APRIL's community empowerment program aims to transfer skills to local people enabling them to be self-sufficient and help them develop at a pace they can handle. The empowerment program consists of three main components:
- Integrated Farming System
- Community Forestry
- Small and Medium Enterprise Support Program.


Integrated Farming System

The Integrated Farming System combines cattle raising and breeding, crop growing, fisheries and small-scale industry activities into a self-supporting chain in which the waste products of one support the others.

Selected villagers are trained in theory and practice in APRIL's training centers. The participants learn how to raise and breed cattle and to use the manure as compost for organic gardening. Back in the villages, the trainees are provided with start-up resources. APRIL's field extension workers live in the villages and assist the trainees to practice what they have learned. The field extension workers also act as facilitators in helping the trainees to teach others to create the snowball effect. Harvests from the integrated farming program such as fruits, vegetables and feed crops can be sold in the market as well as providing food for the family. Cattle and fish raised in the backyard supplement the family's needs.


Community Forestry

APRIL's community forestry or HTR program provides villagers the opportunity to be involved in a scheme in which they learn to grow Acacia in communal areas for use in APRIL's mill. Apart from providing income, the community forestry scheme creates real partnerships between APRIL and the community in APRIL's core business as well as helping reforestation.


Small and Medium Enterprise Support Program

Another important program is APRIL's small and medium enterprise support program. Under this program, local small businesses are given support to grow and prosper.

APRIL's assistance includes training, start-up support, financial aid, mentoring, as well as marketing. Successful businesses supported by APRIL range from mill related small-scale industries such as pallet-making and log transport, to public transportation, cleaning services and home industries.