, and local enterprise development—the Church could potentially mobilize billions of dollars toward sustainable, embedded, and multiplying frontier engagement over coming decades.

In this sense, BAM agribusiness should not be viewed merely as “missions plus business.” Rather, for large portions of the unreached rural world, it may become one of the most practical and scalable frameworks through which long-term Gospel presence, community transformation, economic dignity, and indigenous church formation can occur together.

Join the Movement

This is not just a conversation for those in agriculture, although we’d love to hear from you! If you’re a pastor who wants to support rural evangelism, an investor seeking redemptive impact, a technologist, agronomist, business coach, or prayer partner—you’re needed.

Help us build a global, diverse, and Spirit-led response to the call of the Great Commission through agribusiness.

👉  Find out more about the Consultation on BAM and Agribusiness here

👉  Connect with the new Global Sowers initiative here

👉  Contact the BAM Agribusiness team at ag@bamglobal.org

 

 Mark Ingram is the Co-founder of the BAM agribusiness network Global Sowers and Founder and CEO of LINC Strategies. LINC Strategies is a collective of poverty alleviation specialists dedicated to crafting innovative and sustainable business solutions. Mark has over 25 years’ experience in the development of high impact inclusive business ventures. His experience includes founding the award-winning non-profit Business for Development, where he built inclusive agribusiness projects across Africa, Asia and the Pacific; Chief Impact Officer of Brightlight Group, developing impact strategy for social impact investment funds across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific; Trade Commissioner & Consul General for the New Zealand Government, establishing the Melbourne Consulate, catalyzing trans-Tasman agrotechnology and biotechnology alliances and trade. With this knowledge and experience, he has consulted to over 100 clients including ASX-200 listed companies, the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations Development Program, the World Economic Forum, Australian and New Zealand Governments, international non-government organizations, and large Foundations across the world.



 

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Photo by EqualStock on Unsplash

Rethinking Rural Prosperity: Why Farmers Need a New Model  

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by Ratnakar Vallabhaneni

 

Introduction

Agriculture still feeds the world—yet millions of farmers remain trapped in poverty. Across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and even parts of developed nations, smallholders grow our food but struggle to sustain themselves.

Despite their critical role, many face fragile livelihoods, low incomes, and limited access to markets and services. This isn’t due to lack of effort or skill—it’s a systemic failure that concentrates wealth away from those who produce it.

To bridge the agricultural wealth gap, we must rethink rural economies through the lens of economic justice and transformation. The traditional model is broken. The solution? Farmer Producer Cooperatives (FPCs)—collective, farmer-owned enterprises that create power, scale, and prosperity.

The Agricultural Wealth Gap

The Problem

Over 500 million smallholders produce 70% of the world’s food, yet many live on less than $2 per day (FAO). They face:

  • Low, volatile incomes
  • Fragmented landholdings
  • Weak bargaining power
  • Dependency on middlemen
  • Limited access to finance, infrastructure, and information

They grow what we eat—but often can’t afford nutritious food themselves.

Where Does the Wealth Go?

The problem isn’t just low productivity—it’s lost value. Smallholders sell raw produce at thin margins while profits flow to intermediaries.

Examples:

  • Ethiopian coffee: Farmers earn 1–3% of retail price; brands capture 80%+.
  • West African cocoa: Produces 66% of supply, yet most farmers live below the poverty line.
  • Indian/Kenyan mangoes: Sold cheaply by farmers, while processed mango products earn 10x more abroad.

The global food system extracts wealth from those at the base.

Why Traditional Approaches Fall Short

Billions have been spent on subsidies, training, and productivity. While helpful, these efforts often ignore the business side of farming—value addition, branding, marketing, and ownership.

“You cannot farm your way out of poverty by only growing more; you must earn more from what you grow.”

To break the poverty cycle, farmers must move up the value chain.

Collective Enterprise: The Power of Farmer Producer Cooperatives (FPCs)

Why Individual Farmers Can’t Win Alone

Isolated smallholders lack the scale and leverage needed for profitable enterprise. But when farmers come together, they gain power. Imagine if they could:

  • Procure inputs collectively → cut costs
  • Aggregate harvests → demand better prices
  • Process, package, and brand produce → capture more value
  • Access loans and insurance as a business → manage risks
  • Train each other → build knowledge and resilience

This isn’t a fantasy—it’s already happening, just not at scale.

