USAID's Avansa Agrikultura Project

Summary 

USAID’s Avansa Agrikultura Project is accelerating sustainable economic growth in the agriculture sector.  At the end of the project, USAID anticipates more than 5,500 households will be earning higher incomes, increasing household savings and eating more nutritious foods.  USAID has adopted lessons learned from previous projects working with farmers, buyers, and communities. The long-term sustainability will be ensured by strengthening the links between the private sector and local partners that deliver services to rural farmers.

California Frigo strawberry plants were distributed in Aileu, Ainaro, and Ermera. Some of the farmer groups’ incomes have increased by nearly 320 percent from $1,200 to $5,000 since the activity began.

Major Achievements:

• Participating farmer incomes increased by 786 percent since FY 2015, from $235 to $2,084 in FY 2018.
• Household savings increased by 213 percent since FY 2015 and by 12 percent from FY 2017 to FY 2018.
• Spurred by these economic gains and USAID’s introduction of an input supplier trade credit program, farmers are rapidly transitioning from subsistence to commercial farming, which has increased input suppliers’ annual sales from $200,000 to $550,000 in three years.
• Farmer investments in inputs increased by 67 percent from FY 2017 to FY 2018.
• USAID’s introduction of new farm technologies spurred adoption by more than 24,000 people, an increase of more than 2,600 percent over 875 people in FY 2015.
• Nearly 50 percent of all people trained in Avansa programs designed to increase access to productive economic resources were women, which Avansa accomplished by recruiting women to be part of farmer groups and developing activities focused on their interests.
• Farmers have increased consumption of homegrown vegetables from 17 percent in FY 2017, to 27 percent in FY 2108 as a result of Avansa’s focus on nutrition.
• Among women of child-bearing age, 92 percent are meeting minimum diet diversity standards by eating five or more of the 10 required food groups, an increase from 69 percent last year. 
• Overall, moderate to severe hunger has fallen from a FY 2015 baseline of 15 percent to 4 percent, a 73-percent decline.