AID grant to American Institute for Free Labor Development for agricultural services and union development

CNT will maintain its agricultural delivery system (established under predecessor project 5150180) in Perez Zeledon, Rio Frio, and Cartago and extend it to San Carlos and Upala. To upgrade CNT"s marketing services, the project will fund construction of 15 new assembly centers to collect, grade, temporarily store members" crops, and transport them to contract buyers and wholesale markets. Along with 7 existing facilities, these centers will also serve as distribution points for agricultural inputs, consumer staples, and union organization activities. In addition, AIFLD will increase CNT"s production credit fund from $75,000 to $200,000 and initiate a savings mobilization program to further increase the fund. Next, agronomists and paratechnicians will provide TA to union farmers in basic crop production techniques. Finally, AIFLD will train CNT personnel, union leaders, and affiliated farmers through seminars, training courses, and field extension activities. Topics covered will include, inter alia: democratic trade unions, leadership training, basic administration, production credit use, and selected technical subjects in agriculture production and marketing. Over the life of the project, union membership will increase from 1,700 to over 5,000 farmers.