Ivan has spent much of his life working the soil, cultivating wheat, sunflower, and soy. Since its founding in 1992, his farm has grown to more than 118 hectares of land. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed everything. His village is just two kilometers away from the border with Russia, and his fields sit perilously close…
Elizabeth Fustos has extensive expertise in the design and implementation of economic growth programs in Europe and Eurasia, Asia, and Africa, with a particular focus on partnership development with the private and public sectors, donors, academia, and industry organizations. She currently serves as senior advisor for strategy and partnerships for the Europe and Eurasia division,…
Technology and innovation are crucial tools to achieve meaningful development. Whether it’s using drones to deliver supplies to remote areas of the world or implementing new finance systems in each of our offices, technology is far-reaching and increasingly impacts all of our lives. Anne Kottmeier, Chemonics’ new CIO, explains what development professionals can learn from…
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…
This post originally appeared on MarketLinks. Over the past few decades, we’ve all heard variations of the same refrain: the future is digital. However, digital’s promise is hard to realize in many contexts given the technology infrastructure required for success. This goes beyond broadband internet availability and access to include cultural norms and other factors…
The role of USAID’s VukaNow Activity is to catalyze learning and share information and best practices to enhance collaborative efforts to combat wildlife crime in southern Africa. This work requires many in-person meetings and workshops. In 2020, VukaNow, along with partner CollaborateUp, was organizing a critical learning event in Botswana, planned for mid-March. Just a…
Georgian Authenticity Set on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Georgia is a country with unique gastronomy that requires authenticity. That faithfulness to tradition is emblematic in the supra — or Georgian feast — conducted by a charismatic toastmaster, over savory dishes. It is also demonstrated in…
This final report summarizes the achievements and outcomes of the South Africa Low Emissions Development (SA-LED) Program. This project worked with municipalities to provide targeted technical assistance to develop LED projects, build capacity and create an enabling environment for LED at the sub-national level to produce sustainable results. Focused on helping South African municipalities move…
This strategic brief is an overview of lessons learned on scaling Aflasafe through commercialization in sub-Saharan Africa. The resource describes that challenges to scale-up include low awareness, inadequate market incentives, and poorly enforced policies. It also gives an overview of the five-phase “science to scale” process, and how this was implemented in-country. Finally, the brief…
Aflasafe requires an innovative approach for technology transfer and commercialization. This brief reviews the five steps to Aflasafe’s commercialization, provides an overview of country progress, and describes where Aflasafe has successfully been commercialized on the African continent as of November 2019. The brief also discusses challenges encountered, lessons learned, and next steps for Aflasafe expansion…