Summary 

USAID’s Avansa Agrikultura Project is accelerating sustainable economic growth in the agriculture sector.  At the end of the project, USAID anticipates more than 9,000 households will be earning higher incomes, increasing household savings and eating more nutritious foods.  USAID has adopted lessons learned from previous projects working with farmers, buyers, and communities. The long-term sustainability will be ensured by strengthening the links between the private sector and local partners that deliver services to rural farmers.

California Frigo strawberry plants were distributed in Aileu, Ainaro, and Ermera. Some of the farmer groups’ incomes have increased by nearly 320 percent from $1,200 to $5,000 since the activity began.

Major Achievements:

• Average annual income for partner farming households rose nearly 18 percent in FY19 to $2,454 and have risen 944 percent since the project started in 2015.
• Project initiatives benefitted 8,695 households.
• Focusing on youth, the project has trained 6,591 young people in life skills including entrepreneurship, agricultural production, natural resource management, and nutrition.
• Moderate to severe hunger has fallen by 90 percent in target areas since the project started.
• A thriving input supply sector is developing, demonstrated by a nearly threefold increase in annual input supply sales from $200,000 to $770,293 since 2015.
• More than 32,000 farmers applied new technologies that are steadily improving productivity.
• The project introduced technologies that promote improved climate risk reduction and/or natural resource management on 3,376 hectares, thereby markedly improving farmers’ ability to manage water shortages and erosion.
• Women of reproductive age are consuming healthier food, with 83 percent now including five or more nutritious food groups in their diets.