Uzbekistan—USAID Agricultural Value Chain Activity in Uzbekistan (Uzbekistan AVC)

Client: U.S. Agency for International Development

Duration: 2015-2020

Region: Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Country: Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan AVC is capitalizing on the achievements of USAID’s Uzbekistan AgLinks (2007–2011) and AgLinks Plus (2011–2015) projects, which were implemented by DAI. We are scaling up support to post-harvest handling and fostering new business partnerships while expanding opportunities for women’s entrepreneurship and employment. Uzbekistan AVC is co-investing with stakeholders at key points along the chain—including local institutes, agrarian universities, and service providers such as agro-input dealers, nursery extension staff, pruning groups, consolidators, and cold chain operators—to ensure scalability and sustainability.

We aim to improve the quality and volume of agricultural production and post-harvest handling and production, facilitate market linkages, and link educational institutions with private sector demand.

Sample Activities

Provide technical assistance in best agricultural practices at demo plots for crops such as cherry, peach, apple, grape, pomegranate, tomato, cucumber, onion, and carrot.
Invest in the full operation of Uzbekistan’s new tissue culture lab and supplemental support to government institutions to propagate disease-free, true-to-type plant materials locally and distribute them to certified nursery operators.
Use the MEVA 3.0 platform to develop a social marketing forum to allow users to access up-to-date information on quantities, qualities, and pricing for horticulture to drive marketing decisions for farmers, cold store owners and managers, exporters, and buyers.
Facilitate cold chain demo site activities, workshops targeted to women, and exchange programs for cold storage operators.
Build linkages between producers and local supermarkets, take advantage of local trade events, and develop relationships with buyers in new markets.
Conduct AVC horticulture assessment and mapping with agrarian university professors and students, and develop hands-on production and post-harvest learning at universities.
Introduce new ICT tools to help facilitate learning.

Worldwide—INVEST

INVEST is a flexible, efficient buy-in mechanism that helps U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) operating units mobilize private capital to achieve their goals. Through INVEST, USAID accesses the expertise it needs to evaluate and execute blended finance approaches. This supports USAID’s focus on enterprise-led development, unlocking the potential of the private sector to move countries beyond the need for assistance.