CNFA has extensive experience in organizing volunteer-based training programs. We have conducted more than 1,000 volunteer assignments in Europe, Asia and Africa. Within the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer Program and through participation in the Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA), Volunteers for Prosperity and other economic development projects, we apply our experience and know-how to identify where expert volunteer training can make a valuable contribution to development and to design volunteer assignments to provide that training.

An Integrated Approach

Although they are usually only two weeks to a month long, our volunteer assignments contribute to our goal of long-term economic and agricultural growth. To maximize the impact of our volunteer assignments, we integrate them with existing projects when possible. We also ensure that each assignment contributes to the overall agricultural growth of the host country. Within our Farmer-to-Farmer programs, for instance, assignments are clustered around specific strategic value chains. Within these chains, we identify key host enterprises and provide targeted volunteer support, thus ensuring maximum impact.

Harnessing the Volunteer Spirit

We believe that America’s greatest resource is its people, and in its efforts to help other countries develop, the United States should harness Americans’ wonderful spirit of volunteerism. And many Americans are interested in applying their professional know-how with their desire to help others. The challenge is to acquaint these prospective volunteers with the opportunities that exist and then provide them and their overseas hosts the support they need to get acquainted and begin exchanging information. CNFA provides opportunities for active and retired businesspeople, farmers, bankers, professors, civil servants, and others to take short- and longer-term assignments to help less fortunate people respond to the demands of markets, improve production and increase their incomes.

A Proven Strategy

Using a rigorous project design and evaluation system, we ensure that assignments are designed to have a beneficial long-term impact. By building a relationship with the host and conducting a thorough needs assessment, our staff can create scopes of work that benefit the host and match the right volunteer to the project. After assignments end, we evaluate lessons learned, measure immediate results and monitor what the impact is going forward. For example, CNFA was able to report that 15,912 people in Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus experienced a total increase in income of over $1.2 million in one year, thanks to volunteer training received through the Farmer-to-Farmer Program.