Over the past six years, the LSU AgCenter has been implementing programs in 17 countries in five regions of the world. Brief summaries by region are provided below:
Southeast Asia
IndonesiaThe LSU AgCenter implemented the second phase of a program for the Emerging Markets Office of the Foreign Agriculture Service of the United States Department of Agriculture in East Java, Indonesia. The program in Phase I, “Increasing the Potential for U.S. Exports to the Indonesian Beef/Cattle Industry,” provided short-term consultants to establish contacts with East Java beef/cattle industries; to identify constraints to U.S. exports and increase beef production in East Java in particular and Indonesia in general; and to develop solution strategies that incorporate inputs from the U.S. private sector. In Phase II, the East Java government and our donor are funding a joint effort by the LSU AgCenter and the University of Brawijaya in East Java to develop an Alliance Farm, which will work on generating a new breed of beef cattle suited to that climate using technology and reproductive material inputs from U.S. sources, particularly Louisiana companies. We have a partnership with a Louisiana company and the American Brahman Breeders Association for this project. The LSU AgCenter has leveraged an approximately $1 million investment by the local government for the infrastructure needs of this project.
Thailand
In 2007, the LSU AgCenter received an award from the U. S. Department of Agriculture to provide technical assistance and training in biosecurity and biosafety for the National Institute of Animal Health, Department of Livestock Development, Royal Thai Government. This program is currently ongoing.
Eastern Europe/Eurasia
Ukraine
Beginning in October 1998 and continuing through the present, the LSU AgCenter and its cooperating Ukrainian partners have provided an information/education/outreach system to assist the newly privatized farmers in Ukraine. The project has developed a Center for Private Farmer Training and Outreach in Vinnytsia oblast with a main office at the Vinnytsia State Agriculture University and 26 raion offices throughout the oblast. This project received a very positive evaluation by a USAID team of evaluators from Washington, D.C., and resulted in the Kiev Mission of USAID approving a three-year expansion of the program. Through this expansion the LSU AgCenter and four Ukrainian partners replicated the successful extension model developed in Vinnytsia oblast to Khmelnytsky and Cherkasy -- the two neighboring oblasts. This project worked successfully with other local entities to develop new legislation authorizing “extension” services in the country. This legislation has now passed, paving the way for extension/advisory services to become a reality.
Ukraine/Moldova/Georgia/Azerbaijan
The LSU AgCenter, the World Food Logistics Organization (WFLO) and local partners in Ukraine and Moldova are implementing a USAID-funded project to develop awareness, support systems, networks and best practices for the meat, seafood and poultry industries. The project, funded by USAID/Washington in 2001 and known as the Partnerships for Food Industry Development (PFID), is unique due to the fact that the start-up programs are centered in the aforementioned two countries while the program’s overall impact is aimed at a more global audience. After the successful completion of Phase I of this program, the USAID office in Washington, D.C., has extended the program for an additional five years starting in January 2005. This extension, known as PFID Phase II, included Georgia and Azerbaijan as target countries.
Central America
Nicaragua
As mentioned above, the recognized impact on stakeholders in the PFID Phase I program in Ukraine and Moldova led to the LSU AgCenter successfully negotiating a Phase II of the PFID program. This program extended the activities in Ukraine and Moldova to Nicaragua in Central America.
Africa
Nigeria
In 2003, International Programs was contacted by Exxon/Mobil to look at aquaculture programs in Nigeria. Utilizing its existing partnership with Schaffer and Associates, a Louisiana firm that has expertise in Africa, the LSU AgCenter entered into an agreement to conduct a feasibility study. This study is now completed, and the one-year implementation phase began in September 2004.
Mali
Based upon the interest of the Malian government and USAID/Washington, the LSU AgCenter participated with Schaffer and Associates to provide technical assistance in rice production and processing and the use of rice hulls for energy. USAID/Washington and the USAID Mission in Mali have provided funding for an assessment/study to utilize rice hulls as an energy source for rural electrification. This study was completed in November 2004, and a round-table conference was completed in fall 2005. Further, donors have indicated interest in a similar approach to programs in Ghana, Senegal, Madagascar and Gambia.
Southern Africa Region: Republic of South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia
As a result of the successful program under the PFID project umbrella, the LSU AgCenter successfully negotiated an associate award from the USAID Regional Center for Southern Africa (RCSA). The targeted countries in the region included the Republic of South Africa, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. Project models that will be utilized in these target countries will include Food Safety and Quality, Value-added Post-harvest Technology, Information Support Systems, Association Development and Market Linkages. The LSU AgCenter has harnessed the capabilities of U.S. private-sector partners -- the World Food Logistics organization (WFLO) in the cold chain and association-building area and Schaffer and Associates International LLC[Image: LSU AgCenter Global Programs and Projects, 2005-2009] (SAIL), a Louisiana firm, in the project-financing area. Further, the LSU AgCenter has established partnerships with in-country institutions, including the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, the University of Namibia (UNAM), the University of Eduardo Mondlane (UEM) in Mozambique, the Initiative for Development and Equity in African Agriculture (IDEAA) in Malawi and the Zambia Agribusiness Technical Assistance Centre Ltd (ZATAC). Through these partnerships, the LSU AgCenter has enhanced its U.S.-based expertise with specialists in the food industry in southern Africa.
Togo/Zambia
In 2008 the LSU AgCenter began implementing a contract from USAID/Washington as a pilot project focusing on highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) preparedness and response in two African countries: Togo and Zambia. This project’s goal is to establish public-private partnerships (PPPs) that will support sustainable social networks of poultry value-chain participants. These participants will collaborate to reduce poultry-sector loss to HPAI and other poultry diseases and to prevent the spread of HPAI to human populations.