CNFA will look back on 2019 as a year in which we continued to work towards achieving our mission to stimulate economic growth and improve the livelihoods of thousands of smallholder farmers, their families and workers in 26 countries around the world.

Several CNFA Board members had the extraordinary opportunity to examine these achievements first-hand early last year when we visited Rwanda to observe some of the accomplishments produced by the USAID-funded Feed the Future Hinga Weze Activity, implemented by CNFA. Our organization’s unique collaboration with the Rwanda Agricultural Board and the Republic of Rwanda Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources is without doubt one of the keys to the success we witnessed in generating sustainable development in the nation. We ended the March 22-29, 2019 tour keenly impressed by the commitment of our Hinga Weze beneficiaries and partners. This past year, we also strengthened our Board with the addition of three new members with strong backgrounds and expertise in agribusinesses, agricultural technology and entrepreneurship.

We also marked increased collaboration between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and CNFA as a result of our new PRO-Cashew project, which is working to improve the marketing of cashew nuts in five West African countries. From its project base in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, PRO-Cashew also collaborates closely with the USDA-funded Maximizing Opportunities in Cocoa Activity (MOCA), implemented by CNFA, which is increasing incomes for hundreds of Ivorian cocoa growers.

As 2019 drew to a close, our teams in Burkina Faso and Niger were working to wrap up about five years of impressive gains, including supporting over 42,500 value chain actors generated by the USAID-funded Resilience and Economic Growth in the Sahel–Accelerated Growth (REGIS-AG), implemented by CNFA.

Further in South Asia, the USAID-funded Pakistan Agricultural Technology Transfer Activity (PATTA), implemented by CNFA, was working with 37 companies and hundreds of dealers across Pakistan to improve smallholder farmer access to affordable, and appropriate agricultural technologies. By the close of 2019, Pakistan’s private sector had invested $1.8+ million in agricultural entrepreneurship and 44,027 individuals working in the country’s agriculture sector had applied improved practices and new technologies.

These are only a few examples of the initiatives managed by CNFA across during 2019.

At the time of this report, the COVID-19 pandemic regretfully continues to exert an additional level of stress on the livelihoods and incomes of farmers, food processors, and other key market actors. During this extraordinary period, CNFA continues to work overtime to help our teams and beneficiaries respond quickly and effectively to the evolving situation.

As the past year has proven time and again—CNFA’s success is rooted in the dedication and passion of our staff members and partners. And we look to them once again to bring our beneficiaries—and all of us—safely and successfully through 2020.

Best wishes,

Elin D. Miller and Sylvain Roy