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PROJECTS WITH CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES
Resources for Improving Food Security program in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (RISE) (CRS)
Lead Partners: Mercy Corps in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)/Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
Project Activities: Capacity building on post-harvest
Start date: 2011
Finish date: 2016
Location: Birambizo, Rutshuru, Rwanguba and Karisimbi regions of DRC
Comments: RISE is a five-year Multi Year Activity Program (MYAP) aimed at ensuring that vulnerable households and communities in North Kivu build and sustain food security. The program design incorporates agricultural production, productivity and disease control and eradication; increasing incomes; and prevention and reduction of childhood malnutrition. Activities build communities’ resiliency to food shocks by introducing and encouraging adoption of sustainable household coping mechanisms. The program includes a substantial focus on governance to ensure that the results achieved through agriculture and nutrition sectors are sustainable.
Donor: USAID
Enhancing Seed & Grain Storage Capacity for Smallholder Farmers in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Lead Partner: Catholic Relief Services
Project Activities: This project aims to promote smallholder farmer use of hermetic technologies (airtight storage) to enhance both seed and grain security in Eastern DRC. Better storage technology is a fairly accessible investment for smallholders and can give farmers significant and immediate results and longer-term impact – – from one season to another. Better storage can increase income and improve food security.
Focus Area: North and South Kivu
Amount: $250,000
Start date: March 2016
Finish date: September 2016
Comments: The goals of the project were: i) Enhance farmers’ capacity to store their own seed and grain (thereby reducing family expenditure and ensuring seed is adapted); ii) Raise awareness of a range of cost-effective hermetic technologies more generally among Eastern DRC humanitarian actors so as to promote regional seed and food security; and iii) Catalyze private sector supply chain development that can make available hermetic technology to farmers on an ongoing basis, through local shops and markets so as to increase the sustainability of the intervention.
Grantee: Purdue University
Strengthening Farmer Saved Bean Seed Through Hermetic Storage in Burundi
Lead Partner: Catholic Relief Services
Project Activities: Training and supply chain development of hermetic storage
Focus Area: Kavanza, Kirundo, Muyinga, and Ngozi Provinces
Amount: $224,032
Start date: August 2011
Finish date: January 2013
Comments: Strategic Objective: Vulnerable farmers in the target communes have sustainable access to good quality bean seeds through improved, replicable storage systems.
Donor: USAID
Grantee: Catholic Relief Services
United in Building and Advancing Life Expectations Project (UBALE) in Malawi
Lead Partner: Catholic Relief Services
Project Activities: UBALE promoted the PICS technology in 500 villages. Purdue University provided capacity building for extension agents, media activities, and assisted in the development of the supply chain development.
Focus Area: Blantyre, Chikwawa and Nsanie
Amount: $60 million
Start date: 2014
Finish date: 2019
Comments: The UBALE program worked to reduce chronic malnutrition and food insecurity and build resilience among vulnerable populations in three of the most food-insecure, chronically malnourished, and disaster-prone districts of Southern Malawi. UBALE focused on improving the livelihood of smallholder farmers focusing on increasing productivity of farm products, engaging with markets, reducing stunting among children under five, and increasing resilience to shocks.
Donor: USAID
Grantee: Catholic Relief Services
Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project
Lead Partner: USAID – Feed the Future with cost-share from Catholic Relief Services
Project Activities: Improving agricultural practices, including post-harvest storage and promote a market-oriented approach to diversify production.
Local Collaborators:
Focus Area: States of Sokoto and Kebbi, and Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
Start date: 2013
Finish date: 2018
Comments: The Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project was implemented by CRS in partnership with the Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (CCFN), Mercy Corps, the Federation for Muslim Women Association of Nigeria and Making Cents International. This 5-year (2013-2018) program used a multi-sector approach that sought to help 42,000 very poor households grow their agriculture production, incomes and improve nutrition. The project strengthened institutional capacity of government systems to implement poverty reduction programs and reinforce accountability between the government and citizens. Over 6,900 smallholder farming households have started adopting improved agronomic practices in production of cowpea, groundnut, soybean, maize, rice, millet and sorghum. Also, improved post-harvest handling with the use of triple bagging especially for cowpea has caused reduction in post-harvest losses. All these have led to increase in yield and income as a result of training provided by the project. The project supported village agro-dealers on the use of business model for expanding the sales of PICS gags across 28 communities.
