Inclusive Markets for Uganda - Amélioration des Marchés du Miel et du Cacao (en angl.)

Le projet

The project objective is to fight poverty, increase incomes, and create sustainable livelihoods for cocoa farmers, beekeepers, and other actors in these value chains. The project supports families of cocoa farmers and honey producers with various services. Through hands-on training and continuing education courses, these families are expanding their skills and knowledge. They are now able to improve quality and increase yields. In tandem, Swisscontact is helping farmers to sell their products. Producer organisations improve their negotiation skills, building stable relations with buyers and winning new sales markets. Through their successful integration into the market system, smallholder farmer families are able to generate secure and livelihood-sustaining incomes.

Project activities

1. Training and continuing education for smallholder farmers
   Through targeted trainings and continuing education courses, beneficiaries will learn new planting techniques, how to use state-of-the-art equipment, management, crop protection, fertilisers, seed, etc., or else beekeeping and processing beekeeping products.
2. Access to market information and building business relations
   The project is making an important contribution to building farmer organisations, linking producers with buyers through price and purchase guarantees, as well as access to new markets and information along the cocoa and honey value chains.
3. Access to financial services
   Farmers will learn basic financial management skills, which they will be able to apply with savings and credit cooperatives. They will expand their financial security and independence. The project also promotes access to formal banks and credit unions as well as to innovative financial services (e.g. microleasing).
4. Diversifying planting strategies in the cocoa sector (vegetable gardening and beekeeping)
   Women and young adults will be supported in the introduction of vegetable gardens and honey production. This will help poor smallholder farmer families to improve their food security.
5. Improving the policy and regulatory frameworks
   Developing and implementing improved regulatory frameworks such as export regulations, standards, and certification.

Expected Results

Cocoa sector:

• 15,000 cocoa farmers (30% of whom are women) will benefit from training and continuing education.
• 80% will be able to increase productivity by an average of 40% and incomes by 30%.
• 6,000 women and youth will undergo additional training in vegetable gardening and beekeeping (under a diversification and food security initiative).
• 70% of these farmers will increase productivity in both sectors.340 new full-time jobs will have been generated in the cocoa sector.

Honey sector:

• 8,000 beekeepers (30% who are women) will be participating in trainings.
• 80% will increase their honey yields by 35%, and secondary beekeeping products by 30%.
• This will result in a 30% boost in incomes.
• 500 new full-time jobs will have been generated in the honey sector.