Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan faced many rapid changes in political and economic life. The transformation from the Soviet centrally managed economy to a market-oriented economy created challenges, particularly in agriculture when farms and farmlands were rapidly privatized. Agriculture is a vital component of Azerbaijan’s economy, making up 22 percent of the country’s GDP. However, farmers did not have the planning and management skills necessary to cope in an open market. Most were unable to compete with the modern technology of food-exporter countries such as Turkey, Germany, and France.

To help smallholders faced with this situation, ACDI/VOCA implemented the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program in Azerbaijan.