Agriculture and Agribusiness Systems
ACDI/VOCA takes a comprehensive, analytical approach to increasing efficiencies along entire crop production, processing and marketing chains, but always with an eye towards quickly improving the productivity and profit margins of the largest possible number of smallholder farms.
Every commercial crop must comply with the specific quantity, quality, presentation, packaging and delivery schedule requirements of a particular market. To help farmers capture a larger market share and a larger portion of the final sale price, ACDI/VOCA trains them to master crop-specific technical skills, acquire market knowledge and approach farming as a business. We help them add value to their crops through improved production, processing and packaging technologies or spatial and temporal arbitrage.
We also assist farmers to organize themselves as shareholders in commercial business operations of sufficient scale to access more competitively priced inputs, research, finance, transport, telecommunications and other services so that they may compete successfully with larger, more capital-intensive producers. These shareholder-owned businesses provide an efficient vehicle for not only transferring technical and business knowledge but also eliminating policy constraints, promoting gender equity, protecting the environment and addressing health challenges such as HIV/AIDS and malnutrition.
ACDI/VOCA also targets weaknesses in commodity chain support services or infrastructure to increase opportunities and profits for entire regions or sub-sectors. We have helped draft pro-growth legislation and regulations that have facilitated cooperative formation, trade liberalization and favorable tax treatment. We have played a major role in developing efficient, sustainable systems for building and maintaining rural road and irrigation infrastructure while creating new employment opportunities. We have provided expertise to develop internet-based market information systems tailored to the needs of farmers and traders.
ACDI/VOCA’s food and agricultural systems programs are achieving a substantial and sustainable increase in the purchasing power of hundreds of thousands of rural households worldwide. These programs trigger a virtuous cycle of asset accumulation and expanded opportunities for income diversification, educational advancement, and better health and nutrition as a growing number of commercial enterprises are increasingly motivated to provide this broad new consumer base with a variety of goods and services.
