By Eamonn Ryan
Part two examines GCCF’s international development activities during 2025, a year marked by funding disruptions and programme cancellations. This is part two of a five-part series.
A central theme of the GCCF webinar was the impact of disruption on international development activities during 2025. Speakers described the year as exceptionally challenging, particularly following the dismantling of USAID and the resulting ripple effects across the development sector. For GCCF, this translated into the cancellation of five out of seven USDA-funded programmes by mid-year.
Despite these constraints, the Foundation continued to deliver training and technical support through its remaining projects. Virtual and in-person consultations were conducted in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, as well as in Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Across these engagements, GCCF developed 22 new technical resources, contributing to its growing library of practical guidance for cold chain development.
The ability to sustain meaningful activity in a constrained funding environment was presented not as an exception, but as a necessity in the current development landscape. Speakers noted that shortages of cold chain infrastructure are often compounded by shortages of technical knowledge and operational expertise. Addressing the latter was positioned as a cost-effective way to maintain momentum even when capital investment slows.
One initiative highlighted during the webinar was the piloting of GCCF’s first mentorship programme, designed to provide one-on-one technical support to individual cold storage and logistics operators. Implemented in West Africa, the programme focused on strengthening practical skills at the company level rather than delivering broad-based training alone. This approach reflects a growing recognition that targeted, context-specific support can deliver outsized benefits in emerging cold chain markets.
The webinar also underscored the role of expert involvement in maintaining programme quality. Members of GCCF’s Council of Scientific Advisors contributed directly to training and consultations, including post-harvest handling guidance for specific crops and technical input into energy efficiency initiatives linked to food waste reduction.
Looking ahead, speakers acknowledged that the development environment is unlikely to revert to previous norms. Reduced funding, shifting priorities and greater scrutiny of impact are now permanent features of the landscape. In response, GCCF is leaning more heavily on partnerships with industry members and on programmes that prioritise knowledge transfer over capital-intensive interventions.
This experience offers a grounded perspective on how cold chain development initiatives can remain effective under pressure. By focusing on expertise, mentorship and adaptable delivery models, GCCF demonstrated that progress is still possible even in a constrained environment.
Next in part three: How training and professional education have underpinned cold chain growth in Latin America.