Our Nonprofit Partner

The Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) is a nonprofit partner in the production of Under Contract and is in fact the original source of inspiration for the project. The lead researcher for the film, Sally Lee, worked at RAFI from 2008 – 2012, where she learned about the realities of poultry production and witnessed the trauma experienced by farmers when their contracts were suddenly cut-off or when they faced the extreme debt and bankruptcy that have become commonplace in the industry.

“The Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA’s mission is to cultivate markets, policies, and communities that sustain thriving, socially just, and environmentally sound family farms. RAFI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and incorporated in 1990.”

RAFI’s ongoing work on reforming contract agriculture includes:

• Empowering farmers by providing criticalinformation on the long-range impact of contracting in the poultry
  industry
• Developing and promoting state and federal reforms to protect the rights of individual contract farmers and farmer-controlled cooperatives
• Supporting active, farmer-controlled associations that can reduce the isolation and vulnerability of individual contract growers
• Educating consumers about market consolidation, vertical integration, and what they mean for the farmers and farms that produce their food
• Providing analysis and technical assistance for viable market alternatives