What Is an FPC?

An FPC is a farmer-owned, legally registered business that helps producers organize, add value, and earn more. It shifts the mindset from “me” to “we”, from fragmented to organized.

Benefits of FPCs:

  • Scale up production
  • Share infrastructure
  • Negotiate better deals
  • Brand and market collectively
  • Strengthen financial access

Global Examples of FPC Success

  • India: Over 10,000 FPCs registered since 2013. Some export branded products, increasing farmer incomes.
  • Kenya: Githunguri Dairy Cooperative processes and sells branded milk, owned by member-farmers.
  • Philippines: Marketing cooperatives for coconut and banana help bypass exploitative traders.
  • USA: Land O’Lakes and Ocean Spray — billion-dollar cooperatives owned by farmers.
  • Europe: Dutch and Danish cooperatives dominate dairy and horticulture markets through farmer-led innovation.

Where farmers own the enterprise, rural transformation follows.

From Survival to Prosperity: Rethinking the Rural Economy

 

Old Paradigm New Paradigm
Individual survival Collective wealth creation
Input subsidies Market-driven enterprise
Price taker Price setter
Low-value raw goods High-value branded products
Manual labor Innovation and knowledge
Rural stagnation Rural economic engines

Why Now?

1. Digital Disruption

Mobile tech, e-commerce, fintech, and traceability tools are reaching farmers, enabling better market access and transparency.

2. Climate Resilience

FPCs can jointly invest in sustainable practices, shared insurance, and climate-smart infrastructure.

3. Youth Engagement

FPCs can attract rural youth by offering ownership, purpose, and innovation in agriculture.

Who Needs to Act?

This transformation requires effort across sectors:

  • Farmers → must collaborate and take ownership
  • Governments → shift from subsidy-driven to enterprise-driven support
  • NGOs & CSR → build institutional capacity, not dependency
  • Academia & tech → co-create scalable, accessible tools
  • Investors → treat FPCs as viable, investable ventures

Conclusion: Lighting the Fire

The rural economy doesn’t need pity—it needs power. Power to negotiate. Power to innovate. Power to create lasting wealth.

FPCs are not just about producing more—they’re about owning more. They offer a path for smallholders to become business leaders, not just beneficiaries.

Farmers shouldn’t just grow food.
They should grow wealth.
They shouldn’t just produce commodities.
They should own brands.

Call to Action

This is a rural issue. But also a food system issue, a climate issue, and a justice issue.

If you’re a policymaker, entrepreneur, development partner, or young farmer—join us.

Join the Movement

BAM Global is currently conveining a Consultation on BAM Agribusiness.

Help us build a global, diverse, and Spirit-led response to the call of the Great Commission through agribusiness.

👉 Find out more here

👉 Get in touch with the team at ag@bamglobal.org

 

Coming later this month: Part 2 – “FPCs Demystified: Building Wealth from the Ground Up”

 

Dr. Ratnakar Vallabhaneni (RK) is a renowned Plant Biologist and Agricultural Scientist, specializing in plant secondary metabolism, biofortification, and sustainable crop solutions. As Founder and CSO of Glean ACRE Pty Ltd, he drives innovative, scalable solutions in agrobiotechnology, green chemistry, and regenerative agriculture, enhancing food security and resilience.



Photo by Dibakar Roy on Unsplash

 

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Agribusiness: The Frontline of Business as Mission

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by Mark Ingram and the BAM Global Agribusiness Project Team

Mark Ingram, Andrew Jones, Glen Cox, Ratnakar Vallabhaneni 

 

Last chance to give input: Fill out the short survey by end of 1st July 2025

 

If we truly desire to reach the unreached and serve the world’s poorest, agribusiness must be central to our mission strategy.

According to the World Bank, 75% of the world’s extreme poor—those living on less than $2.15 per day—live in rural communities. And according to missions research, over 80% of the world’s unreached people groups are also found in remote, rural regions, far from city centers and the reach of traditional mission approaches.

