Publications

Beekeeping has been carried out across many generations in Rwanda and plays a critical role in the livelihoods of the rural communities, although it has long remained traditional and of subsistence in nature. This is changing as beekeeping is increasingly taken up as a business enterprise; access to finance is however a key challenge for small entrepreneurs. SNV therefore initiated a Value Chain Financing Study (VCF) assessing the financial needs of current and potential beekeeping entrepreneurs, available opportunities from financial and other institutions, and identifying existing gaps hindering beekeeping entrepreneurs from accessing available financial services. The study also identified several best practices for adoption by SNV and other stakeholders towards enhancing the performance of the sub-sector in a sustainable way.

In June 2010 SNV, together with IFAD, organised a conference on ‘brokering knowledge for upscaling best practices in Inclusive Markets Access in East & Southern Africa’, which brought together over 70 participants from 11 African countries from donor, public and private sector to share experiences. This report summarizes the main issues discussed during the conference, of which the main focus was seeking to bring about systemic change for larger-scale sustainable inclusive markets with a wider significance.

The main purpose of this study was to explore the potential of camel milk from the Isiolo district in Northern Kenya to access sustainable formal markets. And secondly, establish whether the value chain presents a business case for investments by the private sector and development agencies interested in increased livelihoods of pastoral communities and other actors involved in the value chain.

This annual report provides more detail of the strategic position choices SNV made in East and Southern Africa in 2007 and illustrates our approach with case studies from our practice.

This report gives an overview of SNV’s proceedings in the edible oilseeds sector in Tanzania, from 2007 to 2010. Interventions aimed at increasing income for at least 80,000 smallholder households to derive a higher income from oilseeds production or related activities by 2010. To that effect key interventions included: Producer Group Strengthening, Market Intelligence and facilitating Value Chain Financing.

“Elementos Orientadores para la Gestión de Empresas Asociativas Rurales”, ha sido elaborado a partir de las conclusiones fnales del estudio realizado por la Plataforma Ruralter entre el 2004 y 2005, en siete países de Latinoamérica: Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras y Perú, en los que se analizó un total de 35 Empresas Asociativas Rurales (EMARs) exitosas, con el objetivo de identifcar los factores de éxito de estas experiencias, aprender de sus mejores prácticas y generar orientaciones que sirvan a todos los actores que trabajan entorno a EMARs.

La nouvelle stratégie 2007-2015 adoptée par la SNV vise l’amélioration de la Production, du Revenu et de l’Emploi. C’est ainsi qu’elle a choisi de se positionner au niveau de deux filières importantes sur le plan national: le Niébé et l’Oignon. C’est dans ce cadre que cette organisation à diligenté la présente étude afin d’identifier les acteurs porteurs d’impact dans la filière niébé au niveau de la région de Maradi et les niches d’appui en renforcement de leurs capacités. Pour une durée de vingt un jours, l’étude à couvert les communes de Madarounfa, Djiratawa, Dan issa, Guidan roumdji, Tibiri, Dakoro, Kornaka et Tchadoua.

The Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) commenced in 2005 with the intermediate objective of reducing hunger and malnutrition; increasing school enrollment, retention and attendance and to boost local food production. The GSFP is an initiative under the comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Pillar 3 seeks to enhance food security and reduce hunger in line with the UN-Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The collaboration between ECASARD/SNV as a local capacity builder necessitated this survey to identify ways of linking the farmers through FBOs to the GSFP as a means of achieving the third objective of the programme i.e.to boost local food production. The objective of the study to establish the level of FBOs /farmers’ engagement in boosting local food production through the GSFP in the Greater Accra Region; this is in accordance with the third objectives of the programme. The study was examined under the following headings; Effectiveness of FBOs in the study area, Farmers’ willingness to market their farm produce to the GSFP, Commonly cultivated crops in the study area and the quantities that farmers are willing to supply to the GSFP and benefit of the GSFP to the farmers.

The findings show that; about 66% of the FBOs are registered, and 81% of them meet at least once every month. This shows that they are effective and efficient. The main purpose of cultivation by the farmers was income oriented. 21% of the farmers have benefited from the GSFP nevertheless, the only source of benefit was the fact that their children are fed. Further studies that would capture all the actors in the implementation of the GSFP is required. Their views should be collated and used to review the implementation of the programme so far to ensure participation and benefits for all stakeholders.

With this publication we hope to generate and disseminate knowledge useful for those involved in the smallholder agricultural sector. Zimbabwe’s experiences in contract farming are also useful for other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Raising agricultural productivity in Africa and involving the smallholder farmers in that process is one of the key priorities, as emphasised in the World Development Report 2008 of the World Bank. Contract Farming is one of the pathways to get there.

