Forum global sur la sécurité alimentaire et la nutrition (Forum FSN)

Proponente

GRANADOS, Sara



Principal entidad responsable

Programa Patio Saludable



Fecha/periodo

2012 - 2016



Fuente de financiación

Ministerio de Economía Familiar, Comunitaria, Cooperativa y Asociativa (MEFCCA)



Lugar

Managua, Nicaragua



Antecedentes/Contexto

El Programa Solidario Patio Saludable (PSPS) forma parte de los programas socio-productivos implementados por el Gobierno de Nicaragua y tiene el objetivo de promover la producción de alimentos (hortalizas) y plantas medicinales a pequeña escala (patios) con enfoque mayormente agroecológico, que complementen la dieta familiar con un aporte de micronutrientes esenciales. Por ello el PSPS es considerado un pilar estratégico para la reducción de la pobreza, el hambre y la malnutrición de las familias más vulnerables de las ciudades y sus alrededores.



Enfoque/Objetivos

Objetivos

1. Restituir los derechos de la población vulnerable a una alimentación suficiente, adecuada y sana.

2. Innovar herramientas y uso de materiales para asegurar la producción de alimentos sanos a las familias urbanas y periurbanas.

3. Aplicar tecnologías apropiadas de producción en patios, huertas y/o parcelas con el modelo de participación, organización y movilización solidaria de las familias, juventud y servidores públicos de las instituciones.



Características principales de la experiencia/proceso

La implementación del programa es liderada por el Ministerio de Economía Familiar, Comunitaria, Cooperativa y Asociativa (MEFCCA), y se apoya en organizaciones juveniles como el Movimiento de Jóvenes Ambientalista Guardabarranco. Para su implementación el programa cuenta con 17 Centros de Desarrollo de Capacidades y Adopción de Tecnologías (CDCAT) a nivel nacional, en los cuales se fortalecen capacidades a una red de 850 promotoras y promotores (83 % mujeres) y se dota de insumos para el establecimiento de patios. Solo en el 2016 se han establecido 30 mil patios en hogares a nivel nacional.



Para el fortalecimiento de la política pública Patio Saludable, se definieron las siguientes áreas de trabajo: (i) conformación de la red de promotoras y promotores del programa a nivel nacional; (ii) dotación de herramientas e insumos para el establecimiento de patios modelos; (iii) elaboración del kit pedagógico para el establecimiento de patios y material audiovisual como herramientas metodológicas para la comunicación y transmisión de conocimientos, iv) facilitar espacios para el intercambio de experiencias entre técnicos y protagonistas.

 

Actores clave involucrados y su función

Familias urbanas y periurbanas de los Departamentos de León, Chinandega, Matagalpa, Jinotega, Chontales, Boaco, Rio San Juan, Rivas, Las Segovias, Estelí, Masaya, Granada, Carazo y Managua, estudiantes de enseñanza básica, técnicos. Rol de implementación



Sociedad civil: Red de Promotoras y Promotores del Programa Solidario Patio Saludable, rol articulador, facilitador, gestión de conocimiento.



Instituciones públicas: Ministerio de Educación, Ministerio de la Familia, INTA. Rol de aliados territoriales, inversión y financiamiento, investigación y tecnología.



Principales cambios observados que suponen una mejora de la seguridad alimentaria y la nutrición

Los involucrados en el programa han observado en los 5 años de ejecución, que el cambio de hábitos alimenticios hacia una dieta más saludable y local, es uno de los principales alcances del proyecto, representado por un aumento en el consumo de frutas y vegetales y la apertura de nuevos espacios de producción y comercialización. Por otro lado la integración comunitaria en torno al cuidado de los huertos, ha generado espacios de confianza, diálogo y cooperación, característicos de las comunidades rurales, transformando estos barrios en verdaderas zonas de amortiguación metropolitana.



Desafíos a los que hubo que enfrentarse y cómo se superaron



Enseñanzas/mensajes clave

La formación constante y el acompañamiento son claves para la sostenibilidad y consolidación de programas de esta naturaleza. Los programas comunitarios en áreas de crecimiento urbano en zonas rurales son espacios de desarrollo sostenible, donde se generan oportunidades de generación de ingresos, seguridad alimentaria y nutricional, participación, políticas y planes de ordenación del territorio con elementos de sostenibilidad y multidimensionalidad.

Dear CFS colleagues,



Please find below an example of grass root collective action for the production of high quality bread from wheat landraces in Tuscany (Italy).



Gianluca Stefani (University of Florence)





Proponent

Dr. Gianluca Stefani ([email protected]) and Dr. Ginevra Lombardi ([email protected])

The University of Florence



Main responsible entity

Associazione Grani Antichi di Montespertoli (Association Ancient Grains of Montespertoli)



Date/Timeframe

2008-2017



Funding source

Grass root collective action mostly self financied by local actors and consumers, small funds and a favorable public food procurement policy were provided by the Municipality of Montespertoli



Location

Tuscany- Italy - Southern Europe



Background/Context

In Italy we see a renewed interest towards ancient wheat varieties as a genetic pool that can prove useful both to adapt to climate change and to develop functional foods. There are many examples of rediscovery of ancient wheat varieties. Most of them are linked to territorially integrated short food supply chains involving different actors from farmers to consumers who join their efforts to set up sustainable wheat chains which conjugate environmental preservation, social inclusion and consumer health.



The short supply chain arrangement seems to have a comparative advantage vis-à-vis other organizational arrangements in terms of overcoming the higher transaction cost involved in producing and marketing highly differentiated products.



Montespertoli is a rural settlement located some 30 kilometres from Florence (Italy) that in the 50s was considered the granary of Florence. Its bread-making tradition was very well known all over central Tuscany. However, during the 60s its importance started to decline with the migration from agriculture towards non-agricultural sectors and from rural areas towards urban areas. In 2008 a local miller and a baker decided to differentiate the bread produced in Montespertoli switching to the ancient wheat landraces that had made the local bread well known in Florence and surrounding areas until mid XX century. With the help of the University of Florence they managed to involve few farmers in cropping ancient varieties and another baker. Lost traditional production techniques at every level of the chain (cropping, milling and baking) were reintroduced, assuring the conservation of local agro-biodiversity and soil fertility as well as the production of healthy, high quality bread.



