Mission Possible: The Latin American Agribusiness Development Corporation
- ISBN-10
- 1351326503
- ISBN-13
- 9781351326506
- Series
- Mission Possible
- Category
- Business & Economics
- Pages
- 160
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2018-04-17
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Author
- Robert Ross
Description
The Latin American Agribusiness Development Corporation (LAAD) was one of many initiatives taken at the height of the Cold War to alleviate poverty in countries threatened by communist insurgencies. Its mission was to promote rural development by funding local agribusiness enterprises to create new permanent jobs and new economic activity. In Mission Possible, Ross, president of LAAD from 1972 to 1998, gives a richly detailed insider's account of the company's first three decades.Originally capitalized with a little over $2 million, and beginning with the small economies of Central America, it gradually expanded into the Caribbean islands and South America and now is a factor in 25 countries. To date, LAAD has provided over $300 million to 700 projects, generating tens of thousands of new jobs and new annual exports of $500 million. Always profitable, it has paid a dividend for twenty years. Its capitalization has grown to over $30 million by reinvesting most of its earnings in Latin America. Since LAAD was committed exclusively to Latin America, it had to contend with an often unsettled political environment; it could not simply stand on the sidelines and wait for conditions to improve. Indeed in a broader sense LAAD's mission was to help improve those conditions.Mission Possible describes a small but significant chapter in a broader context of how the world's rich countries have tried to raise living standards among their poorer neighbors. Students of economic development and international business management will learn much from the story of how this unique experiment grew into a dynamic enterprise."[Ross] offers innumerable studies [in Mission Possible] of investment projects that stimulated the commercial production of agricultural produce in the region. He recounts the frustrating negotiations with uncomprehending central bankers and the difficulties of developing marketing and other infrastructural networks that are so important for assuring the success of any business, and is pleased with what he identifies as the two most significant changes that profoundly affected agriculture: the decline in the role of the state in Latin America and in protectionism in the industrialized world. ... He stresses the fundamental roles that innovative entrepreneurs can play, taking advantage of opportunities created by organizations like LAAD, and using market information to reduce uncertainty." -David Barkin, Latin American Research ReviewRobert L. Ross, a Harvard-educated development economist, has worked for forty years in Latin America. He taught economics at the Latin American Economic and Social Planning Institute in Santiago, Chile and worked on the first development plans in Haiti and Paraguay. He was president of the Latin American Agribusiness Development Corporation from 1972 until his retirement in 1998.
Get the book
Other editions
Similar books
-
Mission Possible: A Decade of Living Dangerously
By Ash DykesTwo years later he spent more than five months traversing the length of Madagascar, another world first. In Mission Possible, Ash reveals the spirit, planning, and sheer determination that went into these two record-breaking feats.
-
Mission Possible 3+: A Simple Structure for Missional Effectiveness
By Kay Kotan, Blake BradfordThis expanded third edition includes new resources, activities, and checklists In Mission Possible 3+, Kay and Blake focus on ministry while making meetings fewer in number but larger in meaning.
-
Mission Possible Goals Guide: A 40-Day Plan to Making Each Moment Count
By Tim TebowNow, in the Mission Possible Goals Guide, Tim guides you on a highly personal path to applying those principles, helping you to discover exactly what living a life of purpose means to you.
-
Bronco and Friends: Mission Possible
By A. J. Gregory, Tim TebowBronco the dog and his animal friends help a colony of bees, even though they believe the bees have never done anything for them.
-
Mission Possible: Becoming a World Class Organization While There's Still Time
By Ken Blanchard, Kenneth H. Blanchard, Terry WaghornHamel , Gary and C. K. Prahalad discuss " operational competencies ” in their book Competing For the Future . Boston : Harvard Business School Press , 1993. The core competency examples were taken from C.K. Prahalad and Gary Hamel ...
-
Mission Possible
By Marilyn LaszloThe dynamic true story of Bible translator Marilyn Laszlo. Journey through the jungles of Papua New Guinea as she shares her adventures bringing the Word of God to the Sepik...
-
Mission Possible
By Dave Hunt, Hans KristianMission Possible
-
Mission Possible
By Richard CharlickThey didn't have any in their warehouse in Burmese, so they asked their printer in Yangon, just down the street from Robin, to print several thousand copies for us. I made arrangements to pick them up when we got to Yangon, ...
-
Mission Possible
By Donald KameseAddressing the basic "hows" of the mission field, this book covers such topics as relationships, recognizing cultural differences, adaptability and other relevant truths that have proved helpful in the author's life and in the lives of ...
-
Mission Possible: The Story of Repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell
By C. Dixon OsburnHow did it happen? C. Dixon Osburn's Mission Possible describes the strategy that he and Michelle Benecke, co-founders of SLDN devised to overcome impossible odds.