AID grant no. EUR-0024-G-00-1036-00 to Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance to strengthen the ability of selected East European agricultural organizations/enterprises to serve as service delivery vehicles for their members and clientele

VOCA will undertake a farmer-to-farmer program to address problems stemming from lack of business planning experience and capability, underdeveloped systems and practices, poor understanding of market forces, and farmer distrust of government institutions. In an initial organizational phase of the project, VOCA will: (1) provide volunteer U.S. agricultural specialists to help Eastern European agricultural leaders prepare business development plans for farmer-owned rural enterprises; (2) assist state companies attempting to privatize and discredited agricultural cooperatives wishing to reorganize as private cooperatives; (3) assist with start-up activities for private enterprises being established to serve the farm community in such categories as food processing, feed and flour milling, and farm equipment and machinery repair. To promote commercial activities, VOCA will provide training in business operations, management, and marketing for East European organizations which are already operating commercially and want to expand. It will also assist private cooperatives, producer organizations, producer associations, and state cooperatives and companies en route to privatization in starting/expanding value- added activities such as feed milling and food processing facilities. Finally, VOCA will also provide assistance to agricultural extension services and to cooperative banks and other agricultural credit institutions.