Ancient varieties of wheat require appropriate cultivation techniques. They were bred in the 20s of the XX century when few if any chemical and mechanical inputs were available. These varieties are taller than modern varieties, more prone to fungal infections, more variable in both genotype and phenotype and quite less productive, at least from a merely quantitative point of view. As such, they can be considered a rather different crop from conventional, modern wheat, akin to an innovative minor crop. As other innovative minor crops ancient wheat varieties suffer from lack of codified technical knowledge, absence of market data, and uncertain economic perspectives.



Lack of codified knowledge is shared by the subsequent food chain actors: miller, baker, pasta maker and even consumers. To preserve all its nutritional characteristics wheat must be stone ground, a practice since long abandoned. Next, bread has to be made with sourdough and requires specific technique and longer rising times due to the peculiar technological properties of the flour.



Focus/Objectives

The aim of the food chain is to produce high quality products at a fair price both for the local community and for the close town of Florence where bread and pasta are sold in selected outlet which assure a fair price policy. Healthy bread and pasta are also delivered to the local school canteen.



Key characteristics of the experience/process

Producing high quality bread from ancient wheat requires a set of complicated and interconnected tasks to be performed in the best way by different actors, it requires a good deal of coordination and a deep collaboration. Eventually consumers need to reintroduce in their diet a long-forgotten food, quite different in sensory characteristics from their conventional counterparts.



In 2013 a no profit association was created: the Ancient Grains of Montespertoli Association. The Association has the objective “to protect and help producers comply with the association guidelines and promote ancient grain products”. It also has a political role acting as a stakeholder between the chain and local government levels (mainly the Montespertoli municipality). Issuing specific technical guidelines for cultivation, milling, bread making and pasta making, the association regulates the behaviours of chain actors to maintain a high level of quality along the chain. This is the set of rules, which governs the common values/resource.



In addition also the distribution of the added value generated by the chain is negotiated within the association, which “makes sure that higher prices paid by consumers are transferred to the farmers”. Indeed the Association board decided to fix the price of wheat at a level able to assuring that most of the costs incurred by farmers were covered. It seems that the arrangement has performed quite well in assuring fair prices to farmers so far. Finally the Association release to processors a sticker that identify the products as made from ancient grains of Montespertoli.



Key actors involved and their role

The Montespertoli bread chain is based on a relatively small number of actors. If we exclude local consumers there are no more than 30 actors, among which we find 20 farmers, one miller, two bakers, two pastry makers, one pasta maker, the local municipality, an agronomist and a small group of researchers from the University of Florence. All of them joined the Association.



The leadership of the bread chain has been jointly exerted by the miller and one of the bakers at least in the start-up phase. We must acknowledge also the role of a researcher from the University of Florence, which provided the initial inspiration and technological knowledge necessary to switch to the ancient wheat varieties. Similarly a key role is played by an agronomist which has provided technical assistance to the farmers since the start of the initiative.



Key changes observed with regards to food security and nutrition and sustainable agriculture and food systems

The Montespertoli ancient wheat supply chain is a success story. Over 450 hectares are involved in the chain, more than 800 quintals of ancient grain are milled by the local miller and 600 quintals of bread baked by the two bakers of the chains. Quantities have been slowing rising since the inception of the initiative and soared in recent years.



Challenges faced

There are two types of concerns with respect to quality assurance: compliance with the technical guidelines and brand reputation. The former is perceived as less relevant because farmers know each other personally and reputation mechanisms operate within the social network. However a form of participatory guarantee has been put in place. These system is associated with social processes such as: sharing information, techniques, and traditional knowledge, collective seed management and conservation and socialized prices. Conversely brand reputation is rather a sensitive issue as concerns the behaviour of few retailers outside the boundaries of the local community and of the local food chain. Brand reputation challenges arise when producers of Montespertoli contract with an outsider retailer. They have to check that the bread is sold safeguarding the distinctiveness of the product and the values that underpin it and at a fair price.



Lessons/Key messages

This is a case of successful grass root collective action which managed to revive an ancient tradition providing healthy and quality food to local communities and the near city. The group of chain actors give themselves a set of simple and effective rules to set the price level whereby the miller and bakers share the farmers’ production risk assuring the continuity and viability of the whole chain. In return, farmers agreed to have their field controlled by other members of the group in a sort of participatory guarantee scheme and to adopt new farming techniques and practices. High level of trust and reciprocity over time; as well as autonomy to decide at least some of their rules provided the key ingredients for the successful management of a complex high quality food chain.



Another key of success was the strong tie with the local university which provided scientific advice and characterized the nutritional properties of the produced food.

Proponent 

Private Sector Mechanism of the CFS



Main responsible entity

TechnoServe



Date/Timeframe

STRYDE 1: 2011 -  2014

STRYDE 2.0: 2014 - 2019



Funding source

The MasterCard Foundation



Location

East Africa: Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda + Tanzania (phase 2).



Background/Context

Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s youngest and fastest-growing population. The median age has dropped to 18 and there are 70 million more Africans under the age of 14 than there were a decade ago. In addition, the rural population of sub-Saharan Africa will increase by an estimated 150 million people by 2050.



Between 2000 and 2008, about a third of the 74 million (24.6 million) jobs created in Africa were for people ages 15 to 24. However, the number of youth ready for employment far outstrips the jobs being created.



While a growing number of rural youth are migrating to cities, 70 percent remain in rural areas. Those who stay often lack the skills and knowledge necessary to capitalize on the opportunities available to them. In the long term, youth unemployment can hinder economic growth and lead to political and social unrest.