These are not just statistics. They are a directional call. If we want to be where the Gospel is not yet known and where poverty is deepest, we must be present in rural economies. And there is no better way to do that—sustainably, relationally, and redemptively—than through agribusiness.

Agribusiness is Business as Mission

Agribusiness is more than farming. It encompasses the entire value chain—from seed to soil, to storage, to processing, to sales. In rural areas, agriculture is often the primary economic engine. And when communities lack employment, market access, or food security, faith-driven agribusiness can be a powerful means of transformation.

We’ve seen it firsthand: businesses that employ the poor, disciple team members, lift household incomes, stabilize communities, and open doors for the Gospel. In some cases, they are the only Christian presence for hundreds of kilometers. Agribusiness, done well, provides a long-term, incarnational presence that models integrity, innovation, and love.

A Listening Process is Underway

Earlier this year, BAM Global launched a Listening Survey to hear directly from those engaged in or passionate about agribusiness as mission—from farmers to funders, from ministries to market specialists. Already, a rich picture is emerging.

We’ve heard from entrepreneurs in Mali and India, processors in North Africa, researchers in Latin America, and ministry leaders across Asia-Pacific. Their feedback has revealed both challenges—such as market access, input quality, or post-harvest loss—and deep encouragement, as communities are being transformed through small farms, co-ops, and kitchen gardens aligned with Gospel witness.

But this is just the beginning. The survey remains open, and we invite more voices from every region, experience level, and role across the BAM ecosystem.

Now is the time to contribute.

It’s not too late. We want your voice in shaping the future of this movement: Have your say by end of 1st July 2025.

What Comes Next: Working Groups and Toolkits

As survey responses are compiled, our next phase will launch Listening Working Groups—small, focused cohorts that will explore critical themes like:

  • Access to markets and infrastructure
  • Models of spiritually integrated agribusiness
  • Faith-driven investment in agriculture
  • Mentorship and peer-learning needs
  • Region-specific strategies

From these working groups, we aim to develop a practical BAM Agribusiness Toolkit, provide case studies and stories from the field, and form a global peer network of agribusiness professionals and ministries. This will help practitioners move from vision to viable, scalable ventures—while staying true to Kingdom purposes.

We’ve already seen strong enthusiasm: over 90% of early respondents say they are interested in joining a network, contributing case studies, or offering mentorship.

The need is clear. So is the opportunity.

Why Now?

Global trends are converging in ways that make this work urgent:

  • Climate change is affecting crop reliability and food systems.
  • Supply chains are under stress and volatile.
  • Foreign aid is shrinking, while local economies are demanding new enterprise.
  • Many mission agencies are seeking new, sustainable operating models.

In this landscape, BAM agribusiness offers a path forward. It is:

  • Rooted in local realities
  • Scalable, when paired with appropriate support and access to markets
  • Incarnational, providing daily witness to the Gospel through relationships
  • Sustainable, in that it generates its own revenue and impact

As one survey respondent put it:

“Agriculture works. If you put seed in the ground, it grows. That’s true of food. It’s also true of faith.”

Join the Movement

This is not just a conversation for those in agriculture. If you’re a pastor who wants to support rural evangelism, an investor seeking redemptive impact, a technologist, agronomist, business coach, or prayer partner—you’re needed.

Help us build a global, diverse, and Spirit-led response to the call of the Great Commission through agribusiness.

👉 Find out more here

👉 Fill out the short survey by end of 1st July 2025

👉 Register your interest in the upcoming working groups at ag@bamglobal.org

 

🌱 Let’s grow this movement together—from the ground up

Together, let’s sow seeds that yield eternal fruit.

 

 

 Mark Ingram is the Founder and CEO of LINC Strategies. LINC Strategies is a collective of poverty alleviation specialists dedicated to crafting innovative and sustainable business solutions. Mark has over 25 years’ experience in the development of high impact inclusive business ventures. His experience includes founding the award-winning non-profit Business for Development, where he built inclusive agribusiness projects across Africa, Asia and the Pacific; Chief Impact Officer of Brightlight Group, developing impact strategy for social impact investment funds across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific; Trade Commissioner & Consul General for the New Zealand Government, establishing the Melbourne Consulate, catalyzing trans-Tasman agrotechnology and biotechnology alliances and trade. With this knowledge and experience, he has consulted to over 100 clients including ASX-200 listed companies, the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations Development Program, the World Economic Forum, Australian and New Zealand Governments, international non-government organizations, and large Foundations across the world.



