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Perspectives: |
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Funding
for Development
The Jan. 11
New York Times reported: "According to a recent report by
Oxfam, an international relief agency founded in Britain,
the aid budgets of rich nations are now half of what they
were in 1960 relative to GDP. Wealthy nations spend more on
their militaries and on farm subsidies than they do on
foreign aid." In this country, President Bush submitted on
Feb. 7 his administration's 2006 budget to Congress which,
while seeking an additional $3.1 billion for the general
foreign assistance category, cuts core development programs.
The president's innovative Millennium Challenge Account is
funded for 2006 at 40 percent below the originally promised
$5 billion. The NGO coalition
InterAction notes a migration
of funds out of development and food assistance, child
survival, health and international organizations and
programs and into refugee assistance, international disaster
and famine assistance, the office of transition initiatives
and HIV/AIDS programs.
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Marcy Participates in Soy Panel
Jennifer Marcy, project
coordinator in ACDI/VOCA's Food for Development Division,
participated in a panel at the World Initiative for Soy in Human
Health (WISHH) Food Aid Conference on Feb. 16 in Washington. The
panel addressed "Value-added Soy Products in the
Relief-to-Development Continuum." Jennifer spoke in detail about
ACDI/VOCA's use of nutritious corn-soy blend in HIV/AIDS care in
Uganda. Other panelists represented WISHH, the National Soybean
Research Laboratory and the Canadian nonprofit Malnutrition Matters.
ACDI/VOCA's Title II HIV/AIDS program in Uganda enhances the food
security of 60,000 people annually by distributing supplementary
food rations to those afflicted with HIV/AIDS, their dependents,
children and orphans. Other components of ACDI/VOCA's Uganda program
transform smallholder subsistence farmers into viable commercial
producers, thereby increasing rural household income and food
security and creating broad-based growth.
We Get Letters
On Feb. 13 ACDI/VOCA's $20 million Serbia project, Community
Revitalization for Democratic Action, hosted a delegation from
USAID's Support for East European Democracy program. USAID's Art
Flanagan, an AID official in Belgrade, e-mailed ACDI/VOCA's Gene
Neill, to say thanks. He wrote, "The SEED Delegation, headed by Tom
Adams, were all very impressed with the projects they saw, and even
more impressed by the ACDI/VOCA and community people who explained
the programs. As Tom mentioned, he has seen many successful
USAID-ACDI/VOCA partnerships throughout this region. Now he can add
Serbia to his list."
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ACDI/VOCA's Janice Stallard Hosts Online Conference
A recent e-conference, presented by microLINKS, examined
"Microfinance in Central Asia." The Speaker's Corner event, the
second in a series, convened December 14-16 and discussed lessons
learned, particularly in regulation and legislation. Janice
submitted commentary on the ACDI/VOCA-led Central Asia Micro Finance
Alliance’s efforts to teach good governance to microfinance
organizations. She said, "We believe that by establishing
transparent governing structures, microlending organizations will
have a stronger basis from which to grow, expand and reach more
micro-entrepreneurs." CAMFA is a multi-million dollar regional USAID-funded
project that is strengthening the lending community in Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The Alliance's other
participants are FINCA and the Polish Micro Finance Center. See Janice's
full commentary.
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Volunteer Holcombe
Busy as a ....
After three beekeeping assignments in Azerbaijan, ACDI/VOCA
volunteer Ed Holcombe of Shelbyville, Tenn., knew the shortcomings
of traditional Azeri beehives. He therefore suggested a volunteer
assignment to teach the construction of improved hives. Local
authorities and ACDI/VOCA roundly endorsed the proposal, especially
since Ed offered to finance it. In advance of his departure in early
March, Ed purchased and shipped sufficient materials to construct
model hives in each of five locations around the country. To cover
materials and shipping for the assignment, Ed raised $2,500 and made
up the remaining $73 with a personal donation. He also obtained a
contribution of 50 hammers from Stanley Tools, which that company
shipped directly to Baku. ACDI/VOCA recruiter Diana Roach says,
"Holcombe was already known for his extra effort. Before each
assignment, he has pencils made up that feature the name ACDI/VOCA,
an image of a bee and the word 'teacher' in the local language, and
he passes these out wherever he goes. However, his fundraising this
time sets a new standard for commitment."