Focus/Objectives

The Strengthening Rural Youth Development through Enterprise (STRYDE) was a four-year, $11.5 million partnership between TechnoServe and The MasterCard Foundation to help rural young women and men in East Africa transition to economic independence, mainly by delivering services including skills training, business development and mentoring to young people. Based on the successes and lessons learned from the first phase, a second phase of the program will run until July 2019 targeting additional youth and including new geographies (Tanzania and the Northern region of Uganda).



Key characteristics of the experience/process

Agriculture in East Africa is a significant and growing sector of the economy and has the potential to create sustainable employment and income opportunities both on- and off-farm. Through the STRYDE program, young people in rural areas learnt about opportunities in agriculture and gained the market-ready skills to benefit from this demand. Participants in this program took part in a three-month training program to develop life, entrepreneurship and career skills, and they received an additional nine months of mentorship and counseling from a youth trainer. Participants also gained practical business exposure through an experiential business exercise. Young women and men had the opportunity to participate in program-sponsored business plan competitions and local job fairs featuring community businesses. The knowledge they gained from STRYDE helped them to identify the best economic opportunity for their skills and interests.



STRYDE 2.0 is focusing especially on sustainability. The program will develop the capacity of system actors – local public and private sector partners – to enable them to take on key functions of the model so that the impact can be sustained after the end of the five-year program.



Key actors involved and their role

The MasterCard Foundation: provided funding, experience and expertise in helping people living in poverty to access opportunities to learn and prosper.

TechnoServe: provided extension and training services.



Key changes observed with regards to food security and nutrition and sustainable agriculture and food systems

• Increased wealth: most STRYDE alumni increased their incomes by an average of 133 percent, with 90 percent now saving regularly.
• High share of engagement in on- and off-farm activities: among who have completed training, 37 percent are engaged in farming, 30 percent are currently running micro- and small enterprises, 11 percent have found wage employment and 6 percent have returned to school.
• Improvement of youth’s skills: participants became better equipped to find employment, to establish or enhance businesses, and to provide reliable sources of income for themselves and their families.

Challenges faced

• Negative perceptions of agriculture as an employment option.
• Lack of technical skills among youth
• Adapting to the extremely broad variations in education level among rural youth
• Extending the program to the most vulnerable youth.

Lessons/Key messages

• An unprecedented portion of rural youth is leaving the agricultural sector in search of other employment in urban areas. This has serious implications for agricultural productions and, therefore, food security. Ensuring that the agri-food cultural sector provides viable and attractive career prospects for young people will be key to avoid excessive migration of youth to urban areas. This could be done by developing agricultural industries and promoting entrepreneurship.
• Access to educational resources and more opportunities for post-graduate entrepreneurial and technical training related to agriculture are key to make agriculture attractive to youth.
• The main factors of STRYDE’s success in achieving this were:
  
  - Private sector engagement: Business Plan Competition sponsorship, employment opportunities and technical skills development
  
  - Significant support and engagement from Rwanda’s Ministry of Youth and ICT and district authorities
  
  - Participatory training methodology using real life examples
  
  - Exchange visits to learn and gain hands-on experience,
  
  - Personalized mentorship and coaching for entrepreneurs
  
  - Personal effectiveness training

Dear CFS colleagues,

The below contribution is based upon research conducted by IFAD's strategy and knowledge department, examining the role of smallholer farmers in rural transformation, structural transformation and urbanization.

David Suttie

Policy Analyst

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

Proponent

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)



Main responsible entity

IFAD



Date/Timeframe

NA



Funding source

NA



Location

Focused on sub-Saharan Africa



Background/Context

While increased proportions of people living in larger towns and cities can be observed throughout much of the developing world, rates of urbanization in Africa, particularly SSA, are, in general, lower than in other regions. In Africa, 40 per cent of the population lives in urban areas compared with 48 per cent in Asia, which is the next least urbanized region of the world. The process of urbanization is expected to continue in the decades ahead, however, with the figures rising to 56 per cent and 64 per cent, respectively, by 2050, and with SSA frequently described as the latest and most rapidly urbanizing region. The urbanization process is bringing major changes in economic and social development processes, with significant implications for inclusive development, investment, markets, infrastructure and finance in both rural and urban areas.

Though agglomeration in urban centres can offer certain development advantages – for example by enhancing access to services, generating economies of scale in the provision of education, health services, infrastructure, energy, water and sanitation, and business services – many people who live in rural areas, and particularly those in more remote areas, are often unable to access these services at reasonable cost in terms of time and resources. These people include social categories that typically constitute the majority of the poor and hungry: smallholders, particularly rural women and young people, the poorest people in rural areas, migrants and indigenous peoples.

To respond to these gaps in the discourse around urbanization, a series of papers, events and policy briefs were prepared:

1. Rural-urban Linkages and Food Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa (research paper available at: https://www.ifad.org/documents/10180/b9021802-e3f7-4bd5-b0ea-760a8fbaab…)

2. Territorial Approaches, Rural-urban linkages and inclusive rural transformation (conference report available at: https://www.ifad.org/documents/10180/36a5e671-b321-4ba9-9d60-49b3cee1c0…)

3. Sustainable urbanization and inclusive rural transformation (policy brief available at: https://www.ifad.org/documents/10180/448611cc-71e9-441a-bee4-776f9cb922…)

4. Inclusive rural transformation and urbanization implementation (https://www.ifad.org/documents/10180/fa942a6d-d036-4b05-b2e9-08ecb637c9…)



Focus/Objectives

The initiative is a series of research papers and policy briefs which focus on advancing the interests and galvanize the role of smallholder farmers in promoting inclusive rural transformation and sustainable urbanization.



Key characteristics of the experience/process

The analysis and conclusions emphasize the role of smallholder farmers in driving agricultural and structural transformation processes which are central to ensuring positive food security and nutrition outcomes from urbanization processes. A systems-wide perspective, focusing on opportunities and challenges emerging for groups at risk of exclusion, is adopted with a primary entry point of focusing on the interests of smallholder farmers.



Key actors involved and their role

Smallholders are the key actors, with the role of governments central to ensure this group is given the opportunity to contribute to, and benefit from, key transformations in rural and urban areas.



