For Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate, the Impacts of COVID-19 Are Widespread

---

In this installment of our “COVID Conversations” series, we talk with Lionel Soulard, Cargill’s managing director for West Africa. IFC and GAFSP’s support to Cargill is helping the company professionalize and digitize Côte d'Ivoire’s cocoa sector. Soulard spoke with us recently about plummeting chocolate sales at airports, the challenges of online training with limited internet, and how the pandemic is accelerating digitization—and with it, opportunity.

In Kosovo, Microfinance Expands Herds—And Hopes

---

Agriculture is critical to Kosovo’s private sector development, and though it accounts for an estimated 30 percent of employment and 13 percent of GDP, it accounts for just 4 percent of total borrowing in the country’s formal sectors.

Uganda’s Dairy Farmers Develop a Taste for New Markets

---

In Uganda, where dairy production is dominated by small-scale farmers living in impoverished rural areas, IFC and GAFSP supported Pearl Dairy established a powdered milk processing plant and cold-storage infrastructure.

For Cocoa Farmers, Going Digital Tastes Sweet

---

In Côte d’Ivoire, where almost half of jobs are linked to cocoa, IFC and GAFSP are working with the cocoa company Cargill to professionalize and digitize the sector. The Cargill 2.0 program works on professionalizing cooperatives, teaching management skills and training on the benefits of digital finance to increase traceability and security.

Better Water Management Means Greater Food Security in Tajikistan

---

In Tajikistan, irrigated agriculture is critical for rural livelihoods, and for the overall economy. A GAFSP-supported project was launched in 2012 and has since helped around 1.4 million people benefit from improved irrigation services and better water management.

GAFSP raises $300M at replenishment kickoff

---

GAFSP raised $300 million of a desired $1.5 billion (over five years) Tuesday at its replenishment kickoff event hosted by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

What women in Nepal can teach the world about growing food

---

Good food begins with farmers, and things started to change when GAFSP began investing in rural farming communities in Nepal.

Global Agriculture and Food Security Program Donors Announce US$300 million to End Hunger and Malnutrition

---

As part of GAFSP’s first replenishment period to raise US$1.5 billion over five years, Australia, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Germany, Norway, and Spain announced over US$300 million in new contributions to GAFSP – meeting its yearly replenishment target for 2020.

Farmers at the Forefront

---

Did you know that farmers are at the forefront of everything we do? Learn more about how we invest in their success.

GAFSP Program Video

---

What is GAFSP and what makes it so unique? Learn more about our approach and how we support smallholder farmers.