Biotrade Africa - Support to PhytoTrade Africa

completed

This project will partner with Phytotrade Africa to facilitate low-income farmers' access to international bio trade markets and develop sustainable Baobab and Marufa supply chains in Malawi and Mozambique through the following activities: 1. Mapping for the development of supply chains: The project will map availability and capacity of Mafura and Baobab in Mozambique and Malawi. The mapping will identify harvester communities that have access to these resources and provide a socioeconomic baseline assessment. It will also identify community associations/co-operatives and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that can be assisted in the processing and marketing of these products. The mapping will serve as a basis for designing country supply chain development strategies and strengthening the supply chains, especially at farmer and SME level. 2. Linking community associations/co-operatives and SMEs to international markets: The biggest challenge for the commercialization of natural ingredients is ensuring the link between local processors and international buyers in order to supply demand beyond local borders. The project will support identification of and negotiation with new distributors and buyers in international markets to diversify demand. 3. Impact monitoring system: Verification of project impacts is critical to prove the contribution of environmental and social certifications and verifications to development, conservation of nature, and poverty reduction. The project will assist in upgrading the PhytoTrade monitoring and evaluation system to ensure integration with the Union for Ethical Biotrade (UEBT) reporting as well as that of the Impact Reporting and Investing Standards (IRIS). 4. Investment in the bio trade sector: PhytoTrade aims to develop the bio trade sector in Southern Africa into a mainstream trade that offers interesting investment opportunities and developing SMEs to access financial markets. Acknowledging IFC's championing role and investment experience, the project will support PhytoTrade to develop a fund strategy and liaise with international investors on approaches to funding the pipeline.