Copyright © 2000 by Center for Citizen Initiatives.
All rights reserved
US Implementing Partner: Center for Citizen Initiatives (CCI)
Start: September 1997
Completion: August 31, 1999
Russian Partners: Ministry of Agriculture & Food of the Russian Federation, Department of Personnel Policies & Education All-Russian Agricultural College (Sergiev Posad) Pashkovskiy Regional Base College (Krasnodar) Penzenskiy Tekhnikum (Penza) Kolomenskiy Agrarian College (Kolomna) Arzamasskiy Agrarian College (Nizhniy Novgorod) Zadonskiy Agrarian College (Lipetsk) Vsevolozhskiy Agrarian College (Vsevolozhsk)
The listing of expected results is taken directly from the original grant proposal as submitted to USAID by CCI and approved for funding on September 20, 1997. Actual Results are stated briefly below and are expanded on in the remainder of this final report.
Expected Result: 40 agribusiness owners/managers funneled into Productivity Enhancement Program for one-month, agriculture-specific US internships.
Actual Result: 167 agribusiness owners/managers funneled into Productivity Enhancement Program for one-month, agriculture-specific US internships.
Expected Result: 25 clients receiving loans from Russian banks or international funds.
Actual Result: 38 clients received loans from Russian banks or international funds.
Expected Result: 100 Russian-language agricultural how-to guides and 150 newsletters from the Centers available electronically via the Internet.
Actual Result: 198 Russian-language agricultural how-to guides and newsletters from the Centers are available electronically via the Internet.
Expected Result: At least seven operational Russian Extension Centers serving an average 150 local producers and agribusinesses (for a total of at least 1,050 clients receiving assistance).
Actual Result: Seven operational Russian Extension Centers serving an average of 120 local producers and agribusinesses (for a total of 882 clients receiving assistance). In addition 26 seminars were conducted in 1998 and 23 in 1999 with a total attendance of 926 people.
Expected Result: Agribusiness Information Centers established in at least seven Russian Extension centers.
Actual Result: Agribusiness Information Centers were established in thirteen Russian Extension centers. In addition, the Extension Centers assisted in the creation of four (4) new farmers' cooperatives.
Expected Result: Average 20% profitability increase for all Center clients over two years.
Actual Result: Average 13.4% profitability increase for all Center clients over two years.
Expected Result: 10-20 Extension managers and agents trained in one-month programs with US Extension Services.
Actual Result: 10 Extension managers and agents trained in one-month programs with US Extension Services.
Expected Result: 35 small-group training visits conducted to research/demonstration or successful private farms.
Actual Result: 19 small-group training visits were conducted to research/demonstration or successful private farms.
Expected Result: Five additional consulting services created in neighboring oblasts as a result of on-site seminars.
Actual Result: Six additional consulting services were created in neighboring oblasts as a result of on-site seminars.
Expected Result: 100 Russian Extension agents trained through regional seminars (180 if expanded funding is available.)
Actual Result: 224 Russian Extension agents were trained through regional seminars.
On August 31, 1999, the Center for Citizen Initiatives (CCI) successfully completed its Sustainable Agribusiness Support Project (SASP), funded by a 2-year grant from USAID. Under the provisions of the grant, CCI created and operated 7 agricultural extension centers in Russian agrarian colleges (Arzamas, Vsevolozhsk, Sergiev Posad, Krasnodar, Penza, Kolomna, and Zadonsk). These centers continue to provide a wide range of consulting and information services to local agricultural entrepreneurs. Farmers advisory councils at each center, made up of 4-8 local farmers, guided the work of the centers to ensure that the project remained responsive to the specific needs of its clients at each site.
Throughout the duration of the project, CCI also worked closely with the Russian Ministry of Agriculture to ensure the effectiveness and the adaptability of the SASP model to other agrarian colleges in the Russian Federation. Natalya Andreeva, Manager of the SASP Extension Center in Sergiev Posad, recently joined the staff at the Department of Science and Extension at the Ministry of Agriculture with the specific assignment of starting five more pilot regional extension centers.
As a result of SASP seminars, an additional six agricultural colleges (Sarapulsk, Glasevsk, Rostov ‹Veliki, Anapa, Ieisk, Ardatov) initiated the extension center model with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture. In addition, three newly created extension centers at Agrarian Universities in Tatarstan, Ivanovo and Izhevsk are using the materials of SASP-funded centers. The director of Vsevolozhsk Center (Elena Novik) was asked to create and manage the new department of Information Techniques for Farmers in the Agrarian University in Pushkino (Leningradskaya Oblast).
During February, 1998, 10 Russian Extension Center Directors received training in the design and delivery of Extension educational and consulting programs from US extension centers at the University of Alaska, the University of Vermont, and the University of Oregon. Extension directors were provided training on how extension agents work with farmers and the role extensions can play in agricultural and community development. Specific training themes included sustainable agricultural techniques, compilation of business and marketing plans, and organization of informational resources for use in extension activities.
