IESC - Improving Economies for Stronger Communities (formerly International Executive Service Corps)

The Agricultural University of Georgia's veterinary clinic was renovated and modernized thanks to support from the USAID Industry-led Skills Development Program-დამსაქმებლები პროფესიული განათლებისთვის and co-financing from the Kakha Bendukidze Knowledge Fund. The upgraded clinic is advancing veterinary education while empowering new generations of veterinarians with the skills needed to perform advanced surgeries. In May 2023, the program collaborated with the university to establish a new veterinary nurse/technician program to enhance the knowledge and skills of farm and veterinary clinic employees and aligning with the needs of the labor market. Meet Petro, the first animal in Georgia to undergo a patellar groove replacement surgery, involving a custom 3D-printed titanium prosthesis. The complex procedure, led by Dr. Lasha-Giorgi Japaridze, a graduate of the new program, addressed several significant deformities. Petro's successful recovery is a milestone for veterinary medicine in Georgia!

IESC’s USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)-funded Trade Safe Project, Proyecto TraSa, trained producers and exporters of fresh agricultural products from the Cámara de Comercio de Santiago in Santiago, Dominican Republic in how to meet the food safety standards required to market and export their products to the U.S.

To help increase okra crop quality while reducing pesticide contamination in Honduras, IESC’s USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Food for Progress-funded Agricultural and Climate Smart Innovations (Proyecto ATraCSI) Project trained 16 representatives from the public and private sectors in good agricultural practices and pesticide management. The training covered how to document and manage field data and included hands-on demonstrations with sprayers and drones.

Paraguay’s maquila sector – which processes raw materials and unfinished goods into finished products for export – plays an important role in the country’s industrial and economic growth, employing more than 26,000 people and exporting products worth more than US $1 billion. Through the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Food for Progress Trade-Facilitating Agricultural Systems and Technology program (Proyecto T-FAST), IESC supported the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the National Council of Export Maquila Industries to develop automatic procedures for the sector’s export requests. The new module processes requests within 75 seconds and functions 24/7, freeing up public officials to focus on other operations. Eliminating manual processing has enhanced accuracy, increased transparency, and expedited processing times – all contributing to boost Paraguay’s competitiveness in international markets.

Dr. Silvia Vargas presented at the annual meeting of the Caribbean Food Crops Society in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, thanks to the IESC-implemented, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)-funded Trade Safe Project, Proyecto TraSa. She shared the results of an innovative study on food safety perceptions and culture among consumers and food handlers in the Dominican Republic. Conducted with technical assistance from Purdue University, the study identified barriers and proposed interventions to motivate safer food practices. IESC TraSa Plant Health Specialist Maria Tavarez presented the compliance implications on Dominican producers of new traceability standards under the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act. The annual meeting also included discussions with representatives from the public and private sectors, continuing efforts to ensure food safety in the Dominican Republic.

This July, IESC’s USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Food for Progress-funded Agricultural and Climate Smart Innovations (Proyecto ATraCSI) Project participated in the 4th National Avocado Congress. IESC worked alongside Guatemala’s export association AGEXPORT to host two sessions on good agricultural practices and integrated pest management with the goal of strengthening the sustainability and efficiency of the avocado sector in Guatemala. As part of our commitment to inclusion, IESC also supported 10 women, youth, and Indigenous representatives to attend the Congress.

IESC, in collaboration withFarfan & Mendes Guyana and as part of the USAID Caribbean Agriculture Productivity improvement Activity (CAPA), trained 15 cherry farmers at one of CAPA’s demonstration farms in Laluni, Guyana. The goal was to equip farmers with knowledge and skills to easily and efficiently prune their cherry trees and to properly use and maintain battery-powered pruners. The training was facilitated by Rory Holder, a technical specialist and product trainer at Farfan and Mendes. This initiative aligns with Farfan and Mendes's goals of building capacity and providing client-driven solutions for sustainable growth, as well as CAPA's objective to improve the productivity of smallholder farmers.

Despite Tanzania’s favorable climate for fruit and vegetable production, the country’s agricultural sector is heavily dominated by the production of staple crops, such as maize, rice, cassava, and millet. The continued reliance on these crops limits farmer incomes and perpetuates malnutrition from starchy diets. IESC volunteer expert Usha Palaniswamy worked to diversify the crop production of Tanzanian small holder farmers through the Farmer-to-Farmer Access to Finance Program. Usha trained farmers in Songea on how to integrate new horticultural crops in their production of staple crops. She emphasized the benefits of horticultural crops and shared best practices for growing a variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices. Usha’s work will enable smallholder farmers to begin sustainably incorporating horticultural crops, increasing household incomes, and improving community health.

In an effort to enhance vehicle safety and environmental standards, Georgia is reforming vehicle technical inspections. This reform is outlined in the EU Association Agreement, which aims to increase market access between the EU and Georgia through better-matched regulations. The USAID Industry-led Skills Development Program-დამსაქმებლები პროფესიული განათლებისთვის partnered with Greenway Georgia, a leader in vehicle technical inspection, to establish unified standards and create a sustainable approach to design and implement skills development programs. Thanks to the Greenway Academy online education platform, 56 Georgians received training related to vehicle technical inspections. Academy graduate and Greenway Georgia inspector Salome Mikiashvili noted, “The courses significantly enhanced my competence across all areas, and the skills and knowledge I gained have propelled my career forward.” Read More: https://lnkd.in/edkUe58Z

Since ending this past May, the IESC-implemented USAID Youth Employment and Business Start-up (YouLead) program continues to expand its legacy through YouLead (Pvt) Ltd. This social enterprise was created to continue bringing vocational education and entrepreneurship opportunities to youth in Sri Lanka. Passanna Gunasekera, the development and outreach specialist for USAID’s Mission in Sri Lanka and Maldives, describes YouLead’s impact and how the program’s work will live on through this local organization: https://lnkd.in/ePwA6x-M