Improving Economies for Stronger Communities (IESC)
2000 M Street NW
Suite 250
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 202-589-2600
Email: iesc@iesc.org
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Improving Food Safety Systems Project
Approach
As a special program under USAID’s Farmer-to-Farmer Program, this program was managed by a lean local team and leveraged U.S. volunteer expertise to deliver technical assistance. IESC relied on its robust registry of highly skilled volunteer experts and half century of experience fielding volunteers to catalyze enterprise and private sector growth worldwide.
Developed a traceability system
The program supported the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to establish traceability systems for fruits and vegetables to identify when and where food safety and quality problems are introduced—at growing, harvesting, processing, or packaging—and address them quickly.
Improved value chain food safety systems
IESC conducted value chain assessments and introduced systems to improve the ability of producers and other actors along the value chain to meet the sanitary and phytosanitary standards that the market demands.
Strengthened government food safety systems
The program coordinated the Ghanaian government, international donors, the private sector, and others working on sanitary and phytosanitary protections to improve inspection, monitoring, and certification processes and systems.
Summary
This program improved access to markets for Ghana’s farmers by strengthening the systems that deliver safe, quality produce and food. Launched in the wake of an EU ban on Ghanaian agricultural exports, the program supported cooperation between the public and private sectors to strengthen the compliance system that ensures people, animals, and plants are free from diseases, pests, and other contaminants (sanitary and phytosanitary systems).
Program details
- Funder: USAID Farmer-to-Farmer Program
- Administrator: Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance
- Duration: 2016 to 2018
- Award: $2.8 million
Results
- 2,400 farmers and exporters following good agricultural practices
- 1,250 days of volunteer service
- 4,200 hectares of land using new production technology
- 52,000 program beneficiaries