WASHINGTON – Land O’Lakes Venture37 today announced it has been awarded funding for seven new international development projects across the globe in 2019, further building the organization’s reach as it works to strengthen agricultural and food systems in developing nations. Funding for the new projects spans a range of governments, nonprofit and philanthropic leaders.

“These new projects allow Land O’Lakes Venture37 to continue growing the reach and impact of our work, collaborating with farmers, businesses and local communities to improve food production systems and strengthen economic opportunity,” said John Ellenberger, executive director of Land O’Lakes Venture37. “We are especially pleased to announce projects that bring together a broad range of funding sources in support of our work, with leading philanthropies joining funders representing the U.S. Government and other foundations across the globe.”

The seven new projects include the following:

• AgResults Dairy Productivity Challenge Project (Tanzania)
  This program will utilize a Pay-for-Results prize initiative to incentivize the private sector to overcome dairy industry market barriers. This includes investment in innovative research and delivery solutions that improve the lives of smallholder farmers. Land O’Lakes Venture37 will be responsible for implementing this program with support from the governments of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, along with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

 

• Integrated Recovery and Resilience Project (Mozambique)
  With funding from USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, Land O’Lakes Venture37 will assist farming households in Mozambique’s Sofala and Manica provinces to stabilize household food security following the impact of Cyclone Idai earlier this year. The project will focus on distributing mixed seed assets to help farmers diversify their crops.

 

• Fall Armyworm Distance Learning (Ghana, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia)
  Land O’Lakes Venture37 will work to train farmers, extension agents and input suppliers to help improve their efforts in combating Fall Armyworm and other pests, through education on Integrated Pest Management and Good Agronomic Practices. Funded by Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa and carried out with private sector affiliate Villa Crop Protection, the project will pilot and distribute high-quality learning modules.

 

• Feed the Future Orora Wihaze Activity (Rwanda)
  The Orora Wihaze activity, meaning Raise Animals for Self-Sufficiency, is working with local partners and the private sector actors to strengthen the animal source foods (ASF) market system by sustainably increasing the availability of, access to, and consumption of ASF. This USAID-funded activity, led by Land O’Lakes Venture37, will address constraints along the ASF value chains and will prioritize ASF consumption related social behavior change activities to help women of reproductive age(15-49 years of age), especially pregnant and lactating women and children of ages between 6-23 months to achieve greater dietary diversity.

 

• Maharo (Madagascar)
  The Maharo project, meaning capable to protect in Antandroy, will work to prevent and reduce food insecurity among the most vulnerable households in Madagascar’s Androy and Atsimo Andrefana communities. Funded by USAID’s Food for Peace and led by Catholic Relief Services, Land O’Lakes Venture37 is a technical partner focused on animal production, animal health and livestock development.

 

• Management of Fall Armyworm in Maize for Smallholder Farmers (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
  With funding from USAID and in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Villa Crop Protection, Land O’Lakes Venture37 will aim to build smallholder farmer knowledge to combat the Fall Armyworm in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This locally driven project will utilize on-farm research to validate solutions, incentivize private sector investment and drive smallholder awareness of Fall Armyworm management strategies.

 

• Trade in Agriculture Safely and Efficiently (East African Communities)
  With support from the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service’s Food for Progress program, this effort will build sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) system capacity among the East Africa Community’s (EAC) Partner States and agribusinesses in the region with the goal of easing SPS related trade barriers regionally and internationally, thus opening the door to new trade and opportunity in agriculture.

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 CONTACT: Chuck Lippstreu, Land O’Lakes, Inc., clippstreu@landolakes.com

About Land O'Lakes Venture37
Land O’Lakes Venture37 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to helping communities around the world build economies by strengthening local agriculture, helping agribusinesses create jobs and linking farmers to markets. Since 1981, it has implemented over 300 integrated dairy, livestock and crops development programs in nearly 80 countries — creating lasting impact by linking farmers, businesses, and the public and private sector in local and global contexts. Land O’Lakes Venture37’s long-standing affiliation with Land O’Lakes, Inc. sets it apart. Land O’Lakes, Inc. is one of America’s largest farmer-owned cooperatives, with $15 billion in 2018 sales, ranking 212 on the Fortune 500. It supports Land O’Lakes Venture37 project implementation with nearly 100 years of expertise in dairy, animal nutrition, crop inputs and agricultural insights and technologies. This gives Land O’Lakes Venture37 development projects a unique global view of agriculture, food and the power of well-functioning market systems. Land O’Lakes, Inc. supports these efforts as part of its enterprise purpose of Feeding Human Progress at home and around the world.