Background Narrative
GRAND is a USAID-funded Global Development Alliance that partners with SAREF International to accelerate economic recovery of households affected by the Ebola virus disease (EVD). GRAND promotes the expansion and enhancement of agrodealer network activities to improve the standard of living for Guinea’s rural population. GRAND seeks to identify opportunities that will add value and improve Guinea’s input markets.
Project Objectives
GRAND will leverage the extensive assets that Guinea’s natural landscape and private sector offer, while building upon the alliance’s experience accelerating inclusive, economic agricultural sector growth. GRAND’s goal is to support a rapid and robust recovery from the EVD outbreak and improve broad-based food security in the short-, medium-, and long-term. Specifically, this increase in food security will be achieved through increasing numbers of male and female farmers, who will experience significant increases in their productivity and revenues.
To achieve this goal, GRAND is pursuing the following two objectives:
- Increase male and female farmers’ access to productive inputs
- Strengthen male and female farmers’ access to output markets
Project Activities and Approaches
To meet the above objectives, ACDI/VOCA will:
- facilitate the identification, recruitment, and establishment of comptoirs agriruraux (CAs), “community agrodealers,” or owners or managers for the creation of viable, sustainable input suppliers
- identify, recruit, and train agent agricole villageois (AAVs), “village agricultural agents,” from a pool of recent agricultural university graduates to be effective extension agents in rural areas and increase the adoption of improved technologies and inputs
- facilitate more robust development of the commercial seed market through fostering public-private dialogues and relationships
- facilitate improved access to credit for groupement d’Intérêt économique (GIEs), “economic interest groups,” and smallholder farmers to purchase needed high-quality inputs
- facilitate stronger market linkages, such as with commercial traders or through pre- and post-harvest agricultural fairs, to increase purchasing and selling opportunities for offtakers and farmers
Project Results
Anticipated outputs, outcomes, results, and impacts include:
- US$8.3 million in increased revenue for Guinea’s input sector over three years
- US$813,000 in private sector funding leveraged
- 3,100 farmers trained in pesticide use and management
- 334 producer organizations reached
- 34 CAs and 19 AAVs created
Funder: USAID, SAREF International
Contact: Ricardo Blanco, rblanco@acdivoca.org
