Seas of Change Initiative

Growing Opportunity: Measuring Investment in Africa Agriculture

Roger — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:59:40 +0000

ONE looked at 19 African countries with signed, reviewed national agriculture investment plans and assessed progress on their commitments to reduce poverty, invest in agriculture, and include citizens in decision-making. The report also looks at eight donors and evaluates the quantity and quality of agriculture assistance, with special attention to their commitment to support country ownership.

The report findings show that progress over the past ten years is undeniable. Where political will, domestic investment, donor support and effective plans have been combined, the agriculture sector has delivered growth and poverty reduction. However, the Maputo financing commitments are off track, donors have disbursed only half of their commitments, and African agriculture plans remain only about 50% funded. Until these commitments are fulfilled, the full poverty-reducing potential of African agriculture cannot be realized.

The findings of the report are especially timely. The African Union is preparing for 2014, ‘the year of agriculture’ in Africa, a once in a decade opportunity for renewal of African leadership. Meanwhile, the G8 Summit in Lough Erne and the related food and nutrition event in London in June 2013 present historic opportunities for G8 leaders to contribute to African nations’ goals of lifting millions from poverty and preventing chronic malnutrition. Will they heed this call?

Get the full report here
Get the executive summary here
Get the info graphic here

Geography of food: reconnecting with origin in the food system

Roger — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:02:33 +0000

Can marketing tradition and origin protect the value of agricultural and food products? What global and regional legal frameworks for origin-branding exist and how effective are they? These are just some of the questions that will be addressed during the Brussels Policy Briefing ‘Geography of food: reconnecting with origin in the food system’ on 15th May.

The Briefing will take place on Wednesday 15th May 2013 (9h00-13h15) at the ACP Secretariat, room C.
The address of the venue is: 451 Avenue Georges Henri, 1200 Brussels

More information here

How to bring excluded people into the marketplace ?

Roger — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:41:21 +0000

Inclusive Business, Impact Investment, Pro-poor economic growth, value chain approaches and improving ecosystems are just a few buzz words floating around in current development debates. They all have one overarching key question in common: How to bring previously excluded people into the marketplace and share economic benefits with low-income communities?

The UNDP major report “Realizing Africa`s wealth – Building Inclusive Businesses for Shared Prosperity” sheds light on these terms and provides a comprehensive stocktaking of best practices around sub-Saharan Africa.

Measuring socio-economic impact – A WBCSD guide for business.

Roger — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:14:55 +0000

Navigating the complex landscape of socio-economic impact measurement
Business is a major driver of socio-economic impact – and socio-economic impact is a major predictor of business success, especially in the long term. As a result, companies are increasingly interested in measuring their socio-economic impact for a variety of reasons, ranging from reducing cost and risk to creating and capturing new opportunities.

The WBCSD‘s new publication “Measuring socio-economic impact: A guide for business” is intended to help companies navigate the complex landscape of socio-economic impact measurement, and select the options that work best for their business.

Measuring socio-economic impact – WBCSD guide for business from fveglio

CDI involvement with UN Global Compact

Roger — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

CDI has become member of the Core Advisory Group of UN Global Compact, which currently prepares the development of Sustainable Agriculture Business Principles. These principles, expected to be ratified by UN Global Compact Board and FAO Directorate in 2015, aim to advance the role of business in delivering practical, effective and scalable solutions to meet the global challenges of food security and sustainable agriculture.

The purpose of the SABPs is to present a clear, consolidated view of how business considers, plans and acts to deliver sustainable agriculture in the context of the global challenges we face, as reaffirmed at Rio+20 and in support of the post-2015 development agenda. The consultation process for these principles is aligned with the consultations of the Responsible Agriculture Investments principles of Committee on World Food Security (CFS).

The Core Advisory Group is tasked with drafting a White Paper and to review wider stakeholder inputs, to be collected in 2013-2014. CDI is contributing its expertise in multi-stakeholder process facilitation, and will also draw on the wide business-driven partnerships working together in the Seas of Change Initiative, which CDI is convening together with the Sustainable Food Lab.

More information: herman.brouwer@wur.nl and joost.guijt@wur.nl

Rabobank addresses flaws in F&A supply chain

Roger — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 15:59:18 +0000

Rabobank addresses the flaws in the current F&A supply chain structure that leave the sector ill equipped to respond to this new complexity. It calls for the industry to transform the way supply chains are organized, by adopting longer-term supply agreements and, cooperative relationships with upstream and downstream partners.

This report encourages the industry to abandon its preoccupation with short-term price spikes. Rabobank believes that a model based on chasing price is a narrow approach that will restrict the ability of F&A companies to realize their growth objectives in this more complex and demanding environment. The report calls for prominent F&A brands to show leadership, through creating initiatives that will lead to closer cooperation between their upstream partners. The report cites several examples of leading F&A companies that are already active in this space, such as Mars’ decision to release the cocoa genome sequence into the public domain as part of its broader commitment to sustainably sourcing all cocoa purchases by 2020. Furthermore, sector leaders undertaking such initiatives must become advocates for dedicated supply chains, by sharing their experiences with the wider industry.

How are innovations in the Agrofood sector going to scale?

Roger — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 13:16:19 +0000

How are innovations in the Agrofood sector going to scale? A 2-year research project led by Wageningen UR aims to develop a strategic framework for policy makers and private business to assess whether and how scaling (up) can be steered. Since the project does not regard scaling as a natural result of innovation or technical change, it aims to enhance capability to monitor whether scaling emerges and how it evolves. Read more…

2012 Resource Roundup

Roger — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:40:25 +0000

It’s the time of year for top picks lists again.
We would like to draw your attention to two lists of resources on inclusive business:
WBCSD’s ‘Inclusive Business in 2012′ highlights
and Carolyn Ashley’s top resources for 2012

Enjoy your Holidays reading !

Video: Ecom working with smallholder farmers in Kenya.

Roger — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:46:51 +0000

A video case study on the business sense of providing extension services to smallholder coffee farmers in Kenya.
Produced for CTA, Hivos and CDI.

GIZ publishes “Growing Business with Smallholders” guide.

Roger — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 15:58:05 +0000

The guide targets companies that are looking to enter or expand activities with smallholders in developing markets. It is designed for companies selling agricultural inputs to smallholder farmers and/or sourcing from them. Potential partner organizations, such as agriculture-related NGOs, insurance providers, finance institutions, and international organizations will also find valuable insights. The hands-on practitioner guide documents existing experiences from inclusive agribusinesses, and summarizes key lessons and best practices.

Growing an inclusive agribusiness is a process much like cultivating crops. The Guide for All Seasons helps practitioners create and expand inclusive business models along the following steps:

Discover! Identify your inclusive agribusiness opportunity learning about case studies along the whole value chain from selling to sourcing.
Assess! Understand the specific challenges of working with smallholders – a critical prerequisite to design effective business solutions.
Plant! Consider five core solutions to meet challenges and enable your business to grow.
Nurture! Learn about opportunities to collaborate effectively with smallholders, with other partner organizations, and on the level of the business environment.
Harvest! Develop a plan on how to ensure mutual benefit for all business partners and assess results.

Following these steps, the business can grow from season to season!

The Guide to Inclusive Agribusiness is based on valuable insights from:

Over 40 case studies
40 expert interviews
Extensive desktop research

Download:

High-Resolution Version (5.3 MB)
Low-Resolution Version (3.3 MB)

The guide was commissioned by GIZ and financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).