Semi-Annual Report: Farmer-to-Farmer Access to Finance Program, October 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021

volunteer assignments in the first half of Year Three (Y3). The volunteer technical assistance delivered in Tanzania and Kenya promoted market-driven growth and resilience in response to the challenges imposed by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic by enhancing agricultural production and agribusiness skills and knowledge and by increasing access to finance and markets for smallholder farmers. Through these assignments, of which 29% were completed by women, the volunteer experts contributed 379 assignment days for a total value of $197,838 USD, trained 912 persons, of which 39% were women, and made 93 recommendations. In Tanzania, the F2F program executed eight paired remote U.S. volunteer assignments with five host organizations. The program prioritized assignments that promoted market-driven growth and resilience in response to the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which included increasing agricultural sector lending, enhancing agricultural production, and equipping agricultural actors with business management and organizational development skills. The F2F Tanzania program achieved significant results during the first half of Y3, including completing eight paired remote U.S. volunteer assignments, supporting six host organizations, making 41 volunteer recommendations, and completing 150 assignment days valued at $78,300 USD. In Kenya, the F2F program executed nine paired remote U.S. volunteer assignments and one remote volunteer assignment in the first half of Y3. The program deepened its engagement with preexisting partners and hosts, including the World Council of Credit Unions' (WOCCU) USAID-funded Technology and Innovation for Financial Inclusion (TIFI) program. F2F Kenya continued to strengthen its relationship with the USAID mission and collaboration with other USAID-funded initiatives, including the Kenya Crops and Dairy Market Systems (KCDMS) Activity and the TIFI program. The program also worked with USAID's KCDMS Activity to identify hosts that the two programs can collaboratively support and developed a technical training and mentorship support plan to target over 20 agri-financing SACCOs. In Sri Lanka, the F2F program marked the official start of program activities in the country, including the execution of critical start-up activities by the F2F home office team and Country Director. The program introduced the program and thematic area of focus to the mission, identified the technical priorities of the mission in strategic development of the Country Program Description (CPD), and worked closely with the mission and IESC's other programs in Sri Lanka to identify potential areas of collaboration and potential F2F program partners and hosts. The F2F program in Sri Lanka plans to initiate paired remote U.S. volunteer assignments in the second half of the year. The F2F Access to Finance program made significant progress towards meeting its targets and continued to build impactful momentum as well as deliver results in the first half of Y3. However, the new global wave of COVID-19 and associated restrictions, which began to affect implementation again in March 2021, may impact the ability of the program to meet its targets and goals in Y3.