Donor: USAID
Grantee: Catholic Relief Services
On-Farm Cowpea Seed Storage Project in Chad
Lead Partner: Catholic Relief Services
Project Activities: Development of cowpea and seed storage
Focus Area: Adré, Guéréda and Mongo, Eastern Chad
Comments: Activities were implemented in Eastern Chad with the support of OFDA. The project covered 221 villages and targeted 8,698 families. Activities targeted the development of cowpea and seed storage.
Donor: USAID
Partners: SECADEV and AURA
Grantee: Catholic Relief Services
Burkina Faso (Families Achieving Sustainable Outcomes (FASO))
Lead Partner: Catholic Relief Services
Project Activities: Promotion of PICS bags
Local Collaborators:
Focus Area: East and Central North region
Start date: 06/01/2010
Finish date: 05/31/ 2015
Comments: The Faso (Families Achieving Sustainable Outcomes) Project was a five-year program that worked at recovery of degraded lands, small gardens agriculture, the promotion of PICS bags, seed vouchers, farmer training and seed promotional days. FASO reached a total of 37,780 farmers (25,044 men and 12,736 women) in the domain of PICS technology and seed vouchers.
Donor: USAID
Partners: Tin-Tua and OCADES
Grantee: Catholic Relief Services
Strengthening Millet, Sorghum, and Cowpea Value Chains (MISOCO) in Niger
Lead Partner: Catholic Relief Services
Project Activities: Value chain analysis, capacity building, supply chain and media activities
Focus Area: Tahoua, Maradi, Dosso in Niger
Amount: $864,333
Start date: March 1, 2013
Finish date: September 30, 2015
Comments: Project goal was to increase the income of 15,000 farmers in 150 villages.
Objectives: To i) strengthen the service provision capacity of Producer Organizations (PO), ii) reduce postharvest losses of smallholder farmers through improved post-harvest management, and iii) improve marketing of agricultural goods of smallholder farmers in Pos.
Donor: AGRA
Grantee: Catholic Relief Services
PICS Bags to Improve Seed and Grain Storage in Sierra Leone
Lead Partner: Catholic Relief Services
Project Activities: Promote smallholder farmer seed and grain storage for the upcoming planting season, in the midst of the Ebola crisis.
Amount: $93,588
Start date: January 1, 2015
Finish date: November 30, 2015
Location: Sierra Leone
Focus area: Kailahun, Kenema, Koinadugu and Kambia
Comments: Program aimed to increase the resilience of smallholder farmers in Sierra Leone during the Ebola crisis by providing hermetic bags to store seed for planting and, grain for home consumption and sale. 20 Extension agents were first trained who in turn conducted awareness in small groups due to ban on large gatherings. Radio jingles and advertisements as well as cellphone text messaging were heavily used due to travel restrictions in some areas. Cellphone videos were also used to train and build capacity in remote communities. Ten thousand (10,000) PICS bags were imported from Mali. More than 4,200 farmers stored several crops in PICS bags for several months, each receiving a 50kg and a 25 kg bag capacity. Farmers stored rice, beans, maize and other crops.
Partners: The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security (MAFFS), Caritas Kenema, NGO SEND, CBOs and farmer groups, The Sierra Leone Agriculture Research Institute (SLARI), ULTRA Media
Donor: Catholic Relief Services
Grantee: CRS and Purdue University
Feed the Future Global Supporting Seed Systems for Development (S34D)
Lead Partner: Catholic Relief Services
Project Activities: Improved functioning of the high-impact integrated seed systems.
