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Asia Farmer-to Farmer Program - n/a Enterprise & Agriculture India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, East Timor, Indonesia, Philippines 2003 - 2008 USAID |
Rural Farmers Benefit from Volunteer Assistance
RATIONALEDespite great advances in agricultural production in the last 50 years in Asia, rural poverty for marginalized farmers continues to be a significant problem, contributing to social unrest in many of the countries. Winrock and IAC proposed to help alleviate rural poverty by strengthening four high-value agricultural sectors, focusing core activities on India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
Our goal was to reduce poverty and improved livelihoods through production, marketing and trade of high-value agricultural commodities in an environmentally sound manner. We worked through and strengthened specific promising sectors, with the assumption that resource poor farmers could increase their incomes as a means to alleviate poverty.
OBJECTIVES
Reduce poverty and improve livelihoods of rural farmers through production, marketing and trade of high-value crops in an environmentally sound manner.
ACTIVITIES
Over the life of project, fielded 197 volunteers, completed 3,404 volunteer days, and worked with 124 host organizations directly benefiting 18,298 women (34%) and men (66%) in Bangladesh, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Recognizing the similarity in agro-ecosystems and in challenges faced by farmers and agribusinesses across the Asia FTF countries, targeted subsectors included high-value horticulture; livestock and dairy, including poultry and small ruminants; non-timber forest products (medicinal and aromatic plants) and smallholder forestry; and apiculture (beekeeping and honey production).
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Bangladesh
Dr. Roy Chapin formulated dairy rations for different weight categories of cows, bulls and calves, and developed a formula for producing a dairy premix locally that supplies a balanced amount of vitamins and trace minerals. The results of improved nutrition have been spectacular, highly leveraged, and fast with increased production of milk and meat soon after the hosts implemented the ration improvements.
India
FTF India worked with Morarka Foundation, a Jaipur-based national NGO, to help facilitate the establishment of an Indian office of OneCert Inc., USA2 and introduce low-cost group certification that helped more than 55,000 producers cultivating 12,700 hectares of land in 28 states in India to earn organic certification. The low cost enabled a large number of farmers and producer organizations to be organic certified and increase their product value in the domestic as well as export markets. In 2006-07, the organic farmers traded certified goods worth US$6 million domestically and US$250,000 in exports. After volunteer assistance in developing an Internal Control System (ICS) for organic certification, HIMOARD, a Himachal Pradesh non-profit organization, received orders on behalf of their farmer members worth US$953,000 from domestic buyers for organic products.
Nepal
Volunteer Cesar Flores provided technical support to the Federation of Nepal Beekeepers Associations (FNBKA) in Chitwan. Within one year of training, FNBKA increased gross value of sales from US$226,800 to US$860,300 as a result of enhanced efficiency in beehive management specifically with regard to contamination control, establishing a traceability system for Nepal honey, and an expanded marketing network. FNBKA members sold a total of 650 metric tons of honey with an increase in net income of US$287,031. Over 4,550 small beekeepers, mostly resource-poor farmers, spread over 28 districts have benefited from increased sales of raw honey through FNBKA.
Indonesia
Livestock Extension Specialist Jack Boles conducted two assignments in March 2007 and March 2008 with Yayasan Dian Tama (YTD), an NGO in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. He worked with 250 farmers and host staff providing training on general pig management, improving animal feed using local resources, animal health, market evaluation and marketing, and livestock extension methods. As a result of the assignment and follow-up by YTD, 1,000 families improved their pig management and marketing capacities. Many farm families have increased pig production by a factor of 1 to 4; other families which previously produced few or no pigs have also expanded or started production. YTD estimates that average pig production has doubled from 5-6 mature pigs and 5 piglets/year/family to 12 mature pigs and 10 piglets/year/family. The average annual value of increased pig production is US$284 per family, or a total of US$284,000 for 1000 families.