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.

The agreement will increase the incomes of thousands of small-scale farmers engaged in Ethiopia’s dairy sector 

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Sept. 3, 2015 — The U.S. Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands signed an agreement today to work together on the development of Ethiopia’s dairy sector. The collaboration will provide significant expertise from both sides to benefit suppliers, farmers, processors, consumers and exporters engaged in the dairy sector. Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The program, in partnership with USAID, consists of a $21 million series of grants, training sessions and technical improvements designed to improve farming techniques and boost domestic and international market access for Pakistani meat, vegetables, mangoes, and citrus by nearly $140 million over the next four years. Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Since joining CNFA in February as our Food Security and Livelihoods Technical Lead, Sheryl Cowan has made distinguished contributions to our team by bringing a new level of professionalism, expertise and innovation to enhance our new business development efforts.  Ms. Cowan has more than 24 years of experience in development with a focus on food security and livelihood strengthening.  Before joining CNFA, Ms. Cowan most recently served as the Sustainable Food and Agriculture Systems Director for International Relief and Development, Inc, (IRD), the Deputy Resident Country Director in Mali for a $465 million compact for the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a Peace Corps Country Director in Benin, a Country Director in Niger and in Mali for Africare.  Ms. Cowan began her career as an Agriculture Peace Corps Volunteer in Lesotho.

Ms. Cowan brings experience in more than 10 developing countries, is proficient in French and contributes skills in program design and management, training and capacity building.  Ms. Cowan holds a Master of International and Intercultural Management with a dual concentration in Sustainable Development and Training from the School for International Training (SIT).

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 2015 — CNFA and GSI Group have launched a strategic partnership aimed at promoting food storage and protein production systems as a critical way to improve farm productivity and food security. This partnership will notably strive to significantly reduce the multi-billion dollar food losses that occur yearly due to insufficient and inadequate post-harvest infrastructures in Sub-Sahara Africa. It will also leverage CNFA’s close proximity to thousands of smallholder farmers in Africa with GSI’s cutting-edge, scalable technologies for grain and perishable storage.

GSI, a global brand of AGCO, is a world class manufacturer of grain storage, material handling, conditioning and drying equipment, as well as a full line supplier of swine and poultry production equipment. GSI Group, LLC President Tom Welke and CNFA President and CEO Sylvain Roy released the following statement:

“This partnership has the potential to dramatically improve smallholder farmers’ incomes and nutritional status by reducing their post-harvest losses.  An alliance between CNFA – a premier agricultural non-profit development organization – and GSI  – a world-class agribusiness company – demonstrates how working together and merging our collective years of experience, can result in new and innovative approaches to address food losses.  We believe that our partnership can significantly impact millions of rural households’ food security and help strengthen the local economy.”

CNFA and GSI are currently developing solutions and technologies to be introduced in the near future.  Among the most promising innovations will be the introduction of a village-level, solar- powered cold storage for perishables that will allow smallholder farmers to reduce waste and losses, while improving their access to new and existing markets.

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About CNFA: Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture, an international development organization, specializes in designing sustainable, market-led agricultural initiatives.  CNFA builds strong local and global partnerships, incorporates innovative approaches in its programs, and fosters inclusive development to offer enhanced opportunities to under-served groups.  Since 1985, CNFA has managed more than $510 million in donor-funded agriculture development programs and has worked in 42 countries across the world in Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and South and Central Asia. For more information, visit www.cnfa.org.

About AGCO: AGCO (NYSE: AGCO) is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery. AGCO supports more productive farming through a full line of tractors, combines, hay tools, sprayers, forage equipment, grain storage and protein production systems, seeding and tillage implements and replacement parts. AGCO products are sold through five core machinery brands, Challenger®, Fendt®, GSI®, Massey Ferguson® and Valtra® and are distributed globally through a combination of approximately 3,100 independent dealers and distributors in more than 140 countries. Founded in 1990, AGCO is headquartered in Duluth, GA, USA. In 2014, AGCO had net sales of $9.7 billion. For more information, visit www.AGCOcorp.com and www.gsiag.com

Press inquiries CNFA contact: PublicRelations@cnfa.org, 202.296.3920 — AGCO Rebecca Fabian, Senior Consultant Instinctif Partners, 646-415-8518, Rebecca.Fabian@instinctif.com

Partnerships Key in Developing Cuba’s Agricultural Sector

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Returning from a four-day learning trip to Cuba, Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) Board Members and former United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretaries John Block and Michael Espy, along with CNFA’s President and CEO Sylvain Roy, called on Congress to end the U.S. embargo on Cuba.