Focus Area: Tanzania
Amount: up to $49.5m
Start date: August 24, 2018
Finish date: August 23, 2023
Comments: S34D was created to enhance farmers’ access to a full range of seed choices and options to maximize their responsive decision making and planning for production. S34D seeks to improve the functioning of formal, informal and emergency seed sectors in FtF aligned countries with economic growth, resilience and emergency seed security programs.
Donor: USAID
Partners: Agri Experience, ABC/PABRA, IFDC, Opportunity International
Grantee: Catholic Relief Services
OTHER PROJECTS
Afghan Agriculture Extension Program (AAEP)
Lead Partner: University of California – Davis
Project Activities: The Afghan Agriculture Extension Program (AAEP) was a three-year project consisting of a consortium of three universities, including University of California-Davis, Washington State University, and Purdue University. This consortium worked in the provinces of Balkh, Herat, and Nangarhar to enhance capacity building by developing and implementing extension services to rural Afghans. Purdue’s efforts focused on grain storage and pest management, and were predominately located in Herat. Purdue implemented research and training activities.
Local Collaborators: Herat University/Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL)
Focus Area: Afghanistan
Amount: $2.9 million
Start date: September 2011
Finish date: August 2014
Location: Afghanistan (Balkh, Herat and Nangarhar provinces)
Comments: From 2011-2014, NIFA collaborated with a consortium of U.S. land-grant universities to help develop a more effective, demand-driven extension system in war-torn Afghanistan. The Afghanistan Agricultural Extension Project (AAEP), funded by USAID, developed 10 provincial model teaching farms, 185 farmer field schools, hundreds of on-farm demonstrations and 38 work groups in such areas as conservation agriculture, greenhouse production, grain storage and water resource management. AAEP trained 350 Afghan extension personnel who went on to train more than 5,000 farmers. A key component of the project focused on women in agriculture – 290 women were trained in such areas as backyard vegetable gardening, small-scale poultry operations, nutrition, food preservation and processing, marketing and food safety. In recognition of its achievements, AAEP received a Secretary’s Honor Award in 2014.
Donor: US Department of Agriculture
Duration: 3 years
Partners/Grantee: University of California-Davis
Sub-grantee: Purdue University
Developing the Market for PICS bags in Rwanda
The overall goal of the program is to commercialize the PICS bags – increase access and adoption of PICS bags by smallholder grain producers thereby reducing their pest-related post-harvest losses, increasing their ability to store grain for household food security, and allowing them the option to delay grain marketing to capture increased commodity prices between harvest seasons. This project provides capacity building services to Ecoplastic Ltd., to manufacture and distribute PICS bags in Rwanda and neighboring countries.
Lead Partner: Bell Industries/Purdue University
Project activities: Increase access and adoption of PICS bags by smallholder grain producers.
Local Collaborators: Ecoplastic Ltd., NGOs, Cooperatives
Focus Area: Rwanda
Amount: US $149,500
Start Date: March 2013
End Date: March 2014
Location: Rwanda – Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western provinces
Comments: PICS bags were produced in Rwanda and successfully introduced to farmers in Rwanda and Eastern D.R. Congo through NGOs and farmers based Organizations. More than 30,000 PICS bags were sold to farmers and other users in Rwanda and Eastern D.R. Congo by the end of this project.
Donor: Feed the Future, Partnering for Innovation
Duration: 12 months
Partners: Ecoplastic Ltd. (manufacturer and distributor of PICS bags), NGOs and Cooperatives
Grantee: Purdue University
Protecting Farmers’ Incomes Through Advances in Grain Storage
Lead Partner: Purdue
Project Activities: The grant enabled Purdue to assess the potential profitability and sustainability for hermetic storage bags in Afghanistan. To foster the development of the supply chain, Purdue identified competitive manufacturers in Afghanistan and launched a wholesale and retail distribution system for the bags.
