Building Agribusinesses to end Poverty in DR Congo

The Beni team began the year with a week of vision casting and planning. Each department carried out a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) and used the results to put in place action plans that address some of Mavuno’s core weaknesses in meeting the strategic plan for the year.  Additionally, activity plans for the year were revised in accordance with the budget and strategic plan. With plans in place, the different departments also began working on curriculum for our new training of trainers program.

Once the meetings were done, the team set to work implementing their plans for the year.  At the rural development center, our team of agronomists began construction of a greenhouse for vegetable production and also planted thirty varieties of sweet potatoes to analyze which varieties grow best in the region and should be provided to our partners. They also continued to care for plantain seedlings which will be planted at the rural development center when ready and eventually sold to our partners.

Our animal husbandry team finalized construction of an enclosure for pigs at the rural development center and also cared for sick chickens in the community. Our veterinarian made site visits to partners who have started to care for rabbits to ensure that proper techniques are being used in the care of the animals. At the rural development center, two of the three fish ponds have been completed and stocked with fish, which will be ready for sale in the coming months.

The mobilization team has continued to lead meetings with our GOs and is working with the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer to establish an effective mechanism for tracking our partners, especially as we receive new partners and have others who leave our programming. Of particular interest is tracking the participation of women in our programming and also understanding why we have had farmers that leave our program. We are eager to understand what impact outstanding loans might play in attrition from our projects and expect to have answers as we analyze year end data.

This month, we have started the process of opening a sub-office in Goma to spearhead coordination and fundraising efforts regionally. Goma is strategic for regional funding and having an office in Goma will provide greater visibility for the organization as we work with other NGOs in eastern Congo and try to connect with potential business partners. Goma is also a larger market opportunity for our plantain flour than Beni, and we believe we will be able to boost sales here.

Links:

• https://mavuno.org