Sustainable agribusiness support project : final report -- USAID grant number 118-G-00-00273-00

Project targets were for the most part met or exceeded, as follows: (1) 167 agribusiness owners/managers, vs. a target of 40, were enrolled in the Productivity Enhancement Program for 1-month, agriculture-specific U.S. internships; (2) 38 clients, vs. a target of 25, received loans from Russian banks or international funds; (3) 7 Russian extension centers are serving an average of 120 local producers and agribusinesses, vs. a target of 7 centers serving an average 150 such clients (in addition, 49 seminars were conducted in 1998/99 with a total attendance of 926 people); (4) 198 Russian-language agricultural how-to guides and newsletters from the centers are available electronically via the Internet, vs. a target of 100 guides and 150 newsletters; (5) agribusiness information centers were established in 13 Russian extension centers, vs. a target of 7 (the extension centers also helped create 4 new farmers" cooperatives); (6) average profitability for all center clients increased 13.4% over 2 years, vs. a target of 20%; (7) 10 extension managers and agents were trained in 1-month programs with U.S. extension services, vs. a target of 10-20 trainees; (8) 19 small-group training visits to research/demonstration or successful private farms were conducted, vs. a target of 35; (9) 6 additional consulting services were created in neighboring oblasts as a result of onsite seminars, vs. a target of 5; (10) 224 Russian extension agents were trained through regional seminars, vs. a target of 100-180. An unexpected result of the project is that five of the seven Russian extension centers created by the grant are now fully supported financially by local farmers. The remaining two intend to continue offering services to the farmers, seeking funds from other sources. The extension centers also serve a variety of ancillary functions supporting the development of private farming in their respective regions, including: the creation and training of 4 new farmers" cooperatives; loans from U.S.-government and multilateral lending agencies for 38 extension center clients; and the organization of local farmers" fairs in each of the extension center regions. Plans have been initiated to hold a conference in the winter of 2000 that will bring together 30-40 private farmers from various regions in Russia to discuss and find solutions to their most pressing problems. Participating farmers will be drawn from a broad base including: farmer alumni of the project"s U.S. training internships; the most successful private farmers in the regions where farmers" development services (FDS) -- modeled after U.S. extension services -- are active; the regional directors of FDS; and other Russian farmers recommended by grassroots TA providers, such as the Rural Development Institute (RDI). Representatives from USAID, the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, the U.S. Congress, the Russian Duma, and selected U.S. foundations will be invited to observe the proceedings.