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Acting Now Burkina Faso
General
Africa is currently facing severe food insecurity, with low agricultural productivity being one of the root causes. Factors such as limited access to quality inputs, inadequate extension services, lack of finance, and post-harvest handling issues contribute to low agricultural productivity. Food insecurity is exacerbated by economic, political and demographic shocks, including the war in Ukraine, which has caused rising food and energy prices and lower yields in 2022. Climate change further intensifies food insecurity, with extreme weather events such as droughts and floods impacting crop and livestock production and access to markets. Conflict and insecurity are also major drivers of acute food security issues, leading to population displacement and disrupted livelihoods, depriving people of income sources. Action is needed to relieve acute food insecurity, whilst at the same time structurally transforming food systems. Farmers’ Organisations and its member farmers play a critical role in obtaining this, as they contribute not only to food production, but also to sustained economic growth and climate change mitigation. The Acting Now for Food Security and Resilient Food Systems programme, with funding from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (specifically IGG), builds upon its existing strategic partnership with DDE by reinforcing and expanding its efforts on food security, contributing to a more measurable impact on SGD 2 (Zero Hunger). It contributes to improved food and nutrition security (FNS) at the individual farmer level and fosters systemic change in the food system through a total of 82 Farmer Organisations in Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda. As per Agriterra’s core business, Acting Now will work with and through Farmers’ Organisations and cooperatives to build resilient food systems and to make a sustainable change in the lives of smallholder farmers and their communities. Key Activities Acting Now aims to boost productivity, improving incomes and sustainable land management practices through the following key activities: - Trainings and peer-to-peer activities on FNS related topics, such as Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Regenerative Agriculture, productivity increase at specific value chains and production of compost and bio-inputs. - Establishment of demo plots to promote and train farmers on new or improved farming practices and technologies. - Offering sustainable services through a tailored approach per country that ensures access to seeds, fertilisers, planting material, agri-inputs and extension services. - Strengthening extension services by co-financing the salary of extension officers and agronomists at the FO through Agriterra’s Jobs Jobs Jobs approach - Co-financing investments and innovations to boost agricultural productivity and food security.
Objectives
Placeholder text
Target Groups
Farmer Organisations and its member farmers
Swedwatch 2020-2023 - Swedwatch 2020-2023 GLOBen
General
Despite a clear trend toward sustainability within the private and public sector, many challenges remain with regards to production, land rights, labor rights and environmental pollution and climate. Swedwatch is an organisation which through research and multistake-holder dialogue works for a normative change within business to reduce its negative consequences and to align it better with social, economic and environmental goals. Through a core support of 53,9 MSEK Sida is supporting Swedwatch's work for sustainable business and its contribution to the normative discussions on a global level. Through its sector-specific and thematic research, Swedwatch seeks to contribute to 1. Responsible and equitable management and use of natural resources 2. Sustainable and fair global supply chains: global supply chains for production of goods and services are increasingly sustainable, fair and transparent 3. Empowered rights holders and expanded civic space: civil society within the area of business, human rights and environment is increasingly informed and active In order to do this, Swedwatch has a clear emphasis on rights-holders where they cooperate with local groups and indigenous people in order to make their voices heard. Swedwatch also engages in dialogue with corporations to influence them and to jointly create positive examples of sustainable business, for example by encouraging human rights due diligence. Swedwatch works for public procurement to increasingly emphasize issues of sustainability. Swedwatch use their research to influence and challenge business in a variety of networks, such as the United Nations Economic and Social Council, the EU and OECD.
