CNFA to Promote Agricultural Sector Economic Growth with American Volunteers

Washington, DC, October 2, 2008 - CNFA is pleased to announce the award of three Leader with Associates Cooperative Agreements from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement the John Ogonowski Farmer-to-Farmer Program (FTF) in Southern Africa; East Africa; and Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia regions.

Each $11 million five-year program promotes agricultural sector development through volunteer assistance targeted at smallholder farmers, agribusinesses and associations and support services enterprises. Targeted countries include Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Georgia, Moldova and Pakistan, with potential opportunities for expansion throughout the three regions.

Ultimately, FTF will generate rapid, sustained and broad-based economic growth in the agricultural sector and will seek to increase the American public's understanding of international development issues and programs as well as international understanding of the U.S. and U.S. development programs.

CNFA will target specific links along the agricultural value chain of selected high value commodities with high growth potential, working with smallholder farmers, entrepreneurs, cooperatives and associations. Activities will support the production and marketing of a range of staple and high value commodities such as dairy, fruit and vegetables, nuts, poultry, potatoes, grains, oilseed crops, legumes and horticulture.

By fielding more than 900 American volunteers, Farmer-to-Farmer will directly lead to increased incomes and revenues, adoption of improved technology, expanded access to financial resources, strengthened agricultural sector institutions and improved conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Volunteers will work with host organization in each country to impact more than 30,000 direct beneficiaries and 485,000 indirect beneficiaries.

CNFA has been implementing FTF activities since 1992 and is currently fielding volunteers to the Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus. With these programs, CNFA continues its highly successful volunteer program, directly improving the lives of farmers globally and encouraging American citizens to contribute to economic growth across the globe.