Key changes observed with regards to food security and nutrition and sustainable agriculture and food systems

NA

Challenges faced

Operating in the informal sector and being geographically and institutionally removed from political processes, there is a serious risk that debates surrounding urbanization exclude the interests of smallholders.



Lessons/Key messages

1. Smallholder access to urban markets, productivity-enhancing technologies and training opportunities are contingent upon greater connectivity and smoother flows of goods, services and information between rural and urban areas. In this respect, improving rural-urban connectivity will be critical for food systems and broader national development. Particular areas of priority include: facilitating linkages between rural and urban economies through better infrastructure for transportation and communication; sound institutions facilitating inclusive food systems, and leveraging the role of small and medium-sized towns as conduits between rural and urban economies; financial inclusion and migration flows spanning rural and urban areas; and sustainable management of ecosystems and natural resources shared by urban and rural areas.

2. Developing stronger connections between the different segments in agricultural value chains can foster wider market opportunities for smallholders and can lead to inclusive outcomes for rural areas and cities that depend on this group for the majority of their food. In this regard, adopting a value chain approach and prioritizing strategic and complementary investments along the whole value chain will be needed. For instance, at the input supply stage, the training and employment of people as input vendors in distribution networks is an effective means of promoting inclusivity. Ensuring equal access by smallholders, particularly rural women and young people, to improved seeds, other agricultural inputs, rural finance and advisory services is critical to enabling them to honour contracts, and to meet expected production quotas and quality and safety standards. At the processing and marketing stages, upgrading storage facilities, using modern technology to distribute timely information, and addressing infrastructure challenges all help to foster inclusive and tightly linked value chains. The role of local traders in value chains is key and must be supported with inclusive market approaches and business models and establishing regulations that safeguard against monopsonic structures.

3. A systems perspective is vital to analysing and understanding the linkages from smallholder production, agricultural value chains and consumer demand – whether that be in urban or rural areas. In this context, a territorial perspective and city-region food system approaches create a critical lens for analysis, underpinning policy transformation and implementation.

4. Providing incentives and regulations, where appropriate, for supermarkets and agribusiness operators sourcing from rural areas and small towns to prioritize the creation of decent employment across value chains, from local producers, input suppliers, processors, transport workers and so on, will be central to ensuring that people working in food systems are themselves able to access sufficient, safe and nutritious food.

5. Urban-rural migration needs to be reflected in urban and food system planning processes. Effective planning and political commitment can lead to better and more integrated city region planning, leading to a reduction in slums in urban centres, better employment opportunities and improved living conditions. In addition, facilitating migrant remittances and the capacity of migrants to invest in and move back to rural areas as opportunities evolve, can – under the right conditions – enhance opportunities for inclusive development in both rural areas and urban centres.

Dear CFS colleagues,

Please find below an approach of territorial development from IFAD's Latin America and Caribbean Division's Peru portfolio.

David Suttie

Policy Analyst

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

Proponent

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in partnership with the Republic of Peru.



Main responsible entity

The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation is the main implementing agency in partnership with IFAD, with the latter responsible for providing implementation support, supervision and appraisal.



Date/Timeframe

Oct 2016- Dec 2022



Funding source

The bulk of the total project cost of just over US$70 million is made up as follows from an IFAD loan (US$28.5 million) and a contribution from the Government of Peru (US$38.8 million and US$7.2 from project beneficiaries). Total Project Cost: US$74.5 million.



Location

The project area encompasses  27 municipal districts of seven provinces in the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro Rivers Valley (VRAEM),  a   geopolitical area in central Peru located in the regions of Cusco, Apurímac, Ayacucho, Huancavelica and Junín.  The area is located between the interdependent depressions of the Central Cordillera and Eastern Andean Cordillera and in the Amazonian slope of the Andes; includes a high mountain range between 3000 and 4500 meters, Inter-Andean valleys between 1500 and 3000 meters, a pre-mountain or forest area between 300 and 1500 meters and part of the Amazonian plain or jungle to less than 300 meters.



Background/Context

The project areasuffers a high incidence of extreme poverty and have broadly been excluded from the country's development. This situation was exacerbated by the long-standing conflict that affected Peru in the 80s. Illicit drug trafficking is established in the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro Rivers Valley (VRAEM) where there are remnants of the

Guerrilla group Sendero Luminoso, nowadays associated with drug trafficking. Within the project area, there is a split of approximately 75 per cent rural against 25 per cent urban, based on local definitions. 74 per cent of the population in the area lives below the monetary poverty line. Of these, 39 per cent are extremely poor and 33  poor– values that place these districts among the country's most vulnerable. Among those living in the project area, 73 per cent are under 29 years of age and 66 per cent are indigenous.



Focus/Objectives

The project is focused around three interrelated objectives:

• Building institutional capacities in the territory, including in local and provincial governments, supporting initiatives to improve communal goods and properties.
• Developing a sustainable network of associations among potential project beneficiaries to promote and expand opportunities for economic development and social inclusion, providing support for economic activities by interest groups such as farmers organizations together with financial inclusion of families and associations.
• Enhancing connectivity within the territory, focusing in particular on facilitating market access, creating jobs with start-ups or contracting of communal or associational microenterprises for routine maintenance of roads, providing for irrigation infrastructure at community level, and promoting water harvesting and collection.

Key characteristics of the experience/process

The following complementary approaches are designed to ensure the project benefits the households most vulnerable to poverty and hunger, while facilitating territorial-wide transformations:

• The territorial development approach combines two main elements: (i) institutional development to promote consultations among local and external agents and include poor people in production transformation processes and benefits; and (ii) production transformation to link the territory's economy with dynamic markets.
• Focus on participatory, community-driven development through delegation to community organisations to design and implement sub-projects which prioritize approaches to improve access of poor groups to social, human, financial and physical assets.
• Social inclusion is cross-cutting. Accordingly, working with poor groups' organizations – especially small-scale and indigenous farmers' groups – and recognizing, as well as securing rights to, tangible and intangible assets of these groups is a priority.

