The United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service selected the University of Rhode Island to lead the implementation of a five-year, $6.5 million program in West Africa for which CRC will have administrative and technical responsibilities. The program entitled West Africa ASSESS – Analytical Support Services and Evaluations for Sustainable Systems in Agriculture, Environment and Trade – launched in April 2014 and will evaluate a diverse array of economic growth programs funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development in up to 21 countries in West Africa.