This issue of Sustentabilidade em Debate brings together three studies that complement each other with the aim of answering the same question: can the adoption of good management practices for production, conservation of natural resources and working conditions be justified economically? In other words, is the adoption or pursuit of sustainability a good deal for farmers? This question stems from a mismatch between common sense and the experience of Sebrae-MG’s Educampo Program, Rabobank and Imaflora with a large number of farmers.
This report provides summary findings and conclusions from a set of five case studies examining the scaling up of pro-poor agricultural innovations through commercial pathways in developing countries.
In an effort to raise incomes and increase resilience of smallholder farmers and their families in Feed the Future1 (FTF) countries, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded the Developing Local Extension Capacity (DLEC) project. This project is led by Digital Green in partnership with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), CARE International (CARE) and multiple resource partners.
The Private Sector Driven Agricultural Growth (PSDAG) project is a five-year (August 2014–August 2019) USAID-funded initiative implemented by International Resources Group, a subsidiary of Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International. The goal of PSDAG is to increase incomes of smallholder farmers by promoting private sector investment through two complementary objectives: (1) to assist the Government of Rwanda to increase private sector investment, and (2) to facilitate increased private sector investment by upgrading agricultural value chains.
Feed the Future Asia Innovative Farmers Activity (AIFA) is a regional project working to facilitate the scaling of critical agricultural technologies through regional partnership and technology transfer. The project works with a range of agricultural technology stakeholders on a regional basis (private sector, research institutions, governments, networks, etc.) to increase food security, reduce poverty, and improve environmental sustainability by facilitating agricultural innovation and technology diffusion in the Asia region.
The USAID-Inma Agribusiness Program focuses on developing Iraq’s private agribusinesses by facilitating the formation of fully-integrated value chains and improving agricultural quality and production. Inma, the Arabic word for ‘growth’, connects farmers to markets, increases the competitiveness of Iraqi agribusinesses, and facilitates domestic and foreign agricultural partnerships.
The USAID-Inma Agribusiness Program focuses on developing Iraq’s private agribusinesses by facilitating the formation of fully-integrated value chains and improving agricultural quality and production. Inma, the Arabic word for ‘growth’, connects farmers to markets, increases the competitiveness of Iraqi agribusinesses, and facilitates domestic and foreign agricultural partnerships.
The USAID-Inma Agribusiness Program focuses on developing Iraq’s private agribusinesses by facilitating the formation of fully-integrated value chains and improving agricultural quality and production. USAID-Inma, the Arabic word for ‘growth’, connects farmers to markets, increases the competitiveness of Iraqi agribusinesses, and facilitates domestic and foreign agricultural partnerships.
The Feed the Future Uganda Agricultural Inputs Activity is to increase the use of high quality agricultural inputs in Uganda by increasing availability of high quality inputs to farmers in Feed the Future focus districts, and decreasing the prevalence of counterfeit agricultural inputs.
The Agribusiness and Market Development (AMDe) project is funded through USAID Ethiopia’s Feed the Future program from June 2011 to May 2016. It goal is to sustainably reduce poverty and hunger by improving the productivity and competiveness of agricultural value chains that offer jobs and income activities for rural households.