Key actors involved and their role

• The agency responsible for the project is the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, with close coordination and collaboration from municipal and provincial administrations.
• Project implementation will be the responsibility of a project coordination unit composed of a project coordinator and eight specialists in the following areas: (i) M&E; (ii) financial inclusion; (iii) entrepreneurship; (iv) infrastructure; (v) natural resource management and climate change; (vi) social inclusion; (vii) administration; and (viii) accounting and support staff. Each local agency will have a team made up of a coordinator, an administrative assistant and various specialists.
• In all cases, project implementation specialists will work with local groups on design and implementation, with the latter having primary responsibility for implementation of sub-projects.

Key changes observed with regards to food security and nutrition and sustainable agriculture and food systems

Foreseen benefits in terms of food security and nutrition include:  increased  physical assets for farming communities; improved agricultural productivity; more sustainable natural resource management; increased access to affordable food  by  poor consumers of targeted territories ; increased social capital to promote the start-up and development of economic associations of small-scale rural farmers  to improve their access to value chains and promote their participation in the benefits of territorial development.  Over the long-term, all this is expected to lead to improved food access and availability in the territory.



Challenges faced

The major challenges relate to: (i) institutional capacity; and (ii) possible trade-offs between targeted approaches to ensure benefits amongst food insecure groups (e.g. focusing on poor groups and areas)  vs. holistic/multi-faceted approaches to achieve territorial-wide development.

In the first instance, while some measures to develop decentralized governance systems are already in place, capacity among relevant institutions is often lacking. Similarly, the capacity among organizations for food insecure groups to contribute in the design and implementation of initiatives is generally weak. As such, providing training at both sub-national and local level is imperative in the short-term; the same applies to  longer term approaches to ensuring access to relevant education and training in  territorial development, with the latter implying the need to partner with local, national and international institutions with specific human capital and educational mandates.

In the second instance, achieving an appropriate mix between targeted and wider initiatives to develop territories is not straight-forward for relatively small-scale projects. Engagement with national and sub-national policy processes, focus on knowledge management for sharing of results with similar (complementary) territorial initiatives, as well as focus on learning and training systems are all measures that can facilitate transferring of relatively targeted local approaches to wider territories.



Lessons/Key messages

1. Individual projects need to find appropriate mix and complementarity between targeted and holistic approaches. Targeted approaches are required not only to have a pro-poor approach able to reach food insecure groups, but in a context of limited resources to focus on those thematic areas in which the project can bring an added value. However, territorial development itself, involves considering a holistic approach, that integrates the different conditioning elements that underpin the development of networks of communities. 
2. Individual projects need to be linked and coordinated to wider development actors, policies and approaches to address the multi-faceted constraints faced by local actors.
3. Territorial development must be grounded in people-centred approaches which target and enable the participation of food insecure groups.
4. Local actors –especially food insecure groups – must be placed at the centre of design and implementation of initiatives aimed at benefitting them and be represented in territorial governance systems. At the same time, capacity development among these groups, as well as among sub-national and local authorities will be required to ensure long-term improvements.

Proponent 

Private Sector Mechanism of the CFS



Main responsible entity

AgDevCo, ICCO Cooperation, and Root Capital



Date/Timeframe

2017-ongoing



Funding source

The Mastercard Foundation



Location

Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.



Background/Context

Smallholder farmers in Africa, need special attention to increase productivity and break out of the cycle of subsistence farming.



Focus/Objectives

This initiative aims to enable smallholders to produce more, sell better, and work with local organizations in markets that are fair, transparent, and sustainable.



Key characteristics of the experience/process

Through its partnerships with AgDevCo, ICCO Cooperation, and Root Capital, The MasterCard Foundation supports multiple activities in the 11 countries. These activities include:

• providing training and better quality inputs to farmers
• implementing mobile technology solutions
• brokering long-term purchase contracts
• supporting high-impact, early-stage agricultural businesses with capital needs under $150,000 and/or business revenues under $300,000
• developing and implementing innovative risk-mitigation tools, and
• developing new agricultural finance products and services for smallholder farmers.

Key actors involved and their role

AgDevCo: connecting SME investees – socially responsible faming and agri-processing enterprises in Africa – to hundreds of thousands of farmers, to boost productivity, lift incomes and improve food security

ICCO Cooperation: supporting rural smallholder farmers, mostly women, to access tailor made financial services. This involves using the “Making Markets Work for the Poor” (M4P) approach to ensure that through capacity building and access to finance they can adopt sustainable agri-business methods and be competitive in the market.

Root Capital: targeting earlier-stage businesses in Africa operating on the fringes of financial inclusion and providing them with the capital and training they need to become engines of impact in their communities.

Mastercard Foundation: providing funding for each of these organizations to scale up their activities.



Key changes observed with regards to food security and nutrition and sustainable agriculture and food systems

AgDevCo, ICCO Cooperation, and Root Capital are able to expand the support they provide as detailed above to an extra 1.1 million farmers in 11 countries, allowing them to improve their livelihoods and increase food production and supply in the countries involved.



Challenges faced

• poor quality inputs
• lack of access to financial solutions tailored to the needs of smallholder farmers

Lessons/Key messages

Improved access to services in rural areas is essential to processes of rural transformation:

• Smallholder farmers can drive development and bolster food security if they have access to:
  • Appropriate training
  • High-quality inputs
  • Mobile technology
  • Legal services
  • Financial services
  • Risk-mitigation tools
• Allowing rural smallholders to access lucrative markets (which are often those that supply urban consumers) is one the most effective ways of raising large numbers out of poverty
• Smallholder farmers need the right opportunities and tools to can become effective entrepreneurs, increase their income and therefore improve the economic situation of their households and of their communities.

Proponent

Private Sector Mechanism of the CFS



Main responsible entity

TechnoServe



Date/Timeframe

5 years, 2010-15



Funding source

The Haiti Hope Project is a public-private partnership comprised of The Coca-Cola Company; the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), a member of the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB); the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); and TechnoServe. The project is also supported by the Soros Economic Development Fund and other international and local organizations.



