Ursula Kohnen

Senior Value Chain Advisor, Agribusiness and Trade Promotion Program

Ursula Kohnen has 19 years of experience working on various aspects of agricultural development programs in Africa, including value chain analysis, financial management, human resources and organizational support to rural development. She has demonstrated expertise in assessing the managerial and financial capabilities of producer organizations. She also has in-depth experience in developing agricultural financing programs, establishing producer organizations, and commercializing agricultural products through a collective marketing approach. She currently works as Senior Value Chain Advisor for ACDI/VOCA’s RAISE PLUS Agribusiness and Trade Promotion program. As Senior Marketing Advisor for the Integrated Initiatives for Economic Growth (IICEM) project implemented by Abt Associates, Inc., and ACDI/VOCA, Ms. Kohnen led the development of a marketing work plan and marketing strategies for target commodities, including rice, potatoes, shallots, mangoes and tomatoes. She assisted with the promotion of group purchasing for increased competitiveness and maintained relationships with key project partners, including the government of Mali, key producer organizations, buyers in the target value chains and other donors. Ms. Kohnen also previously served as Project Director in Mali for the six-year, $7 million, CIDA-funded UPA-DI program, which supported a cereal producer cooperative union, Faso Jigi. In this capacity, Ms. Kohnen coordinated a financing program based on a collective market development system and created marketing tools in collaboration with Faso Jigi to ensure utilization of high-quality, professional commercialization strategies. Ms. Kohnen holds an M.S. in project management and a B.S. in animal science. She speaks fluent English, French and German.