Moreover, these training programs also enabled SASP extension personnel to prepare and publish how-to handbooks for Russian extension clients entitled, "Recommendations for Russian Extension". This series of handbooks was disseminated throughout agricultural educational institutions (346 in total) and were used by the ARIS and TACIS projects.
Each of these 7 extension centers provided a wide range of direct services to agricultural entrepreneurs in their regions. Individual consultations at both extension center and on-farm sites included basic business planning and cash flow procedures, equipment sourcing and pricing, development of marketing plans, etc. All Centers are supported in part by their clients, and each client on average pays 50 rubles a consultation, which is used to defray the cost of supplies and other materials. During the duration of the program, the total number of clients of the 7 centers totaled 882 (this may change by the end of the project) and included:
Funds from the SASP grant were also used to purchase soil test kits for each Extension Center. Soil testing has proved to be a critical service to local agricultural communities, as this service helps farmers determine the proper mix of crops to plant. Extension Centers charge 50 rubles for each soil test and each center has conducted at least 15 tests.
A primary focus of each Extension Center has been to introduce sustainable agriculture techniques such as crop rotation, no tilling, adapted crop varieties, etc.
As a result of extension activities, the average profitability of all Extension Center clients increased 13.4% (Arzamas - 18.2%, Vsevolozhsk - 8.7%, Sergiev Posad - 11.3%, Krasnodar - 14.5%, Penza - 8.2%, Kolomna - 21.8%, Zadonsk - 10.9%). This profitability increase is attributed to the following factors:
In addition, each Extension Center also served as an information center augmenting the direct assistance provided to clients. This information included 4 broad categories including legal template documents, agricultural management and business planning materials, extension publications, and philosophy and practices of sustainable agriculture. Each of the centers publishes a monthly newsletter covering topics of interest to privatized agribusinesses in their areas. In addition, most of these newsletters (about 48 in all) have been published on the Internet with the assistance of the Foundation for Agrarian Development Research.
Moreover, SASP compiled a list of agricultural resources ‹See Appendix A (Center for Citizen Initiatives: Gateway to Russian Publications ‹ on its Internet site ‹See Appendix B (Agricultural Initiative). From May 30, 1998 to August 27, 1999 the Agricultural Initiative site received 50,621 hits. From May 6, 1997 to August 31, 1999 the Gateway to Russian Publications site received 67,611 hits.
Direct assistance to farmers was also delivered via small group seminars held at local research and/or developmental farms. During the 2-year SASP grant period, SASP personnel conducted 19 small-group training visits to research/demonstration farms. Demonstration plots were created by the Arzamas Center and the local Agrarian University and in Sergiev Posad in 1997.
In addition, 26 in-house seminars were conducted in 1998 and 23 in 1999 with a total number of 926 participants.
The project supported the annual conference on alternative agriculture in Sergiev Posad and the proceedings of the Extension section of the meeting were published after the conference. The conference will be held again in the fall of 1999 and a "roundtable" to include newly established Extension Centers will be included. The conference and the roundtable portion of the meeting are slated to become annual events.
Extension Centers also served a variety of ancillary functions that supported the development of private farming in the regions where they are located including:
Plans have been initiated to hold a conference in the winter of 2000 which will bring together 30 to 40 private farmers from various regions in Russia to discuss the primary impediments faced by farmers, clarify their greatest needs and determine the most effective solutions to their problems. The farmers who participate in the conference will be drawn from a broad base including: 1) CCI's farmer alumni of US Training internships, 2) the most successful private farmers in the regions where the Farmers' Development Services (FDS) ‹modeled after US Extension Services‹is active, 3) the regional directors of FDS, and 4) other Russian farmers recommended by grassroots technical assistance providers, such as the Rural Development Institute (RDI). Representatives from USAID, the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, the U.S. Congress, the Russian Duma and selected U.S Foundations will be invited to observe the proceedings.
Rooftop gardens are thriving in St. Petersburg at School #42, prisions (Kresty and Kolpino), and the residential building located at Pulovskaya 9-2. The addition of several small greenhouses makes winter gardening possible on a limited scale. A new project was initiated in 1999 to construct a horticultural therapy garden at the Prothesis Institute. Wheelchair paths and raised beds will be completed at the end of September 1999. A small monthly garden tips pamphlet is published and made available to all those working on the gardens. This project is made possible through the generosity of The Mott Foundation, The Vera Townsend Foundation, a private donor and in-kind contributions by Russian companies.
The Humanitarian Seedlift Project has delivered seeds valued at more than $841,000 to social groups in Russia serving the needy over the past five years. Funds for warehousing and shipping the seeds were provided by the Vera Townsend Foundation. In 1999, an additional 3 tons of seeds were delivered to the National Federation of Farmers in Moldova. The storage of the seeds will be jointly supervised by the Federation and Counterpart International until January 2000 when they will be distributed to farmers for planting.
Equipment purchased for the project with grant funds included seven (7) CATS XC822 CPR E EUR Xerox Copiers. Certificates to verify transfer of ownership of these copiers to the Extension Centers can be found in Appendix C. The Soil Testing Kits will also remain with the Extension Centers where they can be used to continue assisting farmers as they work to improve their crop yields.