The $64.9 million MARKETS II project facilitated business partnerships between smallholder farmers and end-buyers in the processing segment of seven value chains. Complementing MARKETS II’s key strategy was its requirement that 50 percent of participants be women and 30 percent of participants be youth, along with its decision to reduce land-size requirements to increase inclusion and…
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Philippines Biodiversity and Watersheds Improved for Stronger Economy and Ecosystem Resilience (B+WISER) Program was implemented in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to conserve biodiversity and reduce forest degradation, together with actions to support low emissions development and disaster risk reduction.
As Category 4 Hurricane Florence barreled toward the Southeast of the United States last week, preliminary damage estimates indicated 758,000 homes across three states could be impacted. Reconstruction costs were estimated at $170.2 billion. Despite the dire forecast and its associated challenges, however, the United States is one of the countries most prepared to respond…
This post originally appeared on Agrilinks. A sustained focus on resilience in the past decade has led to broad acceptance of it as a major programmatic priority for programs designed to strengthen the ability of vulnerable households to withstand myriad shocks and stresses. Resilience measurement concepts and methods have improved dramatically together with resilience theory and practice,…
Once broadly defined and loosely measured, the concept of resilience now shapes the development strategies of USAID, DFID, the World Bank, and an increasing number of partner government planning agencies. Resilience thinking provides the basis for a more coherent response to global crises. USAID defines resilience as the ability or capacity to mitigate, adapt to,…
In early 2018, drought-stricken Cape Town narrowly averted its “Day Zero,” the day when taps in the city would have run dry. Reservoirs filled up just enough to avert an all-out water crisis, and “Day Zero” has now been pushed to 2019. Meanwhile, in 2016, 2017, and 2018, floods in South Asia, Africa, Europe, and…
Final Report: Colombia Consolidation and Enhanced Livelihoods Initiative – Northern/Southern Regions
From October 2011 to 2017, the USAID-funded Consolidation and Enhanced Livelihoods Initiative – Northern/Southern Regions (CELI N/S) supported the Government of Colombia’s efforts to improve governance, stimulate sustainable economic development, build social capital, and encourage licit lifestyles free from conflict and violence in 19 prioritized municipalities in Antioquia, Bolivar, Córdoba, and Tumaco (Nariño).
Cap-Haïtien, Haiti: Chemonics joined USAID/Haiti and officials from the Haitian government for a ceremonial launch today to officially commence USAID’s Haiti Reforestation Project. The five-year Reforestation Project, supported by USAID and implemented by Chemonics, aims to address critical environmental degradation and loss of tree cover in Haiti’s North and North East departments. Representing the U.S.…
The goal of RESILIM, a five-year contract funded and administered by USAID/Southern Africa, was to improve transboundary management of the Limpopo River Basin and enhance the resilience of its people and ecosystems. With the support of the four Basin governments — Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe — the program was geared toward collaboration with…
This post originally appeared on the SEEP Network‘s blog. Discussing failure is difficult because it implies that someone didn’t do their job well. Too often, the discussion stops there. Yet, the complexity of our work means that forces beyond our control often influence the outcomes of our programs, making it worth finding a way to discuss…
Philip DeCosse leads development and implementation for Chemonics’ applied research, evaluation, and learning agenda in the U.S. An agricultural economist, he brings 30 years of substantive experience as a development professional. In recent years, Philip led Chemonics Agriculture and Food Security Practice and then led as Senior Vice President of Chemonics’ portfolio in West and…