USAID Launches Agribusiness Investment Activity To Promote Private Sector Investment in Agriculture

USAID Launches Agribusiness Investment Activity To Promote Private Sector Investment in Agriculture

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New ‘Feed the Future’ initiative will strengthen Nigeria’s business enabling environment to boost private sector investment in select agribusiness value chains 

ABUJA, Nigeria — Under a new contract with Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA), an international agricultural development organization, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) recently launched the new Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity.

This activity aims to help Nigeria develop and strengthen a more business-enabling environment through promotion of private-sector investment in agriculture.  Through CNFA, USAID will work to improve the ease of doing business in the agricultural sector, broaden access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses, and promote investment opportunities for agribusinesses to expand and scale up operations. Read more 

A Reminder of Our Mission: Stimulating Economic Growth and Improving Livelihoods by Cultivating Entrepreneurship in Georgia

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Stimulating Economic Growth and Improving Livelihoods by Cultivating Entrepreneurship in Georgia

On February 8, The White House announced the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, W-GDP. Featured at the signing was Nino Zambakhidze, a grantee from the CNFA-implemented Agribusiness Development Activity funded by the  the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). Watch the full signing here or read her story here to learn how Nino turned her two-cow farming operation into one of the largest farming operations in Georgia.

The Clock Is Ticking on Global Food Security

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By Sylvain Roy, President and CEO of CNFA

Today more than 800 million people around the world suffer from undernutrition. Millions more live at the edge of hunger, where a single weather event or crop pest can launch a new cycle of undernourishment.

Food insecurity hinders nearly every aspect of human life, subjecting undernourished populations to a range of physical and societal ills—including higher childhood mortality, stunted growth, susceptibility to disease, lack of economic opportunity, poor education, and victimization by radical movements. Read more

Opinion: The role of trade in sustainable development

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This article by Cargill’s Devry Boughner Vorwerk was originally published in Devex on April 23, 2018. Vorwerk is also on the Board of Directors at CNFA.

Across the world, developed and developing countries alike are advancing their commitments toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. From health, education, and women’s empowerment to no poverty, life on land, life below water, and sustainable consumption, the ambitious agenda of the SDGs is creating opportunities for all countries and all people.

But there is one action within the SDG framework that has been underestimated: That action is trade. Read more

 

International development benefits donors and beneficiaries alike

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By Sylvain Roy, President & CEO of CNFA. Originally published in Agri-Pulse on March 6, 2018.

International development efforts designed to drive economic growth through agriculture generate a wide range of benefits for populations in less developed areas of the world.

These projects have transformed local economies in some of the world’s poorest regions—reducing hunger, increasing food security, creating jobs and laying the groundwork for a better future for millions of people.

It’s no secret that economic stability is a prerequisite for stable nations, as people who see a positive future ahead are far less inclined to be attracted by extremist ideologies. Read more

Sylvain Roy, CNFA President & CEO

Behind the Success of the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer Approach

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CNFA experts examining bean plant at Exagris Farm in Malawi.

In this guest post, Sylvain Roy, CEO and President of Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) champions the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer Program as a highly effective approach to improving the productivity and sustainability of agriculture in the developing world.

The U.S. Agency for International Development’s John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer program (F2F) is very likely our nation’s single most cost-effective and successful effort to assist developing countries around the world. Read more

USAID, Nestlé, others partner to train agro-business owners in Kaduna State

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The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Nestlé Nigeria Plc, Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA) and VEGA-member Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) have announced a new partnership programme to train farmers, workers and small businesses in Kaduna State.

The move is to promote viable agricultural supply chains for improving national economy. The pact titled: “Feed the Future Nigeria and Nestlé Maize Quality Improvement Partnership (M-QIP)”, will help farmers learn how to reduce crop contaminants, help sustainably increase the safety and quality of maize and soybeans, which would improve health, nutrition and livelihoods in their communities. Read more

Dr. Daney Jackson featured in OSU Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership Alumni Spotlight

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Daney Jackson came to Ohio State to obtain a doctorate in agricultural and extension education. Graduating in 1994 with that degree, he moved on to work for a number of extension services, the United States Department of Agriculture and now with the Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture. Jackson now resides in Port Matilda, Pennsylvania.

[ACEL]: Hi Daney! Why did you decide to get a Ph.D. at Ohio State?
[Jackson]: Having already started a career in Extension, deciding to get a Ph.D. was a commitment down that path.  I did examine some other routes but the Ph.D. in Agricultural and Extension Education was the best fit for my professional path. Read more

Foreign aid isn’t just about helping foreign people

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By Bill Lingren, CEO of Trécé, Inc.

I am a solid believer in keeping America’s businesses strong and growing— particularly here in Oklahoma.

I founded Trécé, Inc., in Salinas, California, in 1984 and expanded the company there for 18 years. I could have grown my company — which develops, manufactures and sells state-of-the-art insect monitoring and control systems — anywhere in the country. But I moved the company to Oklahoma in 2002 which provides many opportunities for small business growth. Now, 33 years after its founding, Trécé ships Oklahoma-made products to farm-focused distributors in 50 states and more than 60 countries worldwide. Read more