Johannesburg, July 4, 2022 – ETC Group (ETG) and IFC today announced a partnership to boost smallholder farmer productivity and food security across four countries in sub-Saharan Africa by increasing access to critical agricultural inputs and training services.
Through the project, which is supported by the Private Sector Window of the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), ETG and IFC will work with smallholder farmers across ETG's maize, soybean, and groundnut supply chains to enhance the sustainability of these crops, improve last mile distribution of inputs such as fertilizer, and increase market linkages for an estimated 200,000 smallholder farmers. The project will run between July 2022 and December 2025.
ETG's agri-inputs business division, with the support of the Empowering Farmers Foundation (EFF), will implement the project with IFC. The first project under the partnership will officially launch in Zambia this month, followed by Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania.
"We are delighted to partner with IFC on this project. Development of smallholder farmers is critical to addressing a looming food crisis. This initiative will also assist with introducing sustainable practices and in turn, increase farmer livelihoods," said Anish Jain, ETG's Chief Treasury Officer.
"This project is an opportunity for ETG and IFC to boost the business capacity of small-scale agricultural service providers and the productivity of smallholder farmers. This is an important moment to accelerate local and regional food production and to strengthen the resilience of Africa's agricultural sector," said Samuel Dzotefe, IFC's Manager for Agribusiness and Forestry in Africa.
The core focus of the project will be on training different groups of stakeholders, including ETG field extension staff, agro-dealers, Village-Based Agents (VBAs) and farmer organizations. Training of the VBAs is intended to strengthen them as an effective resource for farmers in the VBA network, whereas agro-dealer training is focused on strengthening their business analytics, budgeting and planning skills, and strategies for growing their business. Farmer organization training will help the organizations become better distribution and product collection partners of ETG and smallholder farmers.
IFC will provide capacity building under its Agribusiness Leadership Program to help smallholder famers, farmer organizations and other actors along the supply chain to conduct sustainable farming practices, incorporate climate change risk mitigation and efficient use of agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.
The training will equip ETG personnel to continue the work beyond the life of the three-year program, helping to strengthen the outreach and impact of the program longer-term for farmers and farming organizations.
About IFC:
IFC—a member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2021, IFC committed a record $31.5 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.
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About ETG:
ETG has developed into a global player with a diverse portfolio of expertise across various industries, encompassing agricultural inputs, logistics, merchandising, food processing and supply chain optimization. The group has a global presence of 48 countries spanning six continents. For more information, please visit www.etgworld.com or send a mail to info@etgworld.com.
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About GAFSP
The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) is a global effort that pools donor resources to fund programs focused on increasing agricultural productivity as a way to reduce poverty and increase food and nutrition security. The Private Sector Window, administered by the IFC and supported by the governments of Australia, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States, provides long- and short-term loans, credit guarantees, capital and technical assistance to private sector companies and financial intermediaries. It links smallholder farmers to markets by improving their access to finance, technology, expertise, and inputs.
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