Projects
Value Chain Improvement in Benin's Agriculture Sector
In a nutshell
In the western part of Africa, the francophone country of Benin heavily relies on its agriculture sector to support its population, both in terms of subsistence as well as export. Since 2011, the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation has supported the development of the agricultural sector in Benin through its program ‘Promotion of Agriculture’ (ProAgri).
ProAgri focuses on the creation and development of so-called ‘value chains’ (i.e. linkage of individual steps intended to add value to phases of a production process) for some of the most important products in Benin’s agriculture sector: rice, soy, cashew and shea nuts.
Our approach
What we, Agriculture & Finance Consultants (AFC) will do within this programme, is provide technical expertise to service providers and selected actors working with value chains in 16 selected communes, so that they can maximise their outputs and growth.
In order to retain the feeling of ownership that the beneficiaries have over their businesses and investments, we work with the systems that are already there and see if they can be made to work even better. This is stimulated by facilitating basic learning programmes and sitting down to work on their individual value chains.
They are also supported with the implementation of qualification measures and the institutionalisation of service provision to carry out qualifications in a sustainable way, which is combined with more strategic insights on approaching the market.
Constantly involving the selected actors in developing models that address the larger market both benefits their own businesses, as well as the development of the communes as a whole.