Annual Report: Farmer-to-Farmer Agricultural Volunteer Opportunity Program

The program aims to promote agricultural development and food security in various countries around the world. During the fiscal year 2023, activities under AVOP focused on sub-award and knowledge management. POA conducted site visits to sub-award projects, supported sub-awardees to plan final volunteer assignments and prepare for final data collection, reporting, and project closeout, and closed out three sub-award projects. The sub-award management component involved providing support to eight sub-awardees, including Convoy of Hope, High Atlas Foundation, CRDF Global, Grameen Foundation, University of Tennessee, and Browse and Grass Growers Cooperative. POA also provided training to sub-awardee staff on impact assessments, maximizing final assignments, highlighting project successes, project close-out and compliance, and final report writing. The travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic stalled activities for several sub-award projects, so POA approved cost-extensions to Purdue University and CRDF Global and no-cost extensions to UTK, Grameen Foundation, Browse and Grass Growers Cooperative, and High Atlas Foundation. In addition to sub-award management, POA continued to manage the F2F website and F2F social media platforms, participated in Community of Practice committee meetings, and organized and hosted the FY23 Implementing Partners Meeting (IPM) and the F2F Success Stories and Lessons Learned seminars. POA also contracted a consultant at USAID's request to evaluate and update the current F2F program PERSUAP. The knowledge management component of the program involved updating the F2F website and Implementer Resource Center, organizing the FY23 IPM in May and the F2F Success Stories and Lessons Learned seminars in June, and promoting F2F via social media platforms and outreach events across the U.S. POA also contracted a consultant to evaluate and update the current F2F program PERSUAP, which will be finalized in Q1 of FY24. During the reporting period, POA staff conducted outreach and recruitment on behalf of the F2F Program at three events, including the World Food Prize Foundation's 2022 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue event, the 2022 ECHO International Agriculture Conference, and the 2023 EcoFarm Conference. POA also supported the organization and execution of an outreach event held in June 2023 in which F2F volunteers, host organizations, and staff from various F2F implementing organizations briefed congressional staff on the objectives and achievements of the program. The program's social media presence continued to grow, with 4,789 page visits on Facebook, 327 new likes, 6 new followers on Twitter, 730 new followers on LinkedIn, and 1,291 new views. POA received 341 volunteer interest forms and resumes during the reporting period, demonstrating the program's continued appeal to volunteers interested in participating in agricultural development projects around the world. Overall, the AVOP program made significant progress in promoting agricultural development and food security in various countries around the world. The program's focus on sub-award management, knowledge management, and outreach and recruitment efforts helped to achieve its objectives and build a strong foundation for future success.