Press Release

USAID Awards CNFA Five-Year Feed The Future Liberia Agribusiness Development Activity

Program will improve access to inputs and technologies for more than 20,000 smallholder farmers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) a cooperative agreement, valued at $19.3 million, to implement the Feed the Future Liberia Agribusiness Development Activity (Liberia ADA) over the course of five years. As part of the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future initiative, Liberia ADA will expand access to quality inputs, finance, mechanization, agricultural advice, and markets to strengthen the food security and increase incomes for Liberian smallholder farmers. CNFA will pair matching grants with technical assistance to generate substantial increases in private sector investment in agribusinesses, agricultural input systems, post-harvest handling support, storage, packaging, transport, marketing, and auxiliary services.

“Through the promotion of private sector investment in the supply, distribution and management of input systems, Liberia ADA will catalyze growth in high-potential agricultural value chains,” said CNFA President and Chief Executive Officer Sylvain Roy. “As well as working with the private sector, we will adapt our successful model of developing and strengthening networks of agrodealers to increase access to and use of high-quality inputs and extension services.  By improving access to inputs, machinery, and processing technologies, this will also open opportunities for women and youth to improve their productivity and become involved in post-harvest agribusinesses.”

CNFA will draw upon a skilled consortium of local and international organizations, combining in-depth knowledge of the economic, social, and cultural environment of Liberia with quality technical and program management expertise. CNFA’s vision is that by 2019, Liberia will have more active input, processing and marketing systems for targeted value chains, reflected by an $8.75 million increase in total private investment resulting in an estimated $2,800 per person increase in smallholder farmer incomes.

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CNFA: Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA), an international development organization, specializes in designing sustainable, market-led agricultural initiatives. We build strong local and global partnerships, incorporate innovative approaches into our programs, and foster inclusive development to offer enhanced opportunities to under-served groups. Since 1985, CNFA has managed more than $580 million in donor-funded agriculture development programs and has worked in 43 countries across the world in Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and South and Central Asia.