The Context Network establishes Context Global Development

The Context Network, a global agribusiness consulting firm has announced founding Context Global Development (CGD), a new, non-profit organization to support program implementation needs of agricultural and social impact development donors worldwide.

Context Principal, Mark Holland said, "We are very pleased to announce Context Global Development. As an independent 'sister' organization to our consulting firm, CGD can truly speak the language of the private-sector parties who are central to maximizing societal impact in implementation of agricultural development programs around the world."

Consistent with Context's long-standing goal to advance agriculture, the firm has worked in recent years to identify and prioritize strategies for catalyzing development in agriculture value chains to improve the lives of smallholder farms in developing countries.

Context Principal, Mark Nelson said, "In the course of assisting major donors with its grant-making strategies and program design initiatives, Context identified a vital need in the agricultural development sector. In response, CGD was founded to support strategy/management organizations that have sufficient commercial and market orientation to lead program implementation with private-sector stakeholders."

Nelson explained, "Working closely with donors, CGD teams seamlessly embed as advisors, trainers or managers into the core business operations of public-private partnerships. Our core goal is to maximize the value of agricultural resources in developing countries by harnessing our commercial and development expertise. In doing so, we will catalyze public-private partnerships that result in meaningful and lasting change."
CGD has already been selected to receive two significant multi-year grants. As the lead grantee for one initiative, CGD will focus on sorghum and millet in West Africa's Sahel region. In another, CGD is a sub-grantee, and will focus on developing a seed system for cassava in Nigeria. Nelson added, "Both grants have the potential to directly improve the lives of thousands of men, women and children in key developing regions of Africa."

He concluded, "This represents just the beginning of what we feel will be many more opportunities to participate in transformative change for agricultural communities around the world. We're grateful to be entrusted as an implementation partner to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers."