In fragile and conflict-affected regions, development projects encounter unique difficulties that require innovative solutions. The USAID Agriculture Growing Rural Opportunities (AGRO) project, which Chemonics began implementing in 2019, was designed to accelerate the economic development of rural Ukrainian communities with the greatest need through a better governed agricultural sector that encourages more productive, modern, and…
With the support of the USAID-funded Feed the Future Bangladesh Horticulture, Fruits, and Non-food Crops Activity, close to 3,000 women have found meaningful work in a country where 20 years ago only 28% of women aged 15 and over participated in the labor force. By 2021, that number had risen to approximately 37 percent, a…
Chemonics was thrilled to welcome nearly 200 leading public and private sector experts to our Washington, D.C. headquarters to share experiences and best practices for reducing risk and supporting rural agricultural investment. The 2023 Cracking the Nut conference was organized around three themes: 1. Reducing risks associated with rural and agricultural investments; 2. Using subsidies…
Lucine Le Moal is the managing director of the USAID Invest activity which provides investment advice and facilitation for businesses and investors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Previously, Lucine led ELAN, a UK aid project in the DRC that supported the development of the private sector for seven years, especially in the…
While external sources of funding like the Green Climate Fund (GCF) are critical to meeting a nation’s Paris Agreement goals, they are often out of reach without domestic financial systems and processes to absorb such funds and use them productively. To achieve the proper level of financing for national climate initiatives, countries should first look domestically and identify…
This post originally appeared in the Council of International Development Companies’ (CIDC) Thought Leadership Compendium. Hunger and food insecurity have steadily worsened throughout the last decade. Climate change — with its cascading effects on crop production and land viability —has exacerbated global food insecurity, and in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to key agricultural…
Every day, people from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras leave their homes to embark on a perilous journey through Mexico to the United States, driven by both a lack of employment opportunities and the impacts of climate change. To address the root causes of irregular migration stemming from the region, the United States and Mexican governments…
Water will soon flow again in Majdel Aanjar. And for that, local residents can thank an innovative new program that harnesses the power of the sun. The small farming community in northeastern Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley — equidistant from Beirut and Damascus, the respective capitals of Lebanon and Syria — has suffered from a severe water…
Driven by technological advances in soil management, improved seed quality, and modern farming practices, Brazil experienced an agricultural revolution over the past few decades that has transformed the country’s economy, society, and outlook. Brazil’s Cerrado biome, where the rich farmlands of the Matopiba region are located, illustrate, both the benefits and challenges of this transformation.…
This brief focuses on the role of certification schemes for agricultural products by tracking the creation of Georgian Good Agricultural Practices (GeoGAP). GeoGAP is a scaled-down version of the internationally recognized Global Good Agricultural Practices (GLOBALG.A.P.) and helps meet local demand for safe, traceable food. The certification was created by the Georgian Farmers’ Association with…
The Feed the Future Uganda Enabling Environment for Agriculture Activity (EEA) was a USAID-funded project aimed at reducing regulatory barriers for agribusiness and local farmers in Uganda. This final report summarizes how the activity achieved this through building the capacity of both public and private sectors to assist Ugandan government farmers, traders, producers, and agricultural…