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News
from HQ: |
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ACDI/VOCA Board
Reviews 2004 Accomplishments
 The
ACDI/VOCA Board of Directors met in Washington on Feb. 18 to review
the organization's status and receive the 2005 Work Plan. The Board
heard management report on the company's increasing technical
proficiency in ACDI/VOCA's four practice areas (Enterprise
Development, Agribusiness Systems, Financial Systems, Community
Development), important new contract wins, substantial growth in
revenues and corporate reserves, and an array of operational
improvements. With respect to the 2005 work plan, ACDI/VOCA will
continue to enhance technical capacity, with an underlying goal of
building on ACDI/VOCA's strengths in implementing large, complex
projects. The new 19-minute general information video, "Expanding
Opportunities Worldwide," was well received by the Board, as was a
proposed Board mission later in the year to view projects in the
field.
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ACDI/VOCA's
Tsunami Response
While A/V is not organized to provide immediate relief we are gearing up
for the important phase of post-tsunami economic revitalization. In
February, Vice President Dr. Jim Holderbaum led an ACDI/VOCA
fact-finding team to the worst-hit areas to determine a useful role.
ACDI/VOCA is exploring establishing local resource management
authorities to channel international relief and rehabilitation funds
into loans and grants for the purpose of value chain investments in
fisheries, horticultural crops, cocoa and other subsectors. ACDI/VOCA is
also organizing a public-private symposium to highlight appropriate
technologies related to debris clearing, recycling of concrete aggregate
for rehabilitation of roads and artificial reefs, recycling/recomposition
of wood debris to meet housing demand, soil desalinization and
composting of organic debris and silt.
ACDI/VOCA would like to thank the more than 250 consultants and
volunteers who indicated a willingness to serve in reconstruction and
rehabilitation efforts once definite programming opportunities emerge.
For now, we are still interested in identifying experts for prospective
short-term service in: enterprise development, agriculture/agribusiness,
fisheries, infrastructure, tourism, community development/mobilization,
monitoring and evaluation, and credit/microcredit. Resumes should be
sent to volunteer@acdivoca.org.
Congressional
Delegation Visits ACDI/VOCA's Colombia Program
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| Congressional
delegation inspects coffee de-pulping machine at an ACDI/VOCA
project site. With the right training and tools, coffee can be
an attractive crop for Colombian coca farmers looking to switch
to legal crops. |
In Jan. U.S. Congressman
Jerry Weller (R-IL), led a bipartisan Official Congressional Delegation
to Colombia, Panama and Honduras to explore efforts against illegal drug
trafficking, the promotion of alternative crops such as coffee and the
expansion of trade. Weller is a member of the House International
Relations and Ways and Means Committees. He was accompanied by
Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Congressman Collin Peterson
(D-Minn.). "Our delegation visited the front lines of the drug war where
coca is cultivated for cocaine. We saw first hand the eradication of
these crops, but importantly, we also saw farmers receiving help to
cultivate legal crops such as coffee," said Weller. In concert with its
partners, the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), the Coffee
Quality Institute (CQI), and Federacion Nacional de Cafeteros de
Colombia (FEDERACAFE), ACDI/VOCA's Specialty Coffee Program helps
Colombian growers enhance the quality of their coffee and earn dramatic
increases in income. ACDI/VOCA provides specialized training, processing
equipment and storage facilities for participants.
ChevronTexaco Presence
in Angola a Model
The Angola Partnership Initiative between USAID and ChevronTexaco won
this year's Global Development Alliance Excellence Award from USAID for
its fusion of public and private sector efforts in rebuilding Angolan
agricultural production and rehabilitating farm-to-market roads. While
ACDI/VOCA is not funded under this initiative, we are nonetheless a
party to ChevronTexaco's wide-reaching and constructive public-private
relationship with Angola under a separate agreement with the Cabinda
Gulf Oil Company (CABGOC), of which ChevronTexaco is a partner. An
Angolan law provides that each oil drilling block put aside a percentage
of profits for social projects, and thus $2,943,323 has been generated
to fund ACDI/VOCA's project, which is operated under an alliance joining
ACDI/VOCA, CABGOC and USAID. The objective is to support sustainable
development of the small-scale agribusiness sector in Cabinda Province,
focusing initially on the production of horticultural crops for sale to
the local oil terminal as well as to markets in Angolan cities and in
neighboring countries. ACDI/VOCA provides technical assistance in order
to develop effective, profitable, business-like organizations that are
able to plan production, source inputs, disseminate market information,
negotiate contracts and maintain income-generating assets. During its
first season, CADA facilitated the sale of 69 MT of high-value
horticultural products yielding significant profits to participating
smallholder farmers and is projecting a 200 ton yield in year two.
