The Promoting of Sustainable Agricultural Market Systems (PROMAS) is a Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) funded project whose goal is to “increase incomes of smallholder farmers, especially women and youth, and to boost MSMEs in northern Mozambique through their engagement in market systems that are sustainable and resilient to shock” in three provinces of Northern Mozambique (Nampula, Niassa, and Cabo Delgado). Applying a market systems development (MSD) approach, PROMAS will improve service delivery to promote selected smallholder farmers’ inclusion in value chains with an emphasis on climate change, agro-ecology, gender equity, and youth empowerment. DevPact has been retained to support value chain selection and value chain analysis activities as part of the inception phase to deliver an implementable project document for the subsequent phases of the project. As part of this work, DevPact consultants led a horticulture value chain analysis in Balama, Maputo, Montepuez, Nampula, Ribaue and Malema and participated in a value chain selection exercise that brought together key actors in the Mozambican agricultural sector. 

Partners:

https://www.eda.admin.ch/deza/en/home/countries/mozambique.html  

https://www.dai.com/

The Mpumalanga Provincial Government and DARDLEA intended to stimulate an increase in the value and share of Mpumalanga’s apple production and trade in the South African, regional, and international markets. To this end, a Strategic Plan for expanded output and enhanced trade value was required, encompassing Optimal Grower Location (Geography), Market Access Points (Value Chain), Primary and secondary Production Capacity (Investment) and Supporting Infrastructure (Physical and Institutional). DevPact was retained by the implementing consortium to develop a Market Status Report, a Market Potential Report, and an Investment Targeting report to assist the Department in making investment decisions in the apple industry, especially regarding the Special Economic Zone and the Mpumalanga Fresh Produce Market.

Partner: Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs

https://dardlea.mpg.gov.za/

The USAID funded “Strengthening Competitiveness in Regional Agricultural Trade” activity in nine EAC and COMESA countries (Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, DRC, Zambia, and Burundi) is designed to address the persistent challenges and low volumes of regional trade and is based on the belief that an alternative approach to regional trade facilitation based on improving competitiveness and working with the private sector can be more effective. DevPact is conducting an agricultural and competitiveness analysis whose outcome is to identify implementable private sector models (or models with success potential) that can be implemented in East Africa to facilitate increased regional trade.

Partner: DAI,

Website: www.dai.com

The Supporting the Policy Enabling Environment for Development (SPEED) activity is a five-year programme designed to improve Mozambique’s business enabling environment and enhance the role of the private sector in agriculture, trade facilitation, energy, biodiversity conservation, and health. In 2022, SPPED retained DevPact to lead the process of reviewing the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan and develop a new 2023-2033 Strategic Plan for the organization. As part of the process, the DevPact consultants engaged the four IIAM zonal centres in Chimoio, Chokwe, Lichinga and Nampula) as well as a crosssection of public and private sector stakeholders, including APROSE, AgRED and MOSTA amongst others. 

Partners: DAI  

https://www.dai.com

This project entailed a review of the employment effects of the Africa Agriculture and Trade Investment Fund (AATIF) financing through commercial bank lending in Zimbabwe, specifically analysing the outgrower model with a leading agribusiness company in Zimbabwe. In this arrangement, medium-sized farmers accessed credit from the commercial bank to invest in their farming operations. The private agribusiness acted as a buyer of the crops and had a relationship with the bank, whereby it repaid agreed installments of the loans back to the bank directly from the proceeds due to farmers. The farmers received their payments after the loans had been paid. The risk reduction resulting from this arrangement enabled the bank to extend credit to farmers in the difficult economic context in Zimbabwe at the time. DevPact led consultations with the ILO, the commercial bank, and the farmers to assess the employment effects brought about by the AATIF funds and recommendations for replication in other geographies.

Partner: ILO

https://www.ilo.org/global/lang--en

DevPact was retained by the implementing partner to identify CSA priorities in Zimbabwe, key CSA stakeholders across the public and private sector and recommend intervention areas for GIZ/NEPAD. In summary, DevPact identified a number of key intervention areas for consideration by GIZ/NEPAD, including enhanced agricultural knowledge and information systems, sustainable livelihoods through diversified livestock systems, water harvesting for resilient crop and livestock production, women and youth focused value chain development and CSA curriculum development and dissemination amongst others. 

Partners:  Partners:

https://www.giz.de/en/html/index.html

https://www.nepad.org/