Bethesda, Maryland—The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded DAI and its 15 consortium members an umbrella contract titled Rural and Agricultural Incomes with a Sustainable Environment Plus (RAISE PLUS). Set to run through 2010 and with a total value ceiling of $480 million, the contract allows the DAI consortium to compete on individual technical assistance projects aimed at increasing agricultural and rural incomes around the world.

DAI’s partners include key universities (Michigan State University, Texas A&M; University, Ohio State’s Rural Finance Program, and University of Wisconsin), not-for profit organizations (Winrock International, Innovative Resources Management, and Rural Development Institute), private for-profit firms (Land O’ Lakes, Wilbur Smith Associates, and Management Systems International), small businesses (ontheFrontier, QED, and Training Resources Group), and research institutes (Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation).

Activities under the RAISE PLUS contract will assist agricultural producers, enterprises, and community natural resource managers to profitably and competitively do business in domestic and world markets. It will support three core USAID program areas: 1) strategic planning and policy analysis; 2) sustainable production; and, 3) enterprise and market development. Three other consortia will also be authorized to compete for individual projects.

“RAISE PLUS will be a demand-driven technical support mechanism that guides and assists USAID missions in their program development and implementation. Its principal purpose is to provide country-level analyses to stimulate market-driven and environmentally sustainable agriculture and natural resource initiatives,” said Jerry Martin, Practice Manager for Agriculture and Agribusiness at DAI.

DAI was also a holder of the predecessor umbrella contract (RAISE), which began in 1998 and under which DAI currently implements projects in the Central Asian Republics, Armenia, Croatia, Ethiopia, Jamaica, and Tanzania.

About DAI
Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI) is a global consulting firm providing social and economic development solutions to governments, communities, and companies with projects in developing and transitioning countries. Founded in 1970 and headquartered in the Washington, D.C., area, DAI now includes companies in Brazil, South Africa, Palestine, and the United Kingdom. DAI’s 2,000 employees work in 75 countries. Clients include international development agencies, international lending institutions, global corporations, and host-country governments.

For more information, please contact:
Jennifer Collier D'agostino, DAI
301-492-5128
Jennifer_D'agostino@dai.com