Applying a Person-to-Person Approach to Strengthen Value Chains in East Africa
While East Africa has tremendous potential, it suffers from low agricultural productivity in many key value chains, such as oilseeds, grain, and horticulture. Through the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer Program (FTF), CNFA will use targeted volunteer technical assistance to improve productivity and foster sustained and broad-based economic growth in the agricultural sector. Over the life of the five-year $7.5 million program, CNFA will field over 300 volunteers to assist 100 host institutions and enterprises.
To maximize volunteer impact, FTF targets specific smallholder farmers, entrepreneurs, cooperatives and associations hosts along key agricultural value chains chosen for their high growth potential. Each assignment builds upon previous work and complements other interventions.
In East Africa, we are focusing on four primary components:
Increased agricultural sector productivity and profitability: We are using our successful value chain methodology to increase smallholder productivity and profitability. Assignments include everything from new production methods and technologies to post harvest handling, marketing and sales. Volunteers also help enterprises with their business model through planning and improved financial management.
Conservation and sustainable use of environmental and natural resources: Though we aim for increased agricultural productivity, we balance our approach with responsible use of environmental and natural resources. Volunteers are providing technical assistance in water management, integrated pest management and safe use and handling of crop protection products. Volunteers comply with USAID’s environmental guidelines for Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers and do not advocate for the use of specific products, nor are they required to handle the products themselves.
Expanded access to financial service: Through FTF, we target not only traditional commercial credit, but all value chain financing opportunities, including supplier credit, leasing, equity investment, and commercial credit. Our expert volunteers provide guidance in development of new agricultural loan products, loan officer training, agricultural enterprise risk assessment, and business planning.
Strong agricultural sector institutions: Healthy agribusiness and producer organizations are an essential element of developing broad-based opportunities for participation in commercially viable value chains—and frequently, the most sustainable way of ensuring that farmers have access to critical services once donor projects end. Our volunteers provide technical assistance in management, processing, and marketing to such organizations along our strategic value chains.
CNFA has been successfully implementing the FTF Program since 1992 and has developed an effective model for administering the program, from recruitment of agricultural experts in the US to successfully hosting volunteers in-country. Over the last 16 years, CNFA has fielded almost 1,500 volunteers in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique. During the last five years of implementation in the West NIS alone, CNFA volunteers have facilitated the sale of approximately $15 million in fresh and processed agricultural commodities; the extension of $20 million in rural credit; and the distribution of more than $7 million in agricultural inputs and services to farmers.
CNFA’s strong on-the-ground-presence in East Africa, extensive experience in agricultural development in the region over the past seven years and expansive networks in the agricultural sector serve as an ideal base for implementation of the East Africa FTF Program.
