News
An Award-Winning Partnership in Ghana Strengthens Land Tenure and the Global Cocoa Supply
June 28, 2019
The vast majority of cocoa consumed in America comes from only two countries – Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. What happens there has an outsized influence on America’s chocolate supply. Yet in Ghana, the supply has been under threat like never before, as up to 40 percent of cocoa farms suffer from low productivity, with many […]
To the Class of 2019…
June 18, 2019
In the United States, May and June is graduation season, when America’s youth mark an important milestone in leaving behind known comforts and pursuing economic independence. The occasion is observed with platitudes from community leaders, politicians, business leaders and celebrities about seizing the moment, the endless opportunities ahead of them, and being the change they […]
‘Everybody is Bringing Something to the Table’
May 28, 2019
At its best, mentorship is an essential component of growth and development for both mentors and mentees. This is certainly true for participants in the Community Food Systems Mentorship Program, a national initiative led by Winrock’s Wallace Center that builds mentoring relationships among food systems leaders across the U.S. “While it is extremely important that […]
Winrock Assembles Advisory Committee of Resilience Experts
April 16, 2019
The U.S. Department of State Private Investment for Enhanced Resilience (PIER) project, implemented by Winrock International and Climate Finance Advisors, has assembled the PIER Advisory Committee (PAC) to advise PIER in three thematic areas: country-level interventions, capacity building and private sector engagement, and thought leadership, communications, knowledge sharing and awareness. “The unique expertise of these […]
Goat Bridges the Cultural Divide
March 28, 2019
The mission of Winrock International’s agriculture unit is to develop partnerships, pilot new ideas and advance solutions to strengthen communities through resilient farming and food systems. While our impact is global, sometimes we get to enjoy the benefits ourselves. This February, two important events for Winrock converged in Washington, D.C. Winrock’s international agriculture programs […]
“Gamechangers Laboratory” Established for Cutting-Edge Food Leaders to Accelerate New Solutions
March 6, 2019
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – March 6, 2019 – An extraordinary gift from philanthropist-entrepreneur Ryan D. “Jume” Jumonville of United Networks of America has established the “Gamechangers Laboratory,” a groundbreaking initiative from the Wallace Center at Winrock International. Through collaborations and convenings, the Gamechangers Laboratory will catalyze breakthrough ideas, strategies and innovations in community-based food systems as […]
From Myanmar to Music City
February 12, 2019
It’s wintertime in Nashville, and coffee roasters at some of the top specialty coffee shops in the U.S. are reacting to their first experience with a newcomer to the international market: beans from the Shan State of Myanmar. “It blew my mind because it’s really complex,” said Will Shurtz, roaster and green coffee buyer at […]
Putting the Tea in ‘VC-RD’
December 3, 2018
By Tim May The USAID-funded Value Chains in Rural Development (VC-RD) project in Myanmar has produced a stellar coffee success story, with more than 350 tons of specialty coffee exported to buyers around the world after the project’s first full coffee harvest season, offering Burmese smallholder coffee farmers more than three times the amount per […]
U.S. Government Launches New Agribusiness Project in Tajikistan
November 14, 2018
Dushanbe, Tajikistan, November 14, 2018 – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) officially launched a new five-year project, the Agribusiness Competitiveness Activity in Tajikistan, in Bokhtar City. Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy Kevin Covert and Deputy Governor of Khatlon Rajabov Rajabali welcomed more than 180 participants at the ceremony, including representatives from […]
Promoting Sustainable Aquaculture in the Philippines
October 25, 2018
I recently returned from the Philippines, where I was asked to assess and advise on water quality conditions in two areas of the Caraga region of Mindanao where Winrock’s Philippines Cold Chain project, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is helping farmers and fisherfolk. These areas have adopted their own distinct technologies for cultivating […]