CNFA: Founder of Economic Consulting Firm Provides Agricultural Assistance to Moldova

CNFA: Founder of Economic Consulting Firm Provides Agricultural Assistance to Moldova

• 13.10.2009

Chico, CA, resident and international volunteer Loren Parks has recently returned from his latest Farmer-to-Farmer project in Moldova with CNFA, a nonprofit focused on empowering people and enterprises in the developing world. Parks, a former lecturer and professor at institutions such as Oklahoma State University and University of California, brings a wealth of foreign professional experience on his volunteer assignment. His foray into travel volunteering began in the 1960’s, when Parks ventured to Maharashtra, India, for a Peace Corps mission concerning public health and nutrition. Parks is currently the founder and principal of an economics consulting firm dealing with agricultural and fiscal impacts. The CNFA volunteer journeyed to the Baulauresti village in Moldova to work with Vegetalcom Marketing Cooperative, which was founded in 2006, and comprises seven family farms focused on the marketing, irrigation, transportation, and cold storage services of their crops. Mr. Parks’ assignment involved researching the current market conditions in the region, and developing a clear, well-defined marketing plan for the cooperative. Mr. Parks worked with Victor Capastru, Vegetalcom Cooperative Manager, in conducting general market research to identify key customers, competitors, and opportunities for the business. In addition, Parks attuned Mr. Capastru’s marketing and negotiating skills, as well as provided recommendations regarding technical agricultural procedures on the farm, such as the cold storage technique. Capastru and Parks developed a working, collaborative relationship during the assignment. The volunteer was impressed by his friendly, appreciative hosts, declaring, “Personal relationships are most important thing about this assignment.” Parks particularly commented upon the solid dialogue that he and the manager developed during the course of the trip, which allowed for increased productivity. Parks identified the fortitude and good will of those with which he interacted in spite of the instability of the country’s agricultural adversity. He used this as an added incentive to provide the technical knowledge they needed, knowing “[their] livelihood and the political system were at stake”. “They were very intelligent, the staff, and wanted to diversify the brand, branch out inside the cooperative, develop input for themselves, and distribute products such as fertilizers and seeds. They were giving me the information, [rather than the reverse].” Based on this dialectic interaction, Parks was able to create a comprehensive business plan for the cooperative that he felt proud to leave with the manager and staff of Vegetalcom. “It gave them options,” Parks said. “Now someone can pick this plan up and understand what’s going on, where they should go, where they’ve been, and so on.” Parks impressed upon them important recommendations for the future, leaving with them technical knowledge for increasing value-added market linkages for the cooperative, as well as other essential record-keeping methods. He cited his hope that his assistance paid off, and maintained that future success hinges upon continued help from travel volunteers. Loren Parks traveled to Moldova under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Farmer-to-Farmer Program, which provides voluntary technical assistance to farmers, farm groups, and agribusinesses in developing and transitional countries to promote sustainable improvements in food processing, production, and marketing. Founded in 1985, CNFA is dedicated to strengthening agricultural markets and empowering entrepreneurs in the developing world. CNFA is now recruiting for many similar volunteer assignments. Please visit www.cnfa.org/farmertofarmer for a list of available opportunities and to find out how you can become a Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer.