Sustainable Agribusiness Support Project
Center for Citizen Initiatives/The Agricultural Initiative
This program is made possible by financial support from the U.S. Agency for International Development and significant in-kind contributions from Russia's Ministry of Agriculture.
The Sustainable Agribusiness Support Project (SASP) marks the first stage of Russia's plan to create a nationwide network of extension services for private farmers. It is a two-year project promoting sustainable agriculture techniques for business development in seven Russian regions. SASP collaborates with Russia's Ministry of Agriculture, which contributes facilities and consultants at each Extension Center.
Why is SASP needed?
- Russia's private agricultural producers and processors are barely surviving. They desperately need information and consultations to succeed and prove the viability of private agriculture in Russia.
- Sustainable agriculture techniques are especially needed due to Russia's economic and environmental conditions, which include:
1) widespread unavailability and high prices of external inputs
2) soils polluted and fertility exhausted by years of chemical-intensive agriculture.
Where are SASP Centers located?
In seven Russian regions: Sergiev Posad, Vsevolozhsk (near St. Petersburg), Krasnodar, Penza, Arzamas (near Nizhniy Novgorod), Kolomna, and Lipetsk. Each Extension Center is hosted and makes use of resources provided by the local agricultural college or teknikum.
What forms of assistance does SASP provide?
- Business advice - farm management, market research and development, farm accounting, business plan development, cooperative formation, contract negotiation and conclusion.
- Legal advice - on farm enterprise registration, cooperative formation, taxation issues, and land leasing.
- Technical advice - crop and seed selection, crop rotations, pest and weed management (including IPM), reclamation, soil improvement and regeneration, and farm system integration to conserve resources and protect the environment.
- Monthly newsletters on topics of interest to local farmers.
Who are CCI's partners in this project?
CCI works closely with Russia's Ministry of Agriculture (Department of Middle Level Colleges), which provides facilities and a cadre of qualified consultants in all seven regions. The Extension Centers also work closely with Scientific-Methodological Centers at each of the hosting colleges to research low-input agricultural techniques appropriate for local conditions and crops.
How does SASP ensure that local needs are met?
SASP is guided by local "farmers' councils," which help determine the types of educational programs and assistance offered by each Extension Center.
What experience does CCI bring to this type of work?
In 1994, CCI helped project partners in Sergiev Posad, Russia create the first Russian Extension service focused on sustainable agriculture. Upon seeing the tremendous successes of this work, Russia's Ministry of Agriculture appealed to CCI to help establish these services throughout Russia. CCI has also helped Russian partners create a second, independent Extension Service which is currently serving agricultural entrepreneurs near St. Petersburg.
CCI also has extensive experience supporting entrepreneurship development in Russia, beginning with the Economic Development Program in 1989 (a model for later, large-scale Russian assistance programs) and continuing with the Productivity Enhancement Program, a post-Cold-War adaptation of the Marshall Plan study tours.
For more information, please contact William Easton, Agricultural Director at CCI. P.O. Box 29912, San Francisco, CA 94129-0912, tel. (415) 561-7777, fax (415) 561-7778, email cciusa@igc.org, or on the Web at www.igc.org/cci.
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