IFDC President and CEO Dr. J. Scott Angle recently sat down with Dan Jacobs of AgriBusiness Global to discuss IFDC’s global reach and holistic approach. Angle briefly describes the early history of IFDC and recounts how, as IFDC grew, it expanded its focus beyond promoting improved fertilizer blends to building markets and strengthening supply chains:
“When it first started, it was all about using fertilizers appropriately to increase crop yield. Over time we learned that is not enough…We’ve evolved into an organization that looks at the entire value chain…making sure that the farmers have a place to sell their products and that they’re getting a fair price for it.”
In the interview, Angle discusses the whole of IFDC’s activity – from providing farmers with the tools and training necessary to grow their businesses, to building markets and advocating pro-agriculture policy with government officials and implementing measures to reduce environmental impact. Angle explains that each region, whether it be in West or East Africa or South Asia, presents different challenges that IFDC addresses with careful planning. He stresses IFDC’s advantage to having skilled, attentive and compassionate staff “on the ground” that are able to understand and adapt to unique aspects of development in each region:
“That, ultimately, is IFDC’s greatest strength – we’re good scientists, we’re good economists, we’re good educators, but it is having those people on the ground who understand what life is like in that village, what works and what doesn’t work.”
Click here to read the full interview.
