The Louis Berger Group is currently implementing the USAID-Inma Agribusiness Program in Iraq. Inma, which means “growth” in Arabic, is one of the largest-ever USAID agriculture programs and is a key part of the U.S. government’s assistance to expand private economic opportunities in Iraq by increasing the competitiveness of Iraqi agriculture and agribusinesses. Inma focuses on commercial agribusinesses producing high-value agricultural products. These products are considered to be most likely to increase the employment and gross revenue of the farmers and businessmen involved in their production and marketing. By August 2010, Inma expects to support the establishment of 21,000 jobs in production and supporting businesses and increase gross revenue among program participants by $120 million. The success of Inma depends on building solid partnerships to identify, design, and implement large-scale agribusiness activities, as well as identifying a pool of qualified Iraqi private sector agribusiness entrepreneurs. These individuals will become the champions of anchor and related agribusiness enterprises, the success of which will rapidly improve production and efficiency throughout the value chain. Private sector champions include individual entrepreneurs, investor groups, major commercial producers, producer associations and/or other farmer-owned businesses, and trader’s associations.
The Louis Berger Group has faced the challenges of implementing the program in a volatile environment with a spectrum of competing stakeholders while focusing on creating a foundation for agricultural sector transformation and providing value to USAID’s Iraqi beneficiaries and U.S. stakeholders. In addition to the ongoing technical interventions Inma has implemented, the program has maintained an increasingly sought-after presence in 14 provinces of Iraq. Inma has divided responsibility for coordination and consultation into three geographic focus areas, managed and staffed by very courageous Iraqi staff who act the ambassadors for the program—providing technical support and program monitoring and acting as liaisons for Inma with the regional stakeholders. This presence has created a uniquely Iraqi face for the Inma program and has developed the skills of Iraqi personnel.
Related Links:
Inma Project Website
Downloadable Materials:
Inma Agribusiness Program - Quarterly Report (2.49 MB)