This program was 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). It was
a two-year project promoting sustainable agriculture techniques for business
development in seven Russian regions. SASP collaborated with Russia's Ministry
of Agriculture, which contributed facilities and consultants at each Extension
Center. It was the first stage of Russia's plan to create a nationwide network
of extension services for private farmers.
SASP
Final Report
Why was 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 were 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 provided?
- 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 were CCI's partners in this project?
CCI worked 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 did SASP ensure that local needs were met?
SASP is guided by local "farmers' councils," which helpeld determine the types
of educational programs and assistance offered by each Extension Center.
What experience did 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 Sustainable Agribusiness Support
Project (SASP), P.O. Box 29912, San Francisco, CA 94129-0912, tel.
(415) 561-7777, fax (415) 561-7778, email info@ccisf.org
or on the Web at www.ccisf.org
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