Location

Haiti



Background/Context

Haiti has been an important exporter of coffee, vanilla, cane sugar, cocoa and essential oils throughout its history. Unfortunately, in recent decades deforestation, soil degradation, overpopulation and political instability have taken a heavy toll on rural Haiti. The trade embargo in 1994 ended or severely reduced several industries, and the 2010 earthquake had a severe impact on the people, markets and already suffering infrastructure of the country.

Haiti produces a unique variety of mango, the Francique, which is full of sweet and spicy flavor. This mango is popular in Haiti and commands a premium on the U.S. market, but production has not kept up with demand. The Haiti Hope Project was created to solve these challenges and unlock value and growth potential for the mango sector in Haiti.



Focus/Objectives

The Haiti Hope Project was a five-year, $9.5 million partnership among businesses, multilateral development institutions, the U.S. Government and nonprofits, designed to create opportunities for mango farmers and their families.



Key characteristics of the experience/process

Launched in 2010, the partnership was helping to address the challenges that have until recently limited the Haitian mango industry’s potential. Haiti Hope aimed to increase the mango income for 25,000 Haitian farmers through training on production and marketing, access to finance and access to markets. In keeping with TechnoServe’s approach to promoting business solutions to poverty, the project taught farmers, traders and exporters how to earn more with their effort and current resources.

Working with Haitian farmers, farmer groups, mango exporters and the Haitian Government, the project helped to build new businesses, accelerate existing ones and build relationships in the industry that benefit farmers. In addition to coordinating between stakeholders, Haiti Hope delivered direct, hands-on training on mango tree production and care, harvesting techniques, quality control, negotiation and marketing, credit and financial management, traceability and food safety.

In addition, the Haiti Hope Project took a comprehensive approach to gender, ensuring not only equal participation by women and men, but also equitable benefits from project activities. Participation by gender was tracked for all services offered by the project, as were the benefits and adoption rates of new skills.



Key actors involved and their role

The Coca-Cola Company: provided funding, experience and expertise

the Inter-American Development Bank provided funding, experience and expertise, particularly with regards to financial services for microenterprises and small- and medium-sized businesses.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID): provided funding, experience and expertise

TechnoServe: provided extension and training services



Key changes observed with regards to food security and nutrition and sustainable agriculture and food systems

Providing Skills Training: More than 25,100 farmers were trained on techniques for managing their trees to produce better quality fruit, as well as sales and negotiation skills. In addition, specialized training in harvesting, grafting, nursery production and business skills helped to fill skilled-labor gaps across the industry.

Empowering Women: The project mainstreamed gender into every aspect of design and implementation. As a result, women made up more than 30 percent of producer group leaders, participated in every type of training and activity in equal numbers to men, including those that have traditionally been male-dominated, and adopted the skills learned at similar rates.

Connecting Farmers to Markets: The project helped over 262 Producer Business Groups sell 2,523 metric tons since 2013. The total export value (FOB) of sales from project-assisted farmers since 2011 is estimated at $7.49 million. In 2015, 94 percent of groups earned a profit while paying their members industry-beating prices. They did this without any subsidy – just business acumen.

Supporting Access to Credit: In partnership with local commercial bank Sogesol, more than 9,352 farmers have received over $3.25 million in loan disbursements. Repayment rates of 96 percent are far above the industry average.

Modernizing the Industry: Working closely with the Haitian Government and exporters, the project designed safe handling practices and rigorous traceability systems that were adapted to Haiti’s unique supply chain. Through these efforts, the project helped to bring world-class food safety practices to the mango industry and opened new markets.

Making Change Sustainable: The project ensured that the knowledge, skills and systems created by the project will continue long after its completion in December 2015. By taking steps such as transitioning Producer Business Group support to exporters and training Ministry of Agriculture staff on traceability, the project handed over management to ensure the industry continues to grow for years to come.



Challenges faced

• scattered production with just three to five trees per garden,
• low prices that discouraged farmers from planting additional trees and
• inconsistent and unreliable supply chain

Lessons/Key messages

• Gender mainstreaming is essential to ensure that benefits are extended to all stakeholders.
  
  
  
  Improved access to services in rural areas is a key ingredient in development:
• Access to financial services for rural producers is essential to allow them to invest in their operations and improve their livelihoods.
• Access to extension services allows them to improve the quality and yield of their harvests, and take advantage of new opportunities and new markets.
• The private sector can be a useful partner in providing and extending the coverage of these services, creating win-win situations by allowing rural producers to

CFS – Urbanization and Rural Transformatioin

Experiences and Effective Policy Approaches in Addressing Food Security and Nutrition in the Context of Changing Rural-Urban Dynamics

PSM Submission

The scale and pace of urbanization is currently greater than it has ever been. Just over half of the global population lives in towns and cities, and this is expected to rise to 66% by 2050. Absolute numbers of rural inhabitants are projected to begin declining in the very near future[i]. The consequences of this for food production and consumption have been and will continue to be dramatic. This is of particular concern considering that many of the most rapidly urbanizing regions are counted among the least food secure. On the other hand, rural-urban linkages present an unprecedented opportunity for rural transformation.

Private sector efforts to address food security and nutrition issues in the context of changing rural-urban dynamics have generally clustered around 3 key priorities: facilitating access of rural producers to urban markets, providing services in underserved rural areas, and promoting urban farming solutions. The PSM would like to share information about these three areas illustrated by several case studies. Some of these case-studies will be indivually developed through the template form.