Photo by Boudewijn Huysmans on Unsplash

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6 Ways BAM Can and Should Make a Difference to Refugees and Migrants

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by Jo Plummer

Read this classic blog from our Archives, first published on The BAM Review blog in August 2016 and republished for the Summer Series 2022.

One of the goals of our global BAM network is to be part of the solution to the world’s most pressing issues. Undoubtedly the issue of migration, and in particular the rapid increase in refugees, presents one of the most pressing challenges of our day.

The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR estimates that there are an unprecedented 65.3 million people around the world who have been forced from their homes. Among them are nearly 21.3 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. There are also 10 million stateless people who have been denied a nationality and access to basic rights such as education, healthcare, employment and freedom of movement.

We live a world where nearly 34,000 people a day are forcibly displaced as a result of conflict or persecution. Many more choose to migrate because of poverty, unemployment and the ‘pull’ of better economic prospects elsewhere. The UN estimates that in total there are 244 million migrants globally.

How do BAMers engage? Why should they engage? Read more

Reaching the Marginalised and the Skewed Deployment of Resources

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The business as mission community is contributing to a wider ‘listening process’ in the global evangelical mission community as part of our connection the Lausanne Movement. Lausanne asked us:

What are the most significant gaps or remaining opportunities toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20)?

We in turn received input from 25 global leaders on this question especially as it relates to business as mission. Four main themes emerged as leaders answered this question, which we will share in four blog posts through November.

The second theme was the need to intentionally rebalance the deployment of resources and focus more attention on those that are currently marginalised. We need to acknowledge that many more resources are focused on some areas of the world and some categories of people than they are on others. Business as mission has a special concern for the world’s poorest and least evangelised peoples so this is extremely pertinent to us, read more about what defines BAM here.

Theme 2: Reaching the Marginalised and the Skewed Deployment of Resources

There are still vast swathes of the world’s population that remain marginalised. Marginalised from mainstream economic life, freedom of worship and conscience, decent environmental conditions whether air, water, housing, working environment, etc. Vast swathes remain “un-digitalised”, and largely unreached “hidden in plain sight” from the gospel in its wholistic intent. We must recognise and respond to the strategic imperative of the Great Commission, within the context of the Great Commandment. Conversely, rebuilding, redeeming, and restoring broken, imperfect contexts and environments affords amazing opportunities for the Church to engage and have an enduring, relevant testimony of love and creativity that will honour our Father in Heaven.
CS

The remaining least-reached groups are often in places which limit the access of traditional, far-culture missionaries. Same and near culture workers will need to be highly contextualized, adapted, flexible, and have an identity which allows credible access to the community. In many cases this will be business (farming, trading, small manufacturing) but in other cases may be NGO work or other work. We need to mobilize the near culture churches into a missions mindset revolution, with them increasingly sending humble, hard-working, believers (often in small family groups) to these least reached groups in both urban and rural settings.
HE

Read more

6 Ways BAM Can and Should Make a Difference to Refugees and Migrants

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by Jo Plummer

One of the goals of our global BAM network is to be part of the solution to the world’s most pressing issues. Undoubtedly the issue of migration, and in particular the rapid increase in refugees, presents one of the most pressing challenges of our day.

The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR estimates that there are an unprecedented 65.3 million people around the world who have been forced from their homes. Among them are nearly 21.3 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. There are also 10 million stateless people who have been denied a nationality and access to basic rights such as education, healthcare, employment and freedom of movement.

We live a world where nearly 34,000 people a day are forcibly displaced as a result of conflict or persecution. Many more choose to migrate because of poverty, unemployment and the ‘pull’ of better economic prospects elsewhere. The UN estimates that in total there are 244 million migrants globally.

How do BAMers engage? Why should they engage? Read more