Afghanistan value chains high value crops

The Afghanistan Value Chains (AVC)-High Value Crops project bases its implementation approach on market systems development, seeking to modify market players’ incentives and behavior to address market failures.

AVC-High Value Crops illustrates the shift from traditional agricultural development to the provision of management consulting for agribusinesses. The project uses anchor firms (i.e. well-established agribusinesses positioned to drive systemic change) as entry points and partners.

During fiscal year 2019, the first year of implementation, the project exceeded 15 of its 20 contractual performance targets by substantial margins. AVC-High Value Crops delivered 200 per cent of development outcomes on USAID’s investment for maximised impact. These outcomes can be attributed to:

• an implementation strategy based on in-depth local knowledge and sound economic development principles
• the ingenuity, commitment, and determination of project staff
• the project’s close coordination with the USAID Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)