USAID Agro Horizon Project

Helping Kyrgyz Farmers Increase Incomes and New Employment Opportunities

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Summary

The USAID Agro Horizon Project is a key component of USAID Kyrgyz Republic’s overall economic development program designed to accelerate the growth of diversified and equitable economic growth in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Objectives

Increase productivity of agricultural producers and link them to markets
Increase productivity and markets for agribusinesses
Improve enabling environment for agriculture-sector growth
Improve nutritional status of women and children in the zone of influence

Geographic Focus

Four Oblasts: Osh, Batken, Jalal-Abad and Naryn

Priority Value Chains

Livestock (cattle-dairy & meat), Fruits, Berries, Vegetables (including potato), including support markets such as feeds and feed ingredients for livestock and nurseries for fruits

Major Accomplishments in Project Years 1 & 2

26,000 individuals trained in improved technologies/practices in maize, onion, potato, and apricot production
21,000 households benefited
30 private enterprises assisted, including rural advisory services (RAS) and advisory service providers (ASPs), cooperatives, and private entrepreneurs
Aravan Agro Service (AAS) assisted to sell 600 tons of early potato resulting in 3.5 million Kyrgyz Soms (KGS) in profit compared to a loss of 4.2 million KGS in 2015
B2B events in Bishkek, Osh, and Almaty in August 2016, led to over $5.76 million worth of contracts
5,926 smallholder farmers received in-kind grants: seeds, fertilizers, plant protection chemicals, machinery services
Eight Machinery Service Providers assisted to expand capacity (30 percent cost-share in new and better machines)
Apricot farmers have increased their yields by 20 percent and maize farmers are expected to obtain two times higher yields
Marketing support is ongoing for apricots and maize
1,600 women-headed households supported with kitchen gardens for improved household nutrition

Refocused Market-Driven Approach for Years 3 & 4

Expand markets for smallholder farmers by attracting investors to establish buyer platforms in the project’s zone of influence. These buyer platforms will be in the form of processing, logistics, consolidation, and similar facilities.
Expand the markets of processors and other already existing agribusinesses
Support productivity improvement at the farm level based on market requirements. Ensure that the appropriate logistics and supply chains are established between farmers and buyers and that they are supported such that sustainable and strategic partnerships are promoted.
Work with lead firms that have demonstrated business capability in developing firm-based agricultural value chains that may or may not be within the livestock, fruits, and vegetable value chains; the lead firm will provide co-investment in the development of the supply base and the processing or logistics facility, and will take responsibility for the marketing of the product
Reduce barriers to access markets through market regulations and requirement awareness campaigns, product quality, and production compliance to standards, and improved access to standards certification