Annual Report #3 FY 2019: Producers to Markets Alliance

The program's third annual performance report covers activities and achievements from October 2018 through September 2019. During this period, PMA developed and initiated 101 new activities under its Activity Fund, including 64 partner alliances with commercial producer organizations to increase productivity, sales, and business capacity. PMA commercial alliances generated $43.0 million in total sales in the fiscal year, 140 percent of the target, while farm-gate producer sales increased by $8.2 million, a 30 percent increase over baseline. Export sales totaled $3.4 million in the fiscal year, primarily in coffee, driven by PMA export promotion activities such as coffee auctions, buyer caravans, and the initiation of sales under Coffee for Peace in Colombia. The program also incorporated 26,100 households under program assistance, bringing the cumulative total to 41,685 households, 98 percent of the cumulative target. PMA's focus on increasing production that responds to market demand has led to significant productivity increases in coffee, cacao, dairy, and latex. More than 76,037 hectares have been transferred with improved technologies and agricultural practices, resulting in productivity increases of 56 percent, 30 percent, 28 percent, and 70 percent, respectively. Additionally, more than 51 percent of producers report receiving technical assistance for the first time, demonstrating that PMA continues to deliver technical services to producers in regions previously untouched by government and donor extension. The program's infrastructure projects have improved 707 kilometers of tertiary roads in the fiscal year, bringing the cumulative total to 1,361 kilometers, representing 16 percent of improved tertiary roads at the national level. PMA's sustainability strategy for the APCs through technical and organizational capacity building and promotional activities has also led to significant results, including seven new contracts awarded during the last quarter valued at $169,573. The program has also strengthened 39 producer associations, helping groups such as Agropiñuela initialize commercial operations for the first time, and others such as APROCASUR access credit to increase exports. PMA's cross-cutting activities have also made significant progress, including the partnership with RCN Radio to collaborate on content development and production of a daily 15-minute radio segment "Tierra de Sueños" to broadcast technical knowledge to nearly one million rurally-based listeners across PMA's zones of intervention. To date, 62.1 percent of program participants represent vulnerable populations, including women, youth, Afro-Colombian, and indigenous groups. The program's focus on social inclusion and gender has led to significant results, including the strengthening of 39 producer associations and the initiation of commercial operations for the first time by groups such as Agropiñuela.