Objectives
Swedwatch's vision is a world in which economic systems are just, transparent and sustainable. Human rights and the environment are protected and respected and businesses contribute to sustainable development and inclusive growth within the means of the planet. Swedwatch aims to contribute to the empowerment of rights holders and will promote responsible business practices that respect human rights and the environment. Through research, investigations and multi-stakeholder dialogue Swedwatch aims to contribute to behavioural changes of business actors, public actors and civil society actors in order to safeguard human rights and environmental sustainability. To this end, Swedwatch's strategy has three main objectives: 1. Responsible and equitable management and use of natural resources 2. Sustainable and fair global supply chains 3. Empowered rights holders and expanded civic space
Swedwatch 2020-2023 - Swedwatch 2020-2023 GLOBEC New Strat 22-26
General
Despite a clear trend toward sustainability within the private and public sector, many challenges remain with regards to production, land rights, labor rights and environmental pollution and climate. Swedwatch is an organisation which through research and multistake-holder dialogue works for a normative change within business to reduce its negative consequences and to align it better with social, economic and environmental goals. Through a core support of 53,9 MSEK Sida is supporting Swedwatch's work for sustainable business and its contribution to the normative discussions on a global level. Through its sector-specific and thematic research, Swedwatch seeks to contribute to 1. Responsible and equitable management and use of natural resources 2. Sustainable and fair global supply chains: global supply chains for production of goods and services are increasingly sustainable, fair and transparent 3. Empowered rights holders and expanded civic space: civil society within the area of business, human rights and environment is increasingly informed and active In order to do this, Swedwatch has a clear emphasis on rights-holders where they cooperate with local groups and indigenous people in order to make their voices heard. Swedwatch also engages in dialogue with corporations to influence them and to jointly create positive examples of sustainable business, for example by encouraging human rights due diligence. Swedwatch works for public procurement to increasingly emphasize issues of sustainability. Swedwatch use their research to influence and challenge business in a variety of networks, such as the United Nations Economic and Social Council, the EU and OECD.
Objectives
Swedwatch's vision is a world in which economic systems are just, transparent and sustainable. Human rights and the environment are protected and respected and businesses contribute to sustainable development and inclusive growth within the means of the planet. Swedwatch aims to contribute to the empowerment of rights holders and will promote responsible business practices that respect human rights and the environment. Through research, investigations and multi-stakeholder dialogue Swedwatch aims to contribute to behavioural changes of business actors, public actors and civil society actors in order to safeguard human rights and environmental sustainability. To this end, Swedwatch's strategy has three main objectives: 1. Responsible and equitable management and use of natural resources 2. Sustainable and fair global supply chains 3. Empowered rights holders and expanded civic space
Arabic gum value chain
General
In recent years, the demand for Arabic gum is driven up as result of increasing world consumption of softdrinks and sweets and increasing demand for natural and biological ingredients for among other the pharmaceutical industry. Sudan is world market leader in Arabic gum export but is facing more and more competition from Chad and Nigeria.With the establishment of a processing factory with a spray drying system the project partners will strengthen their competitive edge in the export market. The project will establish a gum preparation factory in the Darfur region and a gum processing factory equipped with dry spraying technology in Khartoum.The applicant, Dar al Turbenat Establishment, is a private company specialised in all aspects of solar and wind power energy based in Saudi Arabia. The first local partner, Abu Wail Engineering, has amongst others a division investing in the financing of trade in seasonal arable crops such as Arabic gum and groundnuts. The second local partner, Al Murah Investment, is specialised in trade and development of a Arabic gum.The three partners will establish a new joint venture.The Darfur region is one of the poorest areas of the world and highly affected by the recent war. As Arabic gum is one of the main sources of income for local farmers investing in specifically this product will have great impact on the livelihood of the local community. The project will establish a Corporate Social Involvement fund at village level for the financing of social services and Arabic gum seeds. By investing in all segments of the production and processing chain the project will also have great impact in Arabic gum production in Sudan. The spray drying system is a proven technology, but is new for Sudan.Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)The processing method is a proven technology outside Sudan and to a large extent mechanical; risks for pollution with negative impact on health and environment is considered small. Where such risks are identified protective measures will be taken. The project will, for example, train the farmers and supply protective clothing and improved tools for the collection of raw gum from the savannah. During the formulation phase of the project the 'MVO Risk Checker' has been used to carry out to analyse potential risks in the supply chain.Impact• Employment and working conditionsThe partners in the joint venture will continue to diversify their activities in the joint venture, and invest in trading in sesame, groundnuts, animals (cattle and sheep).A potential obstacle for the collection and trading of crude gum Arabic is the aging farming population as young famers move to urban centres, as the collection of gum is not attractive to new generations. Therefore, the joint venture will continue the policy to support livelihood development for the local population by paying competitive prices for the crude gum, and investing in social services such as, education, health, water and electricity (solar power). Presently, farmers are scattered around the rural areas, and with investment in social services, the project intends to contribute to the development of small rural centres, which will be attractive for young farmers and their families, who can continue working in the gum Arabic sector.The joint venture plans to establish five plantations of gum Arabic trees by planting trees in the existing savannah (no mono-culture). Each plantation will be 2,100 ha (5,000 feddan), which will provide a good basis for sustainable gum production. Sustainable production will enable the company to stabilise prices and maintain stocks. It is expected that with the expansion of the production base the capacity of the two factories will need to be doubled in terms of output and personnel. It is expected that each plantation will yield at least 300 tons of crude gum Arabic for further processing into the various grades.After the project, the joint venture will expand to the regions of Kordofan and Blue Nile. The lessons learnt in Darfur will be used for the expansion of the operations of the joint venture.• Innovation / Transfer of knowledgeTechnical innovationThe joint venture will introduce processing technology which is innovative for the gum Arabic industry in Sudan. The project will establish a spray drying processing plant capable of refining raw gum Arabic into powder and granules for export as well as the local market.Social innovationAlthough donors (FAO) have implemented gum Arabic development projects in Sudan, this has not yet been done in a commercial environment. The project will engage directly with farmers’ communities in Dar Fur and introduce improved harvesting methodologies, provide selected seeds for plantations, and introduce improved handling and cleaning methods, this in combination with investments in community development (social services). This can be considered an innovative approach in an area, which has been and still is characterised by insecurity and conflict.• Chain effectsAt the level of the production, the number of farmers delivering gum Arabic to the project will increase from 1,500 in 2014 to 4,500 in 2018. The total yield of crude gum Arabic will vary from year to year due to climate fluctuations in temperature and rainfall, but is estimated at 1,400 tons in the beginning of the project to 4,050 tons at the end of the project. The producers will be trained various aspects of gum production: quality control, proper tapping of the Acacia trees, introduction of new tools, use of plastic sheets under the Acacia tree during tapping to prevent contamination, use of plastic gloves, and provision of jute bags for 10 kg of crude gum for transportation to the factory. Protective clothes will be provided to the farmers at a reduced cost. The payment to the farmers for the crude gum will be in cash, which is in sharp contrast with the present system of payment in kind which is presently practised by most traders (middlemen). Farmers prefer payment in cash. Prices will be discussed and agreed upon in discussions with representatives of farmers’ groups (associations).Introduction of proper tree husbandry and the planting of trees with proper spacing will contribute to the restoration of soil fertility in the fallow system. This will allow a more successful crop after the productive life of the gum trees. Production levels of sesame, groundnuts, millet and sorghum will be higher, benefitting the local farmers. Gum trees are productive between 3 and 20 years. If properly managed the trees can be used for construction, firewood and charcoal. The benefits of the planting and proper management of gum Arabic trees can be summarised as follows:Direct benefitsAcacia Senegal trees’ leafs and pods are used as fodder for cattle, sheep and camels. Older trees are often cut for fuel wood. Arabic gum trees are suitable in the bush-fallow and intercropping system prevalent in the project area. Older trees are used for charcoal production. Gum Arabic trees are used for construction.Indirect benefits- Gum Arabic trees’ deep tap root and extensive lateral root system reduces.- Soil erosion.- Gum Arabic trees serve as wind breaks.- Acacia Senegal fixes nitrogen in the soil.- The gum Arabic belt acts as a buffer against desertification.About 2% of the gum is consumed on the local market, but an increase in local demand is expected, especially for the high grade spray dried product, which presently mostly imported. With the spray dry processing plant in operation it is expected that the dependency of Sudan on imported spray dry gum can be reduced and foreign exchange saved.• Impact on the sectorThe joint venture will be an active member of both the international Gum Arabic Association (France) and the national Gum Arabic Council, a government body where information on marketing policies and prospects is exchanged. All stakeholders participate, such as exporters, importers, producers, and processors.Technical know-how and experience is shared with the University of Khartoum (Chemistry Department) and the Gum Arabic Research Centre of the University of Kordofan, which will also provide consultancy services to the project. The project will organise a seminar for all stakeholders of the sector to present the achievements and challenges of the new spray dry technology and disseminate information. The project has the ambition to be an example to other actors and stakeholders in the gum Arabic sector, aiming at improving industrial and employment standards in the chain.The project will cooperate with a quality control laboratory in Sudan to meet the requirements for international certification.