Programs - Career
Tuck GIVES Internship:
Rob Pascal T'09
TechnoServe, Mbabane, Swaziland
TechnoServe helps entrepreneurial men and women in poor rural areas of the developing world build businesses that create income, opportunity, and economic growth. Over the past four decades, TechnoServe's work has led to the launch or expansion of thousands of businesses and transformed the lives of millions of people. I spent the summer in Swaziland, where I led a feasibility study to determine if the vegetable-growing industry has the potential to expand commercially. Swaziland currently imports most of its vegetables from South Africa, but with rising transportation and food prices, there appears to be an opportunity to profitably expand the amount of locally grown produce. Working with all of the stakeholders including farmers, input suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, banks, government agencies, irrigation companies, and competitors from South Africa, I developed an assessment of the industry.
By compiling local prices paid to farmers for vegetables and estimating typical growing and harvesting costs, I was able to validate my hypothesis that growing vegetables is far more profitable than the more commonly grown maize and sugar cane. Working with the stakeholders, I developed an implementation strategy that involves (1) expanding the network of existing wholesalers to link farmers to markets, (2) helping farming associations plan what and when to plant, (3) converting unprofitable sugarcane fields to vegetables, and (4) establishing a centralized market place.
To ensure that the project will continue, I assembled a Steering Committee of all stakeholders to meet on a regular basis and review progress. Based on the huge potential impact that this industry could have on the country, TechnoServe is planning to hire a fulltime employee to continue leading this initiative. Overall, it was a great experience, and the project is almost certain to help expand the employment and wealth of the rural poor in Swaziland.