Local Collaborators:
Focus Area:
Amount: $88,400
Start date: March 1, 2012
Finish date: December 31, 2013
Donor: Development Innovation Ventures USAID
Duration: 1 year
Grantee: Purdue
Purdue Improved Crop Storage Market Development in Kenya
The overall goal of the program is to increase access and adoption of PICS bags by smallholder grain producers thereby reducing their pest-related post-harvest losses, increasing their ability to store grain for household food security, and allowing them the option to delay grain marketing to capture increased commodity prices between harvest seasons. This project also provides capacity building services to Bell Industries to distribute PICS bags in Kenya.
Lead Partner: Bell Industries/Purdue University
Project activities: Increase access and adoption of PICS bags by smallholder grain producers.
Local Collaborators: Bell Industries (distributor of PICS bags), Caritas Meru, Caritas Eldoret, Sorghum Value Chain Development Consortium (SVCDC)
Focus Area: Kenya
Amount: US $386,201
Start Date: September 2013
End Date: August 2014
Location: Kenya – Western, Central and Easter regions
Comments: PICS bags were manufactured in Kenya and introduced to farmers. More than 60,000 farmers were trained on how to properly use PICS bags. At least 1000 farmers’ groups and markets were reached with demonstration activities. Among the participants of demonstration activities, 65% were women. Among pilot farmers 69% were women. More than 60,000 PICS bags were produced and sold to farmers and other users by the end of this project.
Donor: Feed the Future, Partnering for Innovation
Duration: 12 months
Capacity Strengthening for Postharvest Handling and Storage in Arequipa, Peru (CAST-PHS)
The CAST-PH is one of the projects under the Arequipa Nexus Institute for Food, Energy, Water and the Environment (https://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/arequipa-nexus/en/index.php) at Purdue University. This two-year project is funded as a Phase 2 of the Arequipa Nexus Institute that is a partnership between the “Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa”, Peru (UNSA) and Purdue University. The major objectives of the project are to: (i) Build the capacity of UNSA faculty in areas of postharvest management to lead postharvest research activities in Arequipa; (ii) Train local partners, including growers’ associations, food processors and government extension agents, to create awareness and increase adoption of best postharvest management practices; and (iii) Work with partners (UNSA, growers’ associations, and food processors) to facilitate access to postharvest technologies. The project introduced several technologies in Arequipa including the Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS), DEHYTRAY technology for drying specialty crops, and Purdue Improved Moisture Assessment (PIMA) for improving grain moisture measurements.
Donor: UNSA
Lead Partner: Arequipa Nexus Institute and UNSA
Focus Area: Postharvest management of grain in Arequipa
Amount: $537,219
Start Date: January 2019
End Date: December: 2020
Location: Arequipa, Peru
Comments: More than 33 participants including UNSA faculty and students attended trainings at UNSA and Purdue University. More than 25 lead farmers and extension agents were trained. A survey of 500 farmers was conducted to assess postharvest management on grain in both the low and highlands of the Arequipa region. From the survey, we learned that: (i) the durations of field drying of quinoa and paprika need to be shortened due to birds and rodent attacks, as well as fungal/mycotoxin contamination; (ii) farmers do not properly measure grain moisture content before storage; and (iii) insects are a major problem during grain storage.
Bean/Cowpea Purdue/IRA Collaborative Research Support Program Cowpea Storage Project (CRSP)
This project discovered and developed technologies to prevent losses of cowpea grain to bruchid beetles during storage of the grain after harvest in Cameroon. It was funded by USAID.
Donor: USAID
Lead Partner: Focus Area: Cowpea storage technologies
Amount: USD $3.2 million
Start Date: March 1987
End Date: June 2002
Location: Cameroon, later across West Africa
Comments: Project eventually expanded from Cameroon into the whole region
Duration: 15 years
Partners: IRA (Institut de Recherche Agronomique later becoming IRAD (D for Development) and Purdue University, World Vision, Save the Children, Catholic Relief Services
Grantee: Purdue University
