EAD
2011 Marks 10th Anniversary of IFDC in Kyrgyzstan The Kyrgyz Agro-Input Enterprise Development (KAED) FollowOn project and its predecessors (KAED and KAED II) were featured in the November/December issue of the FrontLines newsletter, published by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). IFDC launched its activities in Kyrgyzstan in 2001 through the USAID-funded KAED project, which supported the development of agro-dealers and increased agricultural production by encouraging the use of improved technologies in the Ferghana Valley. Activities eventually shifted to advance agro-input market development in northern Kyrgyzstan and to integrate agricultural markets nationwide. According to FrontLines, “The successes of the KAED and KAED Follow-On projects have transformed the program into a household name throughout the country.”
Ubaidulla Abdullaev, agronomy and animal husbandry manager, demonstrates improved agricultural technologies during a KAED field day.
The Follow-On project was formed through a USAID Global Development Alliance. “The alliance serves as a prime example of how public-private partnerships can address food security issues through increased agricultural productivity,” said Dr. Hiqmet Demiri, KAED chief of party. “KAED hopes its successes will serve as a signal to others in the region and lead to new public-private initiatives that address food security needs.”
The project is now working with 34,000 farmers who are planting USAID-funded improved crop varieties and an additional 80,000 farmers who are adopting better farming and animal care practices. The FrontLines article can be found at 1.usa.gov/rtUbjC.
Participants at a KAED field day.
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