Cashew:
Farmer to Farmer (F2F) Benin is working towards greater inclusivity in the cashew nut sub-sector by increasing productivity in the cashew nut value chain and increasing participation in market and trade. Volunteers are working closely with farmer cooperatives, microfinance institutions, and cashew nut and cashew apple processors.
Soybean
Farmer to Farmer Benin is working to improve agricultural practices and expand markets and trade in the soybean value chain. Volunteer will deliver trainings to help increase productivity, strengthen producer organizations, and increase access to credit and markets, and increase processing capacity. The project is aiming to reach many women and youth.
Crops:
F2F Ethiopia is working along cereal, pulse, and horticultural value chains to strengthen education, research and extension capabilities. The project also focuses on productivity improvement, access to markets and credit, product processing and value addition, and nutritional security. Volunteers also work to strengthen farmers associations, cooperative, and private sector enterprises through technology transfer and business management trainings.
Livestock:
F2F Ethiopia anticipates working in the livestock sector addressing low productivity, weak farmers’ organizations, seasonal price volatility, poor milk processing and value addition, underdeveloped market linkages, and limited access to finance and credit. The project could include meat cattle and small ruminants, dairy, and poultry. CRS hopes to leverage large export markets, the developing private sector, and multiple partnerships to strengthen its interventions.
-Volunteer training led to a partnership between the Catholic Secretariat and N2 Africa (a fertilizer promotion NGO) which funded a $25,000 pilot initiative to provide inoculant to 1,100 farmers, boosting yields by 20% on average and creating an immediate demand for inoculant. Over the next couple of years, almost 50,000 farmers bought inoculant. Demand for inoculant is now coming from other regions in the country as word travels through the media, government enthusiasm and word of mouth. The rhizobium company now sells to over 100,000 farmers each year, and the demand is growing. Read more about the story here.
-An F2F volunteer stepped in to provide crucial support to a University in Ethiopia experiencing a significant shortage of technical experts on nutritional research and development. Read more about the story here.
Crops:
F2F Nepal is working in the crops sub-sector addressing issues of low productivity, post-harvest handling, weak farmers’ organizations, underdeveloped market linkages, and limited access to finance, credit and trade services. Vegetables, apples, coffee, legumes (green beans, lentils), rice, oranges and maize have been identified as potential strategic crops for the project. This effort also proposes to focus on cross-cutting issues of growing youth populations and gender mainstreaming.
Livestock:
F2F Nepal works in the livestock sector addressing low productivity, limited value addition, underdeveloped market linkages, limited access to credit and finance, and weak farmers’ organizations. The project could include dairy, goat, fish, poultry and honeybees as strategic livestock commodities. The livestock sector has the potential to provide opportunities for youth and women engagement in various activities along different livestock value chains.
Horticulture:
F2F Rwanda anticipates improving the country’s horticulture sector by addressing low production, post-harvest losses, weak farmer cooperatives, and food insecurity. Volunteers are working to improve these area through organizational capacity development and the transfer of improved productivity technologies.
Maize:
F2F Rwanda is supporting the country’s maize sector by addressing low production, post-harvest losses, pests and diseases, and the skills gap in productivity and profitability. Volunteers meet these needs by providing support in the areas of production, productivity, and organizational capacity.
A Rwandan farmer’s yield doubled after a Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer training on replenishing soil fertility and working within the local ecosystem. Read more about the story here.
General Agriculture:
F2F Timor Leste anticipates working in the general agriculture sector in the country program focusing on horticulture, livestock (pig and poultry), konjac, coconut and candlenut value chains. Volunteer assignments will focus on addressing low productivity, inadequate value addition, malnutrition, and underdeveloped market linkages. CRS hopes to work with organizations with high numbers of women and youth to ensure movement toward more gender equitable solutions.
An East Timorese volunteer supported vegetable growers during COVID 19 resulting in a 400% sales increase at his own employer. read more about the story here.
Agribusiness:
F2F Uganda works in agribusiness value chains addressing low production, post-harvest losses, value addition, low farmer market engagement, poor access to credit, and weak farmers’ organizations. This effort also focuses on cross-cutting issues of growing youth populations and gender mainstreaming.
Livestock:
F2F Uganda works in the livestock sector addressing low productivity, limited value addition, low quality products, limited access to credit and finance, and weak farmers’ organizations. The project includes meat cattle, dairy, and poultry. This effort also focuses on cross-cutting issues of growing youth populations and gender mainstreaming.
F2F volunteer training on new fish farming techniques brightened business prospects for Kabeihura Farmers Limited (KFL). KFL supplied 300 smallholder farmers with fingerlings and shared these new techniques t0 70 fish farmers. These trainings improved farmer success in raising fish and helped KFL reduce its budget for on-farm support. Read more about the story here.