South Africa: Leveraging Investments in the Agricultural Sector

Challenged by market risk and volatile returns, South Africa struggled to increase investment in the agricultural sector, where more than 2 million smallholder farmers needed adequate financial resources to sustain their livelihoods.

Through USAID’s CDP, Genex leveraged more than $95 million from public and private sector partners to invest in South African cattle cooperatives.  These investments empowered the cooperatives to increase their members’ dairy and beef production, while improving the quality of their products through genetics and herd management skills. Incomes grew exponentially as a result, directly benefiting  thousands of cooperative members and their families.