White House Seeks to Spark Agribusiness Growth -- But Guess Where?

U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor ^ | Aug. 25, 2012 | Steve Peacock

[Steve Peacock]

Certain sectors of the agricultural industry are experiencing a “less impressive” growth rate than anticipated by the Obama Administration, which is stepping in to spark that growth. And it doing so in Uganda, where its Commodity Production and Marketing campaign aims to “sustainably increase the production and marketing of quality maize, beans, and coffee” in that African nation.

The administration last year devised a plan to cut Ugandan poverty in half, while also reducing other social ills, such as the frequency of cattle raiding across the country. As U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor reported last year, “Plan Uganda” will cost American taxpayers $3.5 billion from 2011-2015.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said in a Statement of Work, or SOW, that this latest project—which is connected with the administration’s broader Feed the Future initiative—will help achieve USAID/Uganda’s development goal of achieving “Economic growth from agriculture and the natural resource base increased in selected areas and population groups.”

Despite continued U.S. assistance to Uganda’s agricultural sector over the past two decades, the industry continues to struggle, for instance, with creating efficient regional distribution systems as well as producing quality corn and maize, the SOW acknowledged.

Among some of those programs were:

Investment in the Development of Export Agriculture (IDEA) project (1993 to 2004); Rural Savings Promotion & Enhancement of Enterprise Development project (2004 and 2007); Strengthening the Competitiveness of Private Enterprise project (2003 to 2006); Agricultural Productivity Enhancement Program (APEP) (2003-2008). Current USAID/Uganda projects include: Livelihoods and Enterprises for Agricultural Development (LEAD) project (2008-2013);

The Commodity Production and Marketing activity said it will achieve its objectives by:

increasing crop productivity (increase in yields, reduction of production costs, and reduction of post-harvest losses); increasing the availability and effectiveness of support services (financial, advisory, market information, and other production and marketing services); strengthening inter-actor relationships for more effective movement of products and information between buyers and sellers; and: increasing access to competitive markets (domestic, regional and international).

The selected vendor also must takes steps to educate Ugandans about climate change and gender equality, according to the SOW.

The endeavor will cost about $23 million over five years. Contractor proposals are due Oct. 5.

Source document: Solicitation #SOL-617-12-000020(1).

FOR ADDITIONAL REGIONAL COVERAGE, SEE THE MONITOR'S AFRICA PAGE.

FOR FURTHER COVERAGE OF THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, PLEASE VISIT THE MONITOR'S USAID PAGE.

ALSO SEE THE MONITOR'S FOOD & NUTRITION PAGE.

[Sequoyah101]

Here is a news flash for you, they can’t be helped. They are too backward and corrupt. They screw each other and everyone else they can. I saw millions and millions of dollars worth of AIDS medicines ruin in the heat on the docks of Port Harcourt, Nigeria because it could not get through the customs payoffs.

In all of Africa I have been in there is a knack for making even the newest stuff and construction look old and dilapidated. Inside of a year everything new turns into slums.

These are people of the same cultures that sold one another into slavery. There was no need for slave traders to go beyond the beach to get their cargo, it was brought to them.

[Newton]

Figures it was not the US. After seeing 2016 last night, it is even easier to see right through the bastard.

[Newton]

Figures it was not the US. After seeing 2016 last night, it is even easier to see right through the bastard.

[Newton]

Figures it was not the US. After seeing 2016 last night, it is even easier to see right through the bastard.

[NVDave]

Yep.

Gotta agree.

They had an example of how to produce food and agri-business profits in Zimbabwe.

They’ve killed that example.

I say we let them have what they’ve earned.

[Steve Peacock]

The Obama Administration thinks it can, and is taking billions upon billions of our hard-earned dollars to attempt to make it happen (well, to at least give the APPEARANCE of trying to make it happen). If it were not for the fact that I feel as I am being robbed by a stealthy thief, I would say it was laughable that Obama (and other prior White House occupants) undertake such efforts to change the cultures of so many nations. As if we CAN force cultures to change. As if WE should be FORCED to PAY for such ventures. As if it MAKES SENSE to hire contractors (often run by former, government officials) at a combined cost of many billions to pursue such initiatives.