CNFA's Farmer-to-Farmer (FTF) Program in Belarus is a three-year agricultural initiative for increasing technical expertise of farmers and food-processing enterprises, NGOs and agricultural/veterinary educational institutions.
Funded by the USAID Regional Mission to Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus as an associate award under the USAID FTF Program for Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (ECCA), the program is designed to build on past FTF success in Belarus, aiming to expand the role of the private sector in agriculture and assisting its integration into international market systems. Belarus is slowly transitioning from a command economy toward a freer, market-based economic system, and FTF volunteer assistance has proven to be an excellent method of bringing new technologies and practices to farms and processing enterprises struggling to modernize and compete in the global marketplace during this transition.
Associate Award activities are divided into four components, all of which include volunteer assistance:
- Post-harvest Management – Increase technical expertise of farmers, food processors and traders in improved post-harvest management practices.
- Value Addition – Increase technical expertise of farmers, food processors and agribusiness professionals in new product development and adding value to existing products.
- Agricultural Services – Increase expertise of NGOs in providing services to farmers and food processors.
- Agricultural Education – Improve the quality of agricultural and veterinary education offered in Belarus.
In addition to volunteer assistance, the program provides general evaluation of the Belarusian agricultural sector, as well as a specific assessment of post-harvest needs and value added activities and opportunities. The program also conducts conferences, roundtables and educational training events on key agricultural topics. In FY12, the program will sponsor US and regional study tours for entrepreneurs, educators, local government officials and other key actors in the agricultural sector.
Key impacts and successes to date include:
- Over 1,500 agricultural professionals trained through assistance provided to approximately 10 agricultural enterprises. Over 47 percent of those trained are women. Nearly 6,000 individuals have benefitted indirectly.
- Dzerzhinsk Farm relied on volunteer recommendations to increase its dairy cattle calving rates and newborn calf retention. Milk production increased by 15,500 pounds per cow. Volunteer recommendations also helped the host to increase premium milk production by 30 percent, resulting in $326,000 in increased revenue from milk sales.
- Dairy design firm SoyuzInvestStroi increased its net income by 12% as a result of volunteer assistance.
- Stolin Rural Development Fund created a website to disseminate a regular activities report to stakeholders. The fund also assisted a group of cucumber producers to establish and register the first marketing cooperative in Belarus.
- The International Foundation for Rural Development increased its client base by 8% through implementation of volunteer recommendations.
The Belarusian State Agricultural Academy began two on-going projects with volunteer assistance: a commercial activity-focused agribusiness course; and a new, modern dairy barn, which will be used as a hands-on learning center for students.