India AMAP: The
Small Business Growth Program
ACDI/VOCA's new $6.5 million India Growth Oriented Microenterprise
Development Program project is focusing on broiler chickens, vegetables,
organically certified food, and solid waste management. In a
presentation to HQ staff on Feb. 15, Project Advisor Vikas Choudhary set
forth the objective of developing sustainable institutions and policies
that will enable small businesses in these sectors to grow and thereby
foster employment growth. The project will use a value chain and cluster
approach to address a variety of small business growth constraints. The
project will improve the delivery of business development services,
develop links between selected banks and small businesses to enhance
access to credit and strengthen policy advocacy. It will also establish
models for enhancing small business growth, partnerships with private
and public organizations, improved value chains and effective business
information systems.
 Case
Study on Cooperatives in Ethiopia
Since 1997, ACDI/VOCA has assisted Ethiopian co-ops in their transition
from a socialist orientation under the repressive Derge regime to a free
market, business-driven approach. Now a case study, "Revitalizing
Market-Oriented Agricultural Cooperatives in Ethiopia," illustrates in
detail how the Lumme Farmers' Cooperative Union and the Kolba Primary
Cooperative accomplished this remarkable transformation. It is available
at www.acdivocacoopex.org in the Profiles of Success section. By giving
ownership of the project to the cooperatives and cultivating local
capacity, the Ethiopian Cooperative Promotion Bureau and ACDI/VOCA have
helped these and other local co-ops achieve profitability and
sustainability and erase the stigma of earlier cooperatives' association
with the government's heavy-handed political machinery. Using funding
from USAID's Cooperative Development Program, ACDI/VOCA has studied the
success of cooperative-driven development activities in countries where
we have had long involvement, and other case studies will soon be
released. For more information contact Sue Schram at
sschram@acdivoca.org.
Kenya Maize
Development Program Assists Farmers to Prepare for Planting
In the Trans Nzoia District, farmer groups collectively procured 750
metric tons of fertilizer valued at around $338,960, saving $90,000 by
buying in bulk. Farmers in South Rift Valley, where planting has already
begun, collectively purchased 17.5 MT of fertilizer, including 3 MT of
the locally manufactured Mavuno fertilizer, which is much cheaper than
DAP. This year, the program has seen improvements in fertilizer use and
rate of application, even among farmers in Bomet who have traditionally
shunned fertilizer. On the marketing side, producers from Kiungani,
Kolongolo, Kwanza and Mito Mbili consolidated and sold over 3,000 MT of
maize valued at $630,505. In Kenya, the poorest quarter of the
population spends 28 percent of its income on maize. ACDI/VOCA's project
boosts household incomes by raising productivity, improving the
effectiveness of smallholder organizations and increasing access to
markets and business support services. The project works directly with
farmers but also involves others along the maize value chain including
the Cereal Growers Association of Kenya, Farm Input Promotions Africa
Ltd and the Kenya Agricultural Commodity Exchange.
Two Yirgacheffe Coffees
among Top Coffees of 2004
The Coffee Review has named two Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffees as top
coffees of the year. The online Review, founded and edited by coffee
expert Kenneth Davids, is a respected coffee buying guide. It conducts
expert "cuppings" of coffees and reports the findings in the form of
detailed reviews and rankings on a 100-point scale. It states: "Although
Ethiopia…has been suffering through its own price-generated crisis,
several fine examples of the great floral and citrus Yirgacheffe cup
turned up on the review table this year, including the 93-rated Bucks
County Yirgacheffe and the tactfully dark-roasted Yirgacheffe from the
Supreme Bean (91)." See the top-twelve list at www.coffeereview.com/article.cfm?ID=99
The vagaries of coffee marketing make it difficult to determine whether
these two products were sourced from the Yirgacheffe Cooperative Union,
which ACDI/VOCA has assisted for many years to improve its product
quality and business operations. The YCU markets on behalf of its
smallholder members a fair percentage of Yirgacheffe washed coffee.
Further, its emphasis on quality has helped elevate all the coffees from
this great coffee-growing region.
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