Farmer-to-Farmer Program (F2F) in Eastern Europe, Caucasus, & Central Asia

Offering Technical Assistance in Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

The USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer Program in Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia (ECCA) promotes economic growth in the core countries of Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan through specialized volunteer technical assistance.

Since the inception of Farmer-to-Farmer in 1985, ACDI/VOCA has placed expert volunteers in more than 130 developing countries and emerging democracies. Our highly qualified volunteers support international agricultural development activities to improve operations and support services. With a focus on increasing productivity and profitability of relevant market systems, Farmer-to-Farmer helps raise the incomes of farmers, their organizations, and other agribusinesses.

Objectives

Increase agricultural sector productivity and profitability and generate broad-based economic growth
Strengthen the competitiveness of agricultural sector products, enterprises, and institutions
Promote sustainable improvements in food security and agricultural processing, production, and marketing
Increase the U.S. public’s understanding of international development issues and programs and international understanding of the U.S. and its development programs

Activities and Approaches

Address key constraints and target opportunities in market systems with high potential for growth
Work with hosts and partners, such as producer associations, private agribusinesses, national extension, and agricultural research institutions, to achieve project results and sustainability
Integrate women to ensure their equal access to the information and resources needed to invest, grow, and improve their enterprises
Build capacity in climate-smart agriculture management practices, e.g., conservation tillage, integrated pest management, water use, etc.
Armenia: Focus on rural enterprise development, through project partner VISTAA, to help small-scale agricultural, agritourism, and processing enterprises sustainably increase their incomes from the sale of quality goods and services by addressing constraints and bottlenecks
Georgia: Focus on food safety and rural enterprise development to foster sustainable, innovative, and inclusive economic growth of agricultural, agritourism, and processing enterprises by 1) increasing the quantity and quality of their products and services, 2) charging a premium for high-quality products, 3) improving market linkages, and 4) strengthening the capacity of enterprises to become reliable suppliers of safe and high-quality products and services
Kyrgyz Republic: Focus on agricultural education and training and rural enterprise development to 1) improve the level of education and training at Kyrgyz universities, vocational schools, and extension service providers to prepare students and agri-entrepreneurs for gainful employment and improved livelihoods and 2) to improve marketing, management, production, and processing techniques of agritourism and small-scale horticulture, orchard, meat, and dairy enterprises
Tajikistan: Focus on rural enterprise development, targeting Feed the Future priority areas in the southern region and supporting small- to medium-scale rural horticulture, orchard, and dairy enterprises in those areas