From March 1-4, 2015, CNFA joined more than 95 members of the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba (USACC) on a learning journey to Cuba, traveling across the country and visiting several farm operations to learn more about Cuba’s agricultural economy.  The delegation also met with Cuban businesses and government leaders as an important first step towards fostering potential partnerships in advance of normalized trade relations.

On their return to the U.S., Block, Espy and Roy released the following statement:

“Ending more than a half century of trade restrictions will provide a two-way trade and new market opportunity for both Cuban and American farmers.  This is our chance to work together with the Cuban people and help develop their agricultural sector. Such a partnership will truly create long-term growth in Cuba and help develop relationships between the government, private sector and farmers.

There are several organizations and firms in the U.S. that can help open the flow of the technology and expertise necessary to improve Cuban agricultural production.  Helping to expand the potential of Cuban agriculture through these partnerships will be instrumental in the development of a vibrant commercial environment between the U.S. and Cuba.”

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CNFA: Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture, an international development organization, specializes in designing sustainable, market-led agricultural initiatives.  CNFA builds strong local and global partnerships, incorporates innovative approaches in its programs, and fosters inclusive development to offer enhanced opportunities to under-served groups.  Since 1985, CNFA has managed more than $510 million in donor-funded agriculture development programs and has worked in 42 countries across the world in Africa, Eastern Europe, Latina America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and South and Central Asia.

Visit us at www.cnfa.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — CNFA welcomed Peter Dickrell as its new vice president of programs in June, shortly after Sylvain Roy, who previously held the position, officially assumed his new role as CNFA’s President and Chief Executive Officer. As CNFA’s Vice President of Programs, Dickrell provides program vision and ongoing technical assistance to CNFA’s worldwide portfolio. On August 25, Russ Webster joined CNFA as the new Vice President for New Business Development. As CNFA’s Vice President for New Business Development, Webster leads CNFA’s new business process, including identification of upcoming opportunities, development of strategic partnerships, technical writing and management of multiple proposal teams.

Dickrell brings more than 35 years of experience working in agribusiness and agricultural development. He began his career as a Peace Corp volunteer in Jamaica and went on to become a USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Officer specializing in developing new export markets for U.S. agricultural products. He continued this work with the California Raisin Advisory Board while he attended San Joaquin College of Law and received a Juris Doctorate degree. Dickrell’s law practice included the major agricultural cooperatives in California including: Sun-Maid Raisins, Diamond Walnuts and Land O’Lakes. During this time, he continued working with agribusinesses in the Philippines, Ecuador, Honduras and Vietnam.

In 2000, Dickrell became Chief of Party of a United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded dairy development project in Honduras. Over the next 13 years he was instrumental in implementing USAID-funded projects in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iraq, Honduras and Ecuador. These projects totaled more than $200 million and were pivotal in reconstructing agriculture in difficult and challenging environments. The USAID programs overseen by Dickrell resulted in 7,000 new jobs, over 100,000 total beneficiaries, the creation of 28 agribusiness and food processing factories, and the establishment of 10,000 hectares of new high value agricultural production including orchards and vineyards. Dickrell holds a degree in Business Management from St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota, and obtained his Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics from Washington State University.

Webster brings extensive public and private sector leadership in rural finance, small enterprise development, governance, local economic development, policy and regulatory reform to CNFA’s New Business Team. With experience in more than 40 countries in regions all over the world, Webster has demonstrated a deep understanding of the international development industry and the management of developing successful business proposals.

His most recent position was an independent consultant and advisor on business development strategies and action plans for organizational growth and diversification. Prior to his consultancy work, he served as the president of Cardno Emerging Markets USA for three years. While at Cardno, Webster managed a portfolio of contracts and cooperative agreements in excess of $200 million with multiple clients including USAID, World Bank, AusAID, UK Department for International Development (DFID), African Development Bank, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), Center for Disease Control, Nike Foundation and other select commercial clients. Before that, he held senior leadership positions at DAI, Management Systems International (MSI) and Nathan Associates. Webster also served on the Boards for the Corporate Council on Africa, the Council of International Development Companies, Leadership Forum International and International Development Enterprises. He is a member of the Society for International Development and frequently lectures as a guest speaker for events sponsored by USAID, The George Washington University, Georgetown University and MCC. He holds an MPA in Rural Development Administration from Michigan State University.

