Success Stories » Value Chains
Smallholder Farmers Gain Access to Credit
MUTOKO, Zimbabwe – Mrs. Nyagande Hazvinei, Mr. Arnold Matambanadzo, and 14 other members of the Chitora II local farmers association are looking forward to six months from now, when they will harvest their first crop of pickle cherry peppers. The farmers are growing this crop for the first time, thanks to a contract they have with Selby Enterprises, a food processing com... more
Filed Under: Food & Agriculture, Economic Growth, Value Chains, Africa, Zimbabwe
IRD and Peace Corps Collaborate on Senegambia
The Gambia River Basin Cashew Value Chain Enhancement Project (CEP) aims to strengthen the cashew value chain and increase the incomes of 10,000 smallholder cashew farmers and processors in The Gambia, Senegal and Guinea Bissau. The project helps to improve food security by providing agricultural and business training to cashew farmers, recommending varieties for plantin... more
Filed Under: Food & Agriculture, Capacity Building, Economic Growth, Partnerships, Value Chains, Africa, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, The Gambia
USDA Delegation Visits IRD Cashew Project in The Gambia
US Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials visiting The Gambia from Washington DC this July got a first-hand view of the vast potential of cashew in the SeneGambia region. The senior-level delegation was there to learn about IRD’s initiative to increase the incomes of rural Senegalese and Gambians involved in the cashew value chain. Leading the delegatio... more
Filed Under: Food & Agriculture, Capacity Building, Nutrition, Partnerships, Value Chains, Women & Gender, Africa, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, The Gambia
AgriTrade loan increases trader and farmers’ incomes
ST. MARY’S, CHITUNGWIZA, Zimbabwe - When the going got tough for her family at the peak of Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown in 2008, 34-year-old Shumirai Gasela decided to trade in maize to help her family make ends meet. Gasela experienced financial challenges in the first two years of trading, until she was introduced to the USAID-supported, AgriTrade credit facility. I... more
Filed Under: Food & Agriculture, Economic Growth, Value Chains, Africa, Zimbabwe
Microfinance Brings Savings to Customers and Higher Prices to Farmers in Zimbabwe
HARARE, Zimbabwe – Improved cash flow at Ray’s Butchery is resulting in higher prices for rural farmers and more savings for urban customers. This has not always been the case for this business located in the city center of Zimbabwe’s capital city of Harare. Opened in 2003, the butchery was caught up in the general meltdown of the Zimbabwean economy that peaked in 2... more
Filed Under: Food & Agriculture, Economic Growth, Value Chains, Africa, Zimbabwe