International Projects

The Peru New Zealand Dairy Support Project (PNZDSP) was a New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFAT) initiated project funded with a contribution of NZ$4m through the New Zealand Aid Programme as well as through funding support from Peru Government Agencies including the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation of Peru (MINAGRI).

It is with great sadness that we learned that Julio Cesar Bustios passed away due to Covid 19 in Cajamarca, Peru. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

Despite the whirlwind of year we’ve all had so far, our international projects have been able to continue and show remarkable resilience. Juan, project co-ordinator of the Colombia Dairy Value Chain project, takes a moment to reflect on how Covid-19 has affected the project and how our team in Colombia manages to keep the ball rolling.

The Agribusiness’ work in Myanmar has not been immune to the disruption sweeping the world in recent months. For now, our focus is on keeping our people safe while we work from home. But we look forward to getting boots back on the ground soon, helping contribute to the recovery of Myanmar’s economy.

A few weeks back, when travelling internationally was still a normality, Jon Manhire visited Colombia to support the launch of phase 3 of the Colombia Dairy Value Chain Project. He also made a visit to Peru to review the recent progress of the Peru New Zealand Dairy Support project. Check out the latest update from the fields in the Andes Mountains.

The last weeks have been an unexpected ride full of surprises and constant change as we raced to get some of our staff home before border closures, kept up with the constant flow of new information and requirements while figuring out how to keep the team working during self-isolation. Our Covid 19 update.

How to equip thousands of widely dispersed farmers across the Peruvian Andes with the knowledge of how to apply good dairy farming practices and improve their families’ livelihoods? By training a small number of farmers to become extension agents in their local area. At the start, the New Zealand Peru Dairy Support project encountered many difficulties by employing state-run Research & Extension professionals. Since then, local smallholder farmers have been taking on the role as an extension agent instead, and three years down the track, the project is starting to see excellent outcomes with good prospects for the future.

The AgriBusiness Group has been working on development projects in the Pacific Islands since its inception. Through this work the company has developed strong relationships with Pacific people and organisations and developed a good understanding of development needs and strategies that achieve impact. 

The Myanmar Dairy Excellence Project is empowering Myanmar dairy farmers and their families by promoting good farming practices. Follow along Shaun Snoxell, the Dairy Advisor of the project, for an ordinary day at work alongside Myanmar farmers and find out how small changes to traditional methods can substantially improve farm profits and the wellbeing of the community, the animals and the environment.

The pilot farms of the Colombia Dairy Value Chain Project have shown substantial increase in their farm profitability by adopting new farming practices. The project has developed short, instructive videos and ten Good Practice Guides to share the knowledge and success among more dairy farmers in the high altitude tropical zone in Colombia.