Access to markets

One of the most effective ways to accelerate rural transformation is to ensure that rural producers are able to access and participate in regional markets on favourable terms. Often, this means connecting them to the value chains that cater to rapidly growing demand in urban areas. Current trends include a marked increase in demand for high value agricultural products, in particular (e.g. fruits, vegetables, animal-source foods, including dairy) in cities. Helping rural producers take advantage of the opportunities presented by this can improve food security and nutrition outcomes in both rural and urban environments, ensuring improved access to divers diets in cities, and improved livelihoods in the countryside. Private sector actors can facilitate this in a number of ways, as attested by the following case study:

CASE-STUDY: Facilitating dissemination of market information through mobile technology: Esoko started in 2005 as a means of enabling the delivery of market prices via SMS, in support of work that FoodNet was doing with MTN in Uganda. In addition, Esoko set up a call centre to support local languages and address issues with literacy. Over time weather alerts, crop advice, and services linking buyers with sellers were added, potentially improving farmer incomes by roughly 10%. The company leverages its technical platform and field force in order to collect information, mostly using tablet devices and smartphones. Today, it also provides smallholders with access to inputs and finance through a virtual marketplace, while driving business for input dealers and financial service providers.

More information is available here: https://www.esoko.com/who-we-are/

Services to support rural-urban linkages

One of the greatest impediments to current processes of rural transformation is lack of access to services (financial, educational, etc…) in rural areas. There is great scope for private sector actors to step in and provide the necessary services. The following are some examples of this:

CASE-STUDY Haiti Hope Project: The Haiti Hope Project was a five-year, $9.5 million public-private partnership among businesses, multilateral development institutions, the U.S. Government and NGOs. The project aimed to create sustainable economic opportunities for Haitian mango farmers and their families by fostering rural transformation, in part through supporting linkages between rural producers and lucrative urban markets. Haiti Hope markedly increased the income of 25,000 Haitian mango farmers through training on production and marketing, access to finance and access to markets. The project helped to build new businesses, accelerate existing ones and build relationships in the industry that benefit farmers. In addition to coordinating between stakeholders, Haiti Hope delivered direct, hands-on training on mango tree production and care, harvesting techniques, quality control, negotiation and marketing, credit and financial management, traceability and food safety. The project also took a comprehensive approach to gender, ensuring not only equal participation by women and men, but also equitable benefits from project activities. Participation by gender was tracked for all services offered by the project, as were the benefits and adoption rates of new skills.

More information available here:

http://www.technoserve.org/our-work/projects/the-haiti-hope-project

and here:

http://www.fletcherforum.org/home/2016/8/15/building-an-inclusive-value-chain-in-haiti-through-technical-assistance

CASE-STUDY: Equipping rural youth with entrepreneurial skills: TechnoServe and The MasterCard Foundation have undertaken a four-year program to help rural young women and men in East Africa to develop the skills necessary to take advantage of the opportunities presented by current socio-economic trends. The Strengthening Rural Youth Development through Enterprise (STRYDE) program will deliver a comprehensive package of services such as skills training, business development and mentoring to young people ages 18 to 30 in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. The programme aims to equip 15,000 rural youth with the skills and knowledge to capitalize on economic opportunities and increase their incomes, thereby improving food security and nutritional outcomes in rural areas. Youth unemployment is a major problem in the three target countries, especially in rural areas. Many young people see farming as a last resort, and formal employment is difficult to find. Growing numbers of rural youth are migrating to urban areas. In response to this, the programme offers rural youth a three-month training program to develop entrepreneurship and career skills, along with an additional nine months of mentorship and counseling from a youth trainer. Participants also will gain practical business exposure through an experiential business exercise.

More information is available here: http://www.mastercardfdn.org/technoserve-and-the-mastercard-foundation-partner-in-that-connects-rural-youth-to-valuable-entrepreneurship-opportunities/

CASE-STUDY: Building an integrated urban-rural sanitation value chain: Sanergy has established a working business model that builds low-cost hygienic latrines in Kenya’s slums and franchises them out to local entrepreneurs. The Sanergy team then collects the waste daily, brings it to a central processing facility, and converts it to organic fertilizer for use by commercial farmers. This helps deal with health challenges in informal urban communities, while providing a cheap and organic source of fertilizers.

More information is available here: http://saner.gy/our-work/the-sanergy-model

And here: https://www.usaid.gov/news-information/frontlines/open-development-development-defense/franchising-human-waste-kenyas

Urban Farming

With an ever greater proportion of the world’s population living in cities, urban farming is set to become an increasingly significant part of integrated food systems. It allows the greening of cities, educating urban populations about the origins of their food, and encouraging small-scale fresh produce production. Changing rural-urban dynamics mean that urban agriculture will need to be a part of any comprehensive food security and nutrition strategies. Examples of successful urban farming initiatives include:

Gotham Greens Urban Agriculture’s operation of rooftop greenhouses for food provision in several American metropolises: http://gothamgreens.com/our-farms/greenpoint

Brooklyn Grange’s intensive rooftop farming in New York City: https://www.brooklyngrangefarm.com/about-brooklyn-grange-1/

Aerofarm’s vertical farming without soil or natural light in New Jersey: http://aerofarms.com/2017/02/03/vertical-farm-growing-crops-city-without-soil-natural-light/

Biofilta’s vertical farming/water filtration systems: http://www.biofilta.com.au/

Call for experiences and effective policy approaches in addressing food security and nutrition in the context of changing rural-urban dynamics



When the urban rural dynamics are changing rapidly, the following policy approaches can be considered for addressing the nutrition and food security aspects. The current approach can be effectively implemented in countries like India. The necessary aspects on social and economic equality, Food systems, Governance and Sustainability have been explained in detail.



1. Social and economic equality



This section discusses exclusively on nutrition aspect.



Nutrition among the individuals is significantly affected by the following factors:

(a) Availability of nutritious food to the individuals

(b) Cost of nutritious food in individuals

(c) Awareness on nutritious food to the individuals

(d) Identification of nutrition levels in communities and individuals



(a) Availability & cost of nutritious food to the individuals In urban context availability and cost of the nutritious food is an issue because many people cant afford it. In India we need the following policy to bridge the gap Policy: Government controlled Low cost food outlets with nutritious food items with one time payment option and redeemable for a long period is an effective sustainable policy which is needed. Examples: Amma Canteens in South Indian state of Tamilnadu, India is a good example of how government has provided food at low cost. On a similar lines, the delhi government is planning to launch Aaam aadmi canteens for providing nutritious food at low cost.