• EnvironmentDue to re-occurring droughts in the project area in the past years resulting from climate change, the agro-forestry system has undergone substantial deterioration.Tree mortality has been high and the bush fallow system which provides the livelihood of the local population is threatened. The project is aiming to contribute to reverse this trend by introducing improved gum tree husbandry methods and the establishment of new plantations with selected seeds. The improved bush fallow system will contribute to the restoration of soil fertility through fixation of nitrogen by the gum Arabic of the Leguminosae family. Soil and wind erosion will be reduced by the wind break effects of the trees and the protection against soil erosion.After the fallow period of 15 to 20 years the Acasia trees can be cut and replaced by new trees. In this period other dry-land crops such as sesame, groundnut, sorghum and millet can be planted which will benefit from the restored fertility levels in the soil. In this way proper land management will contribute to food security. Improved production of gum Arabic and food crops will have beneficial effects on rural family income and improved livelihood. It is not possible to quantify these effects.The gum Arabic belt acts as a buffer against desertification.• Position of womenThe project will employ about 250 seasonal female workers. Working conditions (salary, health, etc) will be competitive with other sectors; the wages will be 10% above minimum (government) wages. The workers will be encouraged to form a union, representing the workers.• Impact on waterGum Arabic trees deep tap root and extensive lateral root system reduces soil erosion. Gum Arabic trees serve as windbreaks. Acacia Senegal fixes nitrogen in the soil. The Gum Arabic belt acts as a buffer against desertification.
Objectives
To establish a gum preparation factory in the Darfur region, where 250 local seasonal workers will be employed and to establish a gum processing factory for the production of high grade spray dried gum with a capacity of 750 kg per hour.
Responses to challenges and opportunities in enabling and achieving inclusive and sustainable governance of fo
General
GLA Context Analysis: Weak forest and land governance are important underlying drivers of deforestation and forest degradation. Many local communities depend heavily on forests for their daily livelihoods. They are often disproportionally impacted by deforestation, while their contribution to ecological destruction and their access to possible benefits is often relatively limited. Trends in global markets and policies provide both risks and opportunities for positive change towards inclusive and sustainable governance of forested landscapes. The Forest and Land Governance (FLG) thematic programme aims to help civil society in the GLA landscapes to build their capacity to deal with and manage the risks of international initiatives around the sustainable management of forested landscapes while fully engaging in their development and sharing in the benefits these intend to produce. The work in this programme will complement the work at the country programme level. It aims to bring about change in some of the international policies (both public and private) that are most relevant to forest governance, the accessibility of decision making processes and the capacity and competencies of CSO partners to influence these processes. It also aims to link southern CSOs amongst each other, and to link Southern with Northern NGOs that work on advocacy and policy solutions, so they can learn from each other, share experiences and take joint action.
Objectives
GLA Theory of Change 2016-2020: The GLA programme aims to address the risks and opportunities at international level that improve access to land and resources for local communities, ensure their participation in decision making processes, and support the introduction of nature-based approaches to land and forest management. The programme focuses its efforts on: A) International policies that support locally controlled and sustainable management of forested landscapes; B) Diminished illegal logging; C) The scaling up of certification of forestry, agro-forestry, commodities and landscapes; and D) Public and private financing that support inclusive and sustainable management of forested landscapes. The alliance will strengthen the capacities of participating CSOs in the south, in particular their capacities to engage with international actors such as multilateral organisations, international companies, etc.; conduct international lobbying and advocacy efforts; their ability to develop and present convincing cases and alternatives development visions; and work in (international) coalitions.
Other
See attached document for a brief summary of the Annual plans of the implementing organisations
LAND-at-scale: Knowledge Management for Equitable and Sustainable Land Governance: Supporting the LAND-at-scal
General
Knowledge management and learning are at the heart of the LAND-at-scale programme. RVO, LANDac and the International Land Coalition (ILC) will collaborate to implement the knowledge management (KM) component of the programme.Through LAND-at-scale's country-projects, the aim is to achieve just, inclusive and sustainable land governance at scale and in a sustainable way. With an integrated KM-strategy, LAND-at-scale aims to achieve maximum impact of each project, as well as contribute to gaining a deeper understanding of the conditions required to create structural change.