The Rwandan dairy sub-sector has undergone dramatic and dynamic progress after the 1994 war and genocide. Of recent years a number of initiatives from the government, development partners and private investors have been growing. Although the dairy industry has been growing fast, its faced with a number of constraints that provide the challenges for development but equally provide the opportunities for actors who want to invest in the sub-sector.
This report summarises the trend for the last 10 years to 2020 along the national development strategy and how the dairy sub-sector can provide investment opportunities along the value chain. Dairy is a profitable and one of the best investments that can work properly in the rural areas due its benefits not only as a source of income but also as a way of providing food security and support of crop production through manure.

Workshop report of the regional inception workshop 'learning by doing: capacity development approaches at the local level, which took place on 26-27 November 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand, and was organised by UNDP and SNV (Netherlands Development Organisation), with support from the UNDP Asia Regional Governance Programme (ARGP). The primary workshop objectives were 1) to share lessons learned on capacity development strategies and development efforts aimed at contributing to the MDGs at the sub-national/local level; and 2) identify critical knowledge gaps that need to be addressed to support sub-national/local capacities for reaching the MDGs.

Le Niger est le plus grand exportateur de l’oignon en Afrique de l’ouest. Plus de 100.000 paysans nigériens cultivent l’oignon. Pour eux et tous les autres opérateurs de la chaîne (intermédiaires, commerçants, transporteurs), l’oignon est une source importante de revenus. La SNV Niger (www.snvworld.org), et le Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation (CDI) des Pays*Bas (www.cdi.wur.nl/uk), en collaboration avec la FCMN Niya et Agri*Bilan, ont initié une recherche action intitulée « Eplucher l’oignon» depuis 1 année. Le but des activités de recherche*action est d’identifier des possibilités d’action collective pour tous les acteurs dans la chaîne de valeur d’oignon. Le focus est sur des ‘leviers’ pour induire des changements qui rendent la filière oignon à la fois plus compétitive, inclusive et durable. Après cette phase terrain, nous avons partagé nos résultats lors de cet atelier participatif à Birni N’Konni dans la région de Tahoua. De plus on a stimulé le dialogue entre les différents acteurs autour de la chaine de valeur d’oignon pour arriver aux 25 résolutions de Konni ! Ce rapport est le résultat de cet atelier et dialogue.

Este documento recoge 9 casos de empresas muy reconocidas en Colombia que vienen desarrollando desde hace algún tiempo proyectos que encajan dentro del concepto de negocios inclusivos. Este concepto se viene fomentando en Colombia desde hace más dos años a través de la alianza entre el SNV y el Consejo Empresarial Colombiano para el Desarrollo Sostenible (CECODES).

El libro tiene como finalidad mostrar, por medio de iniciativas prácticas, las diversas maneras en que los negocios inclusivos pueden ser llevados a la realidad bajo modalidades empresariales innovadoras, en las que una "empresa ancla" involucra en su cadena de valor a grupos de población de bajo poder adquisitivo como distribuidores, proveedores o clientes.

La publicación reúne experiencias novedosas desarrolladas por algunas de las empresas más influyentes que operan en diferentes sectores de la economía colombiana como: Natura, Alpina, Compañía Nacional de Chocolates, Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia, Casa Luker, Indupalma, Pavco S.A., Bancolombia y Promigas.

Les relations commerciales de la filière oignon sont complexes et basées sur des liens de confiance et de compromis de longue date. Les générations actuelles doivent réaliser que les changements qui s’imposeraient doivent être basés sur l’entente entre producteurs et commerçants. L’oignon est le deuxième produit d’exportation du Niger, après l’uranium. La filière d’oignon rapporte des milliards de devises. Toutefois, le commerce de l’oignon a commencé avec un petit nombre de pionniers qui tentaient leurs chances sur les marchés des pays voisins. C’est au fil du temps que l’intelligence de marché et des réseaux commerciaux se sont développés. Quelques pionniers sont toujours actifs sur la filière. Cet article résume les propos de El hadj Salifou Ousmane (PrésidentNational de l’ANFO) et El hadj Boujé Tanko (Président de la Fédération Régionale de l’ANFO-Tahoua). Ces deux personnalités de la filière oignon regardent en arrière pour retracer les chemins parcourus avant que l’exportation d’oignons ait atteint les niveaux d’aujourd’hui. En regardant vers l’avenir, nos interlocuteurs exhortent les leaders et acteurs d’aujourd’hui d’aller au-delà des intérêts personnels afin de défendre les intérêts des milliers de personnes qui dépendent de la filière.