We empower people to make positive changes in their lives by applying our expertise in the following practices areas, which interact in exciting ways.
Sustainable Agriculture
We help farmers and agribusinesses sustainably improve productivity, access markets, and feed a growing population. This involves catalyzing sustainable production, agribusiness supply chains, and effective natural resource management. We focus on nutrient-rich commodities, often reaching producers through cooperatives, farm groups, and private service providers.
The following content is a sampling of our recent work in Sustainable Agriculture. For a comprehensive list please visit our Where We Work page.
In Kenya, Fodder Farmers Provide Livestock Lifeline During Drought
For pastoral communities living in Northern Kenya, livestock production is the dominant livelihood. Healthy and plentiful livestock is a significant …
PhilCAFE Coffee Mentors Help Filipino Farmers Improve Production
In the Philippines, “coffee mentors” are lending their expertise to other coffee growers in a bid to improve farming practices. …
USDA-Supported Filipino Coffee Farmers Break Record Prices in Auction
Filipino coffee farmers who won at this year’s Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC) earned record prices during the online auction, …
Young Honduran Coffee Farmer Strengthens Family Business Thanks to Business Incubator Program
Williams Alberto Gámez Suazo, 31, is an organic coffee farmer in Honduras. He recently learned how to successfully diversify his …
A Decade of Advancing Crop Value Chains with Feed the Future in Ghana
In Ghana, maize, rice, and soybean crops are mostly produced by smallholder farmers. But these crops are important commodities in …
Resilience
We help communities and households better prepare for, withstand, and recover from shocks and stresses. We promote the resilience of people and systems through work that spans a range of areas: governance, peace and reconciliation, risk management, climate change adaptation, community and livelihood development, and water and sanitation.
The following content is a sampling of our recent work in Resilience. For a comprehensive list please visit our Where We Work page.
Partnership Between County and USAID Kenya Brings Clean Water to Isiolo Residents
Isiolo County’s Aroo Ngaremare ward is a growing community in Northern Kenya made up mostly of pastoralists from the Turkana, …
Business Digitization Helps USAID EDGE SME Owner Increase Business Demand
Mercy Chisi Sakala is the owner of MC Sangwani Limited, an agribusiness venture specializing in the supply of agricultural inputs, …
Kyrgyz Entrepreneur Expands Her Garlic Business with USAID Support
Janylai Kaparova continues to expand her business by processing wild garlic (Allium ursinum, also known as “bear garlic”) in the …
How a Pair of Eyeglasses Can Improve Incomes for Women in Rural Laos
Eyeglasses were invented roughly 700 years ago, but today an estimated 2.5 billion people lack the corrective lenses they need …
Economic Opportunity
We connect people and businesses in systems that increase incomes, create jobs, and expand opportunities. Our inclusive market systems approach improves conditions and incentives for markets to work better for the poor and marginalized. We facilitate private-sector partnerships, support entrepreneurship and workforce development, and advance an improved business-enabling environment.
The following content is a sampling of our recent work in Economic Opportunity. For a comprehensive list please visit our Where We Work page.
USAID and Honduran Government Obtain 500 Temporary Jobs for Honduran Agricultural Workers in Spain
Spanish authorities recently notified Honduras’s Secretaria de Trabajo y Seguridad Social of a request for 500 agricultural workers from Honduras to …
In Kenya, Young Woman Professional Leaves City for Farming Opportunity
Several years ago, now 26-year-old Mary Mumbi moved from Nairobi to Kulamawe, in Northern Kenya’s Isiolo County, to help support …
AV Ventures’ Portfolio Company AgroCenta Joins U.S.-Based Accelerator for Food Tech Startups
Over the next three months, the technology-driven agricultural platform provider AgroCenta, an investee company of AV Ventures founded in Ghana …
How Do We Reconcile a Post-Conflict Colombia? Boosting Economic Inclusion
By Katherine Ko, Daniel Sumner, and Melissa Matlock Decades of conflict may have divided Colombian communities, but a 2016 peace deal between …
Access to Finance
We improve access to finance and deploy blended finance to expand impact beyond the life of our projects. We catalyze investments that drive social impact and expand financial inclusion through our three lines of business. Together with affiliates Tanager and AV Ventures, we build the capacity of financial institutions to expand the reach of financial services, support small and medium-sized enterprises in accessing finance, and mobilize growth capital to scale and sustain catalytic investment for growth.
The following content is a sampling of our recent work in Access to Finance. For a comprehensive list please visit our Where We Work page.
Upgrading Local Rice Threshing to Support Half a Million Dollars in Rice Production
USAID Laos Microenterprise Provides Grants for Modern Agricultural Equipment Rice is the main food crop in Laos’ Xiengkhouang Province. In …
Boosting Tea Profits for Ethnic Farmers in Myanmar
Shwin Chang Lone Co., Ltd. (SCL) has been in the tea business for over 30 years. In 2001, they started …
Rural Communes in Guinea’s Siguiri Learn Self-Financing through Village Savings and Loan Associations
Communities supported by the Siguiri Agricultural Development Activity are adopting the village savings and loan association model. Access to finance …
$20 Million Loan Guarantee for SMEs Launches in Zambia with Support of Local Government, Donors, and Private Sector
A newly launched loan guarantee program in Zambia has the potential to significantly impact the lives of small- and medium-sized …
Equity & Inclusion
We promote gender equity, engage youth, and include marginalized communities. Our programs address harmful or limiting norms using social and behavior change communication campaigns, trainings to ensure participation, and dialogues that lead to transformed perspectives. We analyze norms that inhibit growth and work with local partners to make markets more inclusive. We help women, youth, and marginalized communities access safe spaces to become central actors in their own development.
The following content is a sampling of our recent work in Equity & Inclusion. For a comprehensive list please visit our Where We Work page.
Building Local Ownership in Social and Behavior Change to Improve Nutrition and Social Inclusion
Social and Behavior Change (SBC) is the process of understanding why people behave in certain ways and developing approaches to …
ACDI/VOCA Celebrates Women in Agricultural Market Systems in Northern Ghana
Women in northern Ghana work from sunrise to sunset to provide for themselves, their family needs, contribute to the national …
Boosting Women’s Entrepreneurship Through Cooperative Development in Northern Kenya
The 30 female entrepreneurs who make up the Kulmis Savings and Credit Cooperative (SACCO) in Northern Kenya’s Wajir County were …
300 Filipino Youth Form 4H Club with USDA And Local Support
In Tagbina, a town located in the Philippines’s Surigao del Sur, 300 young coffee farmers and students organized themselves as …
