Ground Nuts/Peanut Production 

Farmer to Farmer Description

Farmer-to-Farmer is a USAID-funded initiative to send American agricultural/agribusiness experts to developing countries to offer technical assistance to our host organizations. These trips are volunteer-based, but with all expenses covered by CNFA, and typically last between two and three weeks.

Assignment

Nkanya Producers and Marketing Society Cooperation Limited (NPMSCL) produces two products; soya milk and peanut butter (locally called chiponde). The main inputs for their products are groundnuts and soy beans which are grown by the farmers themselves. The majority of the ground nut farmers have never received formal training in ground nut farming, and use traditional methods which result in low yields. The farmers lack up-to-date production information on groundnut farming. The farmers also lack knowledge on proper varieties of groundnuts suitable for processing.

The farmers would like to increase their yield of ground nuts to increase the quantity of product that can be sold raw, as well as sold as value-added products. The cooperative therefore has requested a Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer to train them in proper ground nut farming techniques in order to increase their yields. The training will involve the general management of ground nuts plants starting from land preparation to harvesting.

Desired Impacts

• Increase in total commodity production
• Improved yield and quality of ground nuts

Desire Qualification of Volunteer

• Experienced ground nuts farmer or experience with ground nuts production
• Previous experience working with rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa is preferred, but not required
• Must be citizen or permanent resident of the U.S.

Applying

Please email your CV to F2Finfo@cnfa.org with ‘Ground Nuts/Peanut Production’ as the subject.

Farmer-to-Farmer is a USAID-funded initiative to send American agricultural/agribusiness experts to developing countries to offer technical assistance to our host organizations. These trips are volunteer-based, but with all expenses covered by CNFA, and typically last between two and three weeks.

Assignment

Teka Funtuka, a farm association based out of Tomboco, focuses on the production of onions, tomatoes, and green peppers. In 2014, the members of the association faced challenges with their yield, due to a pest infestation and crop disease. The farm association has requested a volunteer to provide technical assistance on integrated pest management and crop disease prevention.

Desired Impacts

• Increased knowledge of Integrated Pest Management techniques for vegetables; specifically for tomatoes, green peppers, and onions
• Ultimately, increased production and profits for member of the farm association

Desired Qualifications

• Practical experience in vegetable production and pest management
• Experience in teaching (particularly adult education)
• Willingness to work for a week or more in a rural town in Angola
• Previous experience working with rural communities, in Sub-Saharan Africa is preferred, but not required
• Must be citizen or permanent resident of the U.S

Applying

Please email your CV to F2Finfo@cnfa.org with ‘Disease control (Tomato, Green Pepper, Onion)’ as the subject.

Farmer to Farmer Description

Farmer-to-Farmer is a USAID-funded initiative to send American agricultural/agribusiness experts to developing countries to offer technical assistance to our host organizations. These trips are volunteer-based, but with all expenses covered by CNFA, and typically last between two and three weeks.

Assignment

The host, a private farmer based out of Dondo, Mozambique, aspires to expand his existing business to include the production ofsoy based animal feed through a strategic partnership with local soybeanproducers.

Desired Impacts

• Assist in the development of a production plan
• Assist farmers in defining resources necessary to implement the production plan (labor, machinery, tools, etc.)
• Assist farmers in developing a clear vision for the business venture and partnership

Desired Qualifications

• Experience developing business/strategic plans, preferably in the agricultural industry
• A backgroundin agricultural production
• Previous experience working with rural communities, in Sub-Saharan Africa is preferred but not required
• Must be citizen or permanent resident of the U.S

How to Apply

Please email your CV to F2Finfo@cnfa.org with ‘Business Plan Development for Soy-Based Animal Feed’ as the subject.

2014 represented a significant year in the development of CNFA. During this past September, my colleagues gathered together with some of CNFA’s Board members to discuss and design our organization’s strategic plan for the next three years. This resulted in the creation of an ambitious Road Map to guide CNFA in better serving our beneficiaries, partners and employees. But most importantly, it reminded me and our entire staff of why we do what we do: to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by helping them become more sustainable and economically viable.

And through my communication with colleagues located in 15 countries, as well as with our program partners, I see this happening every day. Through the USAID-funded Livestock Market Development project, our team is helping to improve the competitiveness of meat, live animal and dairy value chains in Ethiopia. We work with four local organizations that are at the frontline of project implementation, engaging with hundreds of beneficiaries daily. By working with local partners, we strengthen their capacity, which in return not only helps to better serve project beneficiaries but also helps the organizations become more sustainable. We support similar approaches in our other projects including the recently launched USAID-funded Resilience and Economic Growth in the Sahel – Accelerated Growth focused on strengthening market access for cow peas, small ruminants, and poultry in Niger and Burkina Faso. And through our USAID Food for Peace program in Zimbabwe, we partner with a local grassroots organization to improve the resilience of communities prone to shocks by implementing food for asset interventions and supporting early warning systems.

As we strive to maximize program impact for beneficiaries and continue to build stronger local and global partnerships, we place an equal importance on the development of our staff. We’ve added new resources and tools to help equip our staff to grow both personally and professionally. Our open-door office culture makes it easy for staff to communicate across all departments and management levels. But something that I’m particularly proud of is our staff’s role in CNFA’s large rebranding initiative.

Our new tagline, Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture, came as an idea from a staff member who felt that this betpt>ter represents the work we do and our commitment to both our beneficiaries and partners. I couldn’t agree more. The tagline, along with our new logo, serves as another reminder of how we aim to be at the forefront of sustainable development and incorporate innovative and entrepreneurial interventions into our approach.

Together, with our employees and partners, I feel that we are well positioned to lead by example. While 2014 will be remembered as a year of significant growth and development for our organization, 2015 will mark our 30th year anniversary and will provide the chance to put our Road Map in action. On behalf of the entire organization, we look forward to working with you.

SYLVAIN ROY
CNFA President & CEO