Patrick Rader served as chief of party of the Feed the Future Uganda Commodity Production and Marketing Activity (CPM), which harnesses market forces and uses innovative methods to increase the productivity of Ugandan families. CPM reduces poverty and under-nutrition by increasing the quantity and quality of coffee, maize, and beans that rural families are able…
We are at a pivotal moment in the movement to combat climate change. Extreme weather events are becoming more commonplace, and the health consequences connected to rising temperatures and worsening air quality are affecting communities around the world. And although it might not be easily observable, climate change is having a dramatic economic impact as…
Agriculture is an important part of the Sri Lankan economy, engaging one-third of the working population. However, most farm households have limited knowledge of modern production methods and struggle to access commercial markets. These obstacles constrain their ability to compete in the market and increase their incomes. In response to these challenges, USAID and Chemonics…
USAID has long supported Jordan’s tourism sector, which is the country’s largest economic sector, the second largest earner of foreign exchange after remittances, and the largest generator of private sector employment. The project worked in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on initiatives to further develop the country’s tourism sector and bring several tourism initiatives,…
The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) is the lead institution in the Indonesian government for promoting sustainable fisheries as well as managing coastal areas and promoting the welfare of coastal communities. USAID has played a significant role in supporting MMAF’s establishment and capacity building to fulfill its diverse mandate. In late 2010, USAID…
Following the success of USAID’s Economic Policy Reform and Competitiveness (EPRC) project, the government of Mongolia agreed to continue its ambitious reform agenda through support and partnership with USAID. In June 2011, Chemonics International began implementing the $14 million follow-on project, Business Plus Initiative (BPI). BPI was designed to improve Mongolia’s business enabling environment, build…
With assistance from USAID’s Coastal City Adaptation Project (CCAP), two Mozambican cities are committing to taking proactive steps to adapt to climate change and pre- vent devastating ecological effects. CCAP is targeting Pemba and Quelimane to shift from a reactive to an adaptive approach. In Quelimane, municipal government leaders and the community work side by side to…
Globally, the number of people living outside their country of origin has almost tripled — from 76 million to 232 million — over the past 45 years. For many who leave their homes, starting a new life in search of refuge, employment, education, or other factors does not mean disregarding their heritage or the family…
When Halima Naiga was seven, she was told she had to leave school. Why? Because her parents did not want to waste money educating girls. When incomes are low, as they are in the rural area of Uganda where Halima is from, education for girls is one of the first things to be cut in…
This blog was originally published by the SEEP Network, and is cross-posted with permission. There are approximately 500 million smallholder farms in the world providing up to 80 percent of food consumed in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, despite smallholder farmers’ substantial role in the world’s access to food resources, they consistently face constraints including…
Success in the fashion industry, in any country, requires a delicate balance between artistic ability and keen business skills. As a designer, you need to not only understand what your market is and what customer you are targeting but what trends are emerging and how your personality will come out in your collections. The “toolkit”…
Since the USAID Moldova CEED program began working in the textile and apparel (T&A) sectors in 2005 through implementation of CEED II in 2015, there has been an ongoing initiative to move Moldovan textile and apparel companies to higher-value-added FOB, private, and own-label product schemes. Advancement to higher value-added manufacturing has been the key to sustainable, long-term competitiveness in the…