CO-Oxfam -GALS- Integration
General
Hosting capacity building workshops for the IFAD-funded project and further developing the Bukonzo Joint Cooperative case on genderequality in land rights
Affordable land registration for cacao-producing rural farming communities in Côte d’Ivoire
General
Meridia Land B.V. has developed a mobile cloud-based platform including services that documents the land use and rights of small farmers in developing countries. Such a document is also useful for farmers to get a loan from the bank and farmers are more willing to invest in their land and improve the quality and quantity of their production.Côte d'Ivoire, together with Ghana, produces the most cocoa; 70% of the global cocoa volume. Much of this cocoa is supplied by small farmers, who hardly have anything on paper about their piece of land. Land documentation is still a long, bureaucratic, inefficient and costly procedure in Côte d'Ivoire. Meridia wants to help farmers by offering an affordable (40 to 60% cheaper) and fast alternative to register their land in order to acquire official ownership.Meridia is in contact with three major international agri-food processors: Hershey, Barry Callebaut and Unilever, who purchase cocoa from approximately 80,000 farmers in Côte d'Ivoire. The three multinationals want to improve their social impact and are willing to invest in land documentation for "their" farmers, however they are confronted with the complexity of land rights and do not know exactly where to start. They have expressed their interest in Meridia's technology and hope to be able to directly support at least 80,000 cocoa farmers with land documentation in the coming years. A feasibility study is needed, among other things, to investigate what the price could be for the farmers, what the technical requirements are, but also to further map out the opportunities and challenges. In addition, an extensive analysis of the local context will be made in order to fully meet the requirements or wishes of the three customers. During the study, a small pilot will also be conducted in which Meridia's model will be tailored to the cultural, political and institutional conditions.
Mitigating protection risks associated with evictions in Bossaso through integrated Housing, Land and Property
Objectives
Evictions represent a unique protection challenge in Somalia with far-reaching consequences on physical security, dignity, and livelihood of victims. Bossosa is one of the epicenters of the problem as the region struggles to recover from the residual effects of the 2016-17 drought amid persistent insecurity, cyclic natural disasters, and widespread unlawful evictions. At the national level, Somalia is faced with the daunting prospect of rebuilding the country having been riven by more than two decades of conflict and lawlessness. Important strides are being made to address the issue but ongoing initiatives have been outmatched due to the prevalence of the problem, thus necessitating a more robust, integrated and coordinated program response. In the absence of an effective response to address protection challenges that are being exacerbated by eviction, displaced communities will remain at risk of continuing secondary displacements. Efforts to strengthen protection and contribute to durable solutions to displacement in Bossaso will be incomplete and/or undermined without addressing the issue of eviction concurrently and systematically. The project seeks to contribute towards ensuring that individuals affected by displacement receive support assistance to improve their tenure security situation and address post-eviction complications. This action builds on NRC’s hands on expertise in evictions prevention and response programming in Somalia, and targeting 37,198 individuals in Bossaso, the project seeks to enhance the protection of displaced communities at risk of eviction and to create an enabling environment for sustained recovery and the pursuit of log lasting solutions. This overarching objective will be achieved by implementing a combination of complementary activities aimed at reducing the practice of unlawful evictions, strengthening tenure security among displaced communities at highest risk of eviction, and consolidating the protection of HLP rights. Priority actions include supporting the establishment of dedicated evictions prevention capacities at the municipality of Bossaso, replicating eviction programming best practices at the municipality, helping victims cope with post-eviction stress through cash, and strengthening local dispute resolution capacities and fostering social cohesion in target communities. A parallel objective of the HLP Sub Cluster which this project will seek to advance is consolidating HLP capacity among national organization. A combination of deliverables will contribute toward the mitigation of protection risks exacerbated by evictions through integrated prevention and response initiatives ensuring that displaced communities have increased access to information and specialized services necessary to navigate administrative and procedural obstacles linked to the enjoyment and exercise of HLP rights and supporting local mechanisms to address HLP violations and contribute to social cohesion.
Master's Degree Program in Urban and Regional Development(2022)
General
To enhance participants knowledge and experience in the field of urban and regional development including master planning land use planning real estate and housing development urban redevelopment and new town development
Objectives
To enhance participants knowledge and experience in the field of urban and regional development including master planning land use planning real estate and housing development urban redevelopment and new town development