Trade Development Projects
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Trade Development Projects Global brands and retailers are expanding their sourcing in Africa across different industries including horticulture, textiles, crafts and coffee. This brings a number of challenges as commercial pressures are contributing to the casualization of workers and the exclusion of smaller producers. Addressing abuses of workers rights, meeting buyer demand and standards compliance requires more skilled and empowered workers. Complementary public–private strategies are needed to promote skills upgrading, enhance multi- stakeholder engagement and support the resilience of supply chains. Thus, there are now new opportunities for workers and small producers to ‘climb the supply chain ladder’. Given this context, Partner Africa projects focus on: > Buyer driven global supply chains: providing opportunities to improve working conditions through partnerships with global and African firms. This can lead to more sustainable access to markets through collaboration and joint action with a range of stakeholders including: companies, suppliers, trade associations, trade unions and NGOs. > The informal sector: smallholders, home workers, and artisans etc. who struggle for access to, or are adversely incorporated, into the global markets. We use our local knowledge and people to facilitate linkages and improve access to local, regional and international markets. The focus is on supporting producer organisations to better organise and manage their operations, so that they are able to meet buyer requirements and access new markets. Funded Programmes Trade Development Projects are funded programmes, primarily through public private partnerships and include grants and in-kind resources from companies, statutory donors (DFID, EU, USAID, Local Governments etc.) and NGOs. Key Roles Trade Development Projects bring direct economic and social benefits to workers and smallholders engaged in global supply chains. They also create opportunities to innovate and demonstrate good practice. If projects are undertaken in partnership with companies, suppliers, trade associations, trade unions and NGOs there is a greater opportunity to influence practices within the sector. Partner Africa often acts as a facilitator using local people with local knowledge to lead in training and capacity building activities, using and adapting our core training modules. Participatory Management Techniques Partner Africa uses a wide range of participatory management techniques in our projects and we actively search for new and innovative ways of involving stakeholders in decision-making. We do this by: > Actively listening to others > Involving primary as well as secondary stakeholders in project decisions > Building local capacity and cultivating teamwork > Advocating for the use of participatory approaches throughout project activities > Building the required attitudes in the programme team > Developing a self critical/learning culture in the team > Cultivating partnership relationships by building trust and confidence in partners, as well as handing over control to partners especially workers and small-scale farmers > Developing and using a ‘facilitator’ leadership style as opposed to a ‘traditional’ leadership style OVERVIEW OF TRADE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS OUR APPROACH > Government Bodies > International Brands and Retailers > NGOs > Trade Associations > Trade Unions > Certification Organisations > Local Companies > Cooperatives > Public Private Partnerships
Transcript of Trade Development Projects
Trade Development Projects
Global brands and retailers are expanding their sourcing in Africa across different industries including horticulture, textiles, crafts and coffee. This brings a number of challenges as commercial pressures are contributing to the casualization of workers and the exclusion of smaller producers. Addressing abuses of workers rights, meeting buyer demand and standards compliance requires more skilled and empowered workers. Complementary public–private strategies are needed to promote skills upgrading, enhance multi-stakeholder engagement and support the resilience of supply chains. Thus, there are now new opportunities for workers and small producers to ‘climb the supply chain ladder’.
Given this context, Partner Africa projects focus on: > Buyer driven global supply chains:providing opportunities to improve working conditions through partnerships with global and African firms. This can lead to more sustainable access to markets through collaboration and joint action with a range of stakeholders including: companies, suppliers, trade associations, trade unions and NGOs. > The informal sector: smallholders, home workers, and artisans etc. who struggle for access to, or are adversely incorporated, into the global markets. We use our local knowledge and people to facilitate linkages and improve access to local, regional and international markets.
The focus is on supporting producer organisations to better organise and manage their operations, so that they are able to meet buyer requirements and access new markets.
Funded ProgrammesTrade Development Projects are funded programmes, primarily through public private partnerships and include grants and in-kind resources from companies, statutory donors (DFID, EU, USAID, Local Governments etc.) and NGOs.