CNFA, based in Washington, D.C., stimulates economic growth and improves rural livelihoods by empowering the private sector. CNFA’s unique approach is founded on six core capacities: 1) commercial input supply and farm services; 2) economic resilience and rapid recovery; 3) agricultural productivity, food security and nutrition; 4) value chain development; 5) volunteer technical assistance and 6) access to finance. CNFA has worked in 42 countries worldwide and implemented more than $474 million in donor-funded programs. For more information, visit www.cnfa.org.

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SHASHEMANE, Oromia Region, Ethiopia, June 12, 2014 — The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), held a ribbon cutting ceremony today for the Shashemane Farm Service Center (FSC). It is the sixth such center to open in Oromia Region, joining FSCs in Ambo, Bishoftu, Dodola, Fiche and Nekemte. The FSCs provide a complete range of supplies such as quality seeds, fertilizers, plant protection products, and veterinary products; information; and marketing links for Ethiopian smallholders, allowing them to make the step from subsistence to commercial production.

Implemented by CNFA, formerly the Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs, the Commercial Farm Service Program provides grants and training to rural entrepreneurs, both men and women, to create Ethiopian-owned retail farm supply and service centers. These private businesses will serve as innovative models in Ethiopia and throughout Africa.

“USAID and CNFA are pleased to bring these commercial farm service centers with quality supplies, reliable products and extension services to smallholder farmers at fair prices to assist them to increase their production and household income,” said USAID Ethiopia Mission Director Dennis Weller. “Shashemane is the sixth farm service center in Oromia and we expect it will fast become a center of support to farmers in surrounding areas.”

Following a competitive application process, each of the six Ethiopian-owned enterprises received a $40,000 grant that requires a minimum of 1:1 match on behalf of the entrepreneur to ensure that the FSC owner is invested in the enterprise.

“The extended support and unreserved efforts of USAID will allow us to import supplies directly from abroad, to cut out the middle men and to sell products at a lower price,” remarked Adanech Zewdie, the owner and operator of the Shashemane FSC. “This is a big achievement and great news to smallholder farmers in Shashemane.”

The Commercial Farm Service Program is a two-year pilot activity of USAID supported by President Obama’s Feed the Future Initiative. Through Feed the Future, USAID is helping vulnerable households participate in economic activities and generate demand for products. These activities bring jobs and income opportunities for rural households.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — CNFA announced its appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) after its current CEO, John Costello, announced his retirement effective this May.  After completion of the succession planning effort, the CNFA Board of Directors decided to tap Sylvain Roy with the official transition occurring in early June.  Sylvain has served the past five years as CNFA’s Executive Vice President of Programs and brings more than 25 years of project management experience including field work in Burkina Faso, Kosovo, Togo, Cameroon and Mali.

The Board reached a conclusion after a two-day meeting that ended yesterday afternoon.  Costello will transition into a senior advisor and member of the CNFA Board.  Costello, who has served as the CEO of CNFA for 29 years, has grown the company to include a portfolio of more than $474 million in donor funds for program implementation in 38 countries.

CNFA’s Board of Directors is comprised of:

-Chairman John R. Block, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture

-John J. Cavanaugh, former U.S. Congressman of Nebraska

-Michael Espy, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture

-Richard P. Reising, former Senior Vice President of Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), a global agribusiness company

-Elin D. Miller, current principal of Elin Miller Consulting, LLC

CNFA, based in Washington, D.C., stimulates economic growth and improves rural livelihoods by empowering the private sector.  CNFA’s unique approach is founded on six core capacities: 1) commercial input supply and farm services; 2) economic resilience and rapid recovery; 3) agricultural productivity, food security and nutrition; 4) value chain development; 5) volunteer technical assistance and 6) access to finance. CNFA has worked in over 38 countries worldwide and impacted the lives of more than 70 million people.  For more information, visit www.cnfa.org.

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