USAID long history of technical leadership in international agricultural development draws upon the expertise of U.S. universities, industry, non-governmental and private voluntary organizations, multilateral development partners, and its own technical staff.

The Farmer-to-Farmer project empowers the Belarusian private sector in agriculture through the use of volunteer-experts, encourages entrepreneurship and disseminates innovative agricultural and veterinarian technologies. The project also supports agricultural sector assessments to identify challenges to sector development and addresses them during volunteer assignments. It works with NGOs to increase their expertise in providing services to the agricultural sector, as well as agricultural education institutions to improve the quality of agricultural and veterinarian education.

The project beneficiaries are private farmers and agricultural businesses receiving advanced knowledge and technologies, as well as Belarusian agricultural education institutions, such as Belarusian State Agricultural Academy in Gorki and Vitebsk State Academy of Veterinary Medicine.

In 2011, nine volunteers from the U.S. brought innovative agricultural practices to agricultural producers, associations, and educational institutions in the field of post-harvest management and value-added activities. 789 individuals attended the USG-supported short-term agricultural sector productivity training and 80 agricultural stakeholders applied new technologies and management practices in Belarus.

Click here for more information on USAID activities in agriculture.