Key RolesTrade Development Projects bring direct economic and social benefits to workers and smallholders engaged in global supply chains. They also create opportunities to innovate and demonstrate good practice. If projects are undertaken in partnership with companies, suppliers, trade associations, trade unions and NGOs there is a greater opportunity to influence
practices within the sector. Partner Africa often acts as a facilitator using local people with local knowledge to lead in training and capacity building activities, using and adapting our core training modules.
Participatory Management Techniques Partner Africa uses a wide range of participatory management techniques in our projects and we actively search for new and innovative ways of involving stakeholders in decision-making.
We do this by: > Actively listening to others > Involving primary as well as secondary
stakeholders in project decisions> Building local capacity and cultivating
teamwork> Advocating for the use of participatory
approaches throughout project activities
> Building the required attitudes in the programme team
> Developing a self critical/learning culture in the team
> Cultivating partnership relationships by building trust and confidence in partners, as well as handing over control to partners especially workers and small-scale farmers
> Developing and using a ‘facilitator’ leadership style as opposed to a ‘traditional’ leadership style
OVERVIEW OF TRADE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
OUR APPROACH
> Government Bodies> International Brands and Retailers> NGOs> Trade Associations> Trade Unions> Certification Organisations> Local Companies> Cooperatives
> Public Private Partnerships
CASE STUDIES
GENERAL ENQUIRIES
United States > Email: [email protected] Tel: +1 917 750 0902Europe > Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 207 183 3175Africa > Email: [email protected] Tel: + 254 713 000 111 + 254 20 216 15 86
Partner Africa’s training team is used by Rainforest Alliance and the Kenya Tea Development Agency to support a training and capacity building programme with tea cooperatives to attain Rainforest Alliance certification. The programme promotes efficient and productive agriculture, biodiversity conservation and sustainable community development through
implementation of social and environmental standards specifically adapted to small scale tea growers in Kenya. The project has benefitted over 575,000 small-scale tea growers supplying 59 tea factories. Nearly 2,000 lead farmers and 600 factory staff and board members were trained. A recent study by Wageningen University indicates that more than 97% of the respondents were reported to be satisfied with the training. 84% of trained farmers said they benefited from training. Benefits included improved waste management, soil conservation, water management, health and safety and wildlife protection. 52% indicated that they received a better price or additional bonus, because the tea factory was Rainforest Alliance certified.
Links > Video featuring Partner Africa
Rainforest Alliance Trainer – Washington Ndwiga
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCtk7_mC0gI
> Independent Research Report from LEI Wageningen which shows the positive impact on the livelihoods of farmers and on the environment following the RA training delivered by Partner Africa to KTDA farmers
http://www.idhsustainabletrade.com/site/getfile.php?id=255
> RAINFOREST ALLIANCE TEA IN KENYA: Sustainable Agriculture Project
> ETHIOPIAN FLOWERS: Development of Global Gap Equivalence & Internationally Recognised Leading Ethical Standards for
Ethiopian Horticulture
Ethiopian horticulture is developing and looking to export more to European markets including UK retailers. They grow excellent quality flowers but need more support in standards and
the infrastructure required to supply the UK market. Partner Africa’s ethical trade services team (audit and training) is working with Marks and Spencer, the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association and Finlays Horticulture Holdings Ltd on a project to improve agriculture, ethical trading and labour standards in the Ethiopian horticulture industry. The project is supported by a grant from DFID’s Food Retail Industry Challenge Fund (FRICH) matched by contributions from the commercial partners. By developing the capacity of the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer
Exporters Association and the staff in the participating pilot farms progress has been made towards: > raising labour standards in Ethiopian
Flower Farms> raising technical standards in
Ethiopian Flower Farms > developing local training capacity> increasing exports of Ethiopian roses
to the UK> promoting Ethiopia as a reliable and
robust sourcing country > raising awareness of International
Standards in Ethiopian Horticulture Industry
Audits Email: [email protected] Training Email: [email protected] Consultancy Email: [email protected] General Email: [email protected] Tel: + 254 713 000 111 + 254 20 216 15 86
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