Global Program for Small Agroecological Producers & Sustainable Food Systems Transformation (Madagascar)

Deadline: 24-May-23

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is accepting proposals for the Small Agroecological Producers & Sustainable Food Systems Transformation Global Program to contribute to the transition towards sustainable agrifood systems for the benefit of the rural poor.

Objectives

• The development objective is to enable small-scale rural producers to strengthen their practice of agroecology through better access to knowledge, support services, improved technologies and market opportunities, thereby improving their resilience to shocks and stressors. climatic, environmental and socio-economic stresses as well as nutrition security and incomes.
• The transformation of food and agricultural systems is an urgent global priority. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the European Union (EU) and its Member States have worked together successfully for decades to build inclusive rural economies and food systems that benefit the most vulnerable people in rural areas. The European Union (EU), the Belgian Development Cooperation and IFAD engage with this program in a joint effort with other partners to support the scaling up of agroecology1 as an effective way to achieve to sustainable food systems benefiting small rural producers and to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 2 (zero hunger) and SDG 13 (climate action) as well as SDG12 (responsible consumption and production) and SDG15 (life on land).
• Based on discussions held in 2022 between the European Commission (EC), Belgian Development Cooperation and IFAD, IFAD developed the Global Program for Small Agroecological Producers and Sustainable Food Systems Transformation (GP-SAEP). The GP-SAEP program aims to address key barriers to scaling up agroecology and transitioning to sustainable food systems for small-scale producers (farmers and micro, small and medium agribusinesses) in Africa, by Latin America and the Caribbean. The GP-SAEP seeks synergies with different investments from Belgium, EC, IFAD, African and LAC governments and other investment partners (including other EU Member States), to extend its impacts by supporting the adoption of agroecological strategies in partner countries.
• The GP-SAEP will also generate key lessons for the development community by strengthening the performance of agroecology investment programs for smallholders, measuring results and generating evidence. The program is implemented over a period of 4 years starting in the first quarter of 2023.
• Madagascar was selected as one of the beneficiary countries for the implementation of the GP-SAEP in Africa, in agreement with the donors.

Components

The interventions of the Program concerning Madagascar are structured around 2 components:

• Component 1: Bio-solutions and technologies relevant to agroecology (seeds, bio-inputs, mechanical and digital technologies).
  • The access of small producers to appropriate and quality agricultural biosolutions and technologies is essential for a successful transition to sustainable agricultural production. Farmers who adopt agroecology need access to a wide plant and animal genetic diversity adapted to local conditions to strengthen their resilience to the multiple shocks and stressors to which they are exposed, and to improve their productivity and the nutritional outcome of their output. They need access to lowcost bio-solutions (organic fertilizers and bio-pesticides), adapted equipment and digital solutions. These solutions must be adaptable to their small-scale conditions and agroecological systems with high levels of diversification and integration of crops, trees and animals, the use of regenerative and circular practices for soil management and water and integrated pest management.
• Component 2: Increased value addition and markets for agroecological products.
  • Connecting producers and consumers around the value of sustainably produced and quality food is fundamental for
    • the economic viability of the agroecological transition, for
    • facilitating job creation and for
    • Generate food system benefits from agroecological production systems.
  • As agroecological farming systems are characterized by a high diversity of products and smaller quantities for each product, more traditional initiatives to enhance value addition and market access (usually based on single-product value chain approaches) are often unsuccessful, relevant and not sufficiently effective. The socioeconomic characteristics of agroecology require a more direct connection between consumers and producers through shorter value chains with high consumer decision-making power and strong involvement of agroecological farmers and rural agribusiness MSMEs.

Funding Information

• Amount of IFAD grant: EUR 1,500,000.
• Implementation period: 31 months (September 2023 – March 2026).

Eligibility Criteria

• Types of institutions that can apply for the GP-SAEP Madagascar 2023-2026: Private non-profit institutions such as non-governmental organizations registered in Madagascar.
• The following eligibility conditions apply to applicants:
  • Be a private non-profit institution such as a non-profit organization legally registered in an IFAD Member State (in the case of involvement of multiple entities, at least one must be based in a Member State);
  • Have legal status and be registered in the country in which it operates; proof of legal status, such as official registration, will be requested prior to final approval by IFAD;
  • Present audited financial statements and signed external audit reports, in accordance with international auditing standards, for at least the past two years;
  • Have a minimum of two years of relevant operational experience.

For more information, visit IFAD.