(b) Identification of nutrition levels in communities The levels of hemoglobin in blood gives us a good indication on the nutrition levels of the individual to an extent. Since, it is tough to verify the haemoglobin levels of every individual, checking of haemogloblin at blood donation camps is a cost effective way where the nutrition levels can be tracked. Our experience in Delhi has worked well where we have identified many individuals above 18 years have lesser haemoglobin levels and alerted many individuals about their nutrition levels. Depending up on the severity of the issue, awareness information on nutritional requirements has been provided for those people whose haemoglobin levels were found to be too low. Based on this the following change is recommended



Policy Change: Conduct a certain number of blood donation mandatory in organizations, institutes and firms can help us in tracking the people who has nutrition related deficiency.



(c) Awareness on nutritious food to Individuals



Approach 1



This can be done in a three stage activity

1. Identification of graduates in sciences fields related to food, nutrition

2. Train them with expert doctor’s guidance about how to inform communities

3. Trained professionals inturn conduct awareness sessions in firms, educational institutes as a part of Corporate social responsibility activities 4. Trained executives shall further travel to rural communities to address the issues of nutrition funded by the organizations which has to perform corporate social responsibility activities.



Policy change: Make nutrition related awareness session in firms, educational institutes mandatory in once in three months (to address the nutrition aspects in different seasons)



Approach 2



In the urban areas, most of the people are forced to eat in restaurant’s café’s atleast once in a day due to the work culture and other related factors. As a result people don’t have information on the nutritional requirements everytime they eat. Hence at all the restaurants and food outlets, the information on the number of calories, proteins and carbohydrates etc have to be given in the following form



Policy change: Menu cards in restaurants must show the information on the calories, proteins etc on the every food item in the list along with the cost.



Food Systems



(i) Collecting the data on the sale of seeds and collecting information of the farmers and the field locations. Currently this data is not available online and as a result, we never know whether a crop productivity is going to be less or more. Once the data is collected and predicted date at which you get the product is obtained, the data shall be then used to identify the extent to which the food security is serious. In countries like India, we sometimes have excess of tomatoes grown most of them were thrown away by the farmers. Instead they can be sent to proper storage places where the food can be used elsewhere



Proposed policy: Everytime a farmer buys seeds from a dealer, the dealer should take the data of how much seeds he has sold and where is the location of the farm where the seeds are being sown. This collected data can enable us to predict the total amount of crop that is estimated after the growth period.



(ii) Transport reforms for food transport in rural and urban areas

On one side, vegetables which were thrown away in rural areas due to lack of proper support price and on the other side the same vegetables are bought at a higher cost by the consumers in cities. This is because the food transportation mechanism is not planned between consumers in cities and farmers in the rural areas. Due to the presence of multiple transfer channels, a lot of food is wasted in between.



Proposed Policy: An online demand/supply channel for food products has to be generated so as to check where the goods has to be delivered and from where the goods has to be picked. Based on this demand/supply channel, transportation plans shall be made to optimize the time and distance travelled by the food products to reach consumers. This will eliminate the middle men and ensure that more nutritious food is reached in the urban areas. Few experiments on this bases have been conducted by few individuals at a small scale. However, a large scale application of this project is yet to be made in the Indian context.



Governance



The following policies can enable to solve the problems 



Temporary provision of storage spaces



Schools and colleges in towns mostly don’t function on weekends. The space in the premises can be used for storing food/ providing farmers to sell their products temporarily and the transportation mechanism should be planned in such a way that the food reaches the city during weekends and gets distributed during the same period. This shall also provide employment opportunities for youth by working on weekends.



Sustainability



Handling climate change: In this section handling climate change issues during drought and unpredictable rains are discussed.



Reducing losses due to winds



It is evident that most of the crop is lost during unpredictable rains accompanied with winds. The main reason is that there are no barriers to reduce the speed of the winds which flow through the farms. Since farmers cannot invest in taking measures for growing plant species to tackle wind speeds, the corporates should be allowed to fund the farmers to grow the species which reduces the wind speeds.



Urban waste as a source to reduce evaporation



Many sources in urban areas may be effectively used to reduce evaporation from the tanks in rural areas. The usage of scrap tyres, unused pet bottles, plastics etc can reduce the losses due to evaporation and ensure that water availability for a longer time and thus reduces crop losses during drought

Dear Sirs,



Please find attached the Template for Submission for Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition on behalf of City of Ljubljana.



Best regards,

Maruška Markovčič



Proponent

City of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Department for Environmental protection – Section for rural development



Main responsible entity

Rural development in Ljubljana – short food chains



Date/Timeframe

Constant – for programing period 2014-2020 and further



Funding source

Public founds – Municipality of Ljubljana



Location

Ljubljana – the capital of Slovenia – urban areas as well as the rural areas around the city centre.



Background/Context

The City of Ljubljana (hereinafter referred to as MOL) has set an operative goal in self-sufficiency in the Rural Development Strategy of the City Municipality of Ljubljana in the programming period 2014-2020, i.e. increasing recognisability of rural areas and creating a comprehensive approach in marketing of rural goods. MOL has a varied rural area with 826 farms, which sell their products to consumers in Ljubljana in different ways. MOL helps them develop their primary agricultural activities and helps them enter the market with different actions.



For this purpose, MOL has designed some measures to shorten sales channels and citizens of Ljubljana can access locally grown food easily. The measures were prepared so that they encompass as many target groups as possible:



1. Promotion events – within Ljubljana’s rural area festival Zeleni prag, which takes place every year in October and presents different food suppliers in MOL to the citizens of Ljubljana; every Saturday Organic market takes place at the Ljubljana Central Market;

2. Doorsteps sales – we are aware that it is best to see where food was grown, therefore we encourage cultivators, also financially, to arrange sales areas on their farms and offer buyers completely fresh locally grown food;

3. Market areas – in MOL there are currently four marketplaces. Additionally, eight marketplaces are being prepared in city communities where citizens will be able to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables;

4. Basket of Ljubljana – it is a standard defining how food must be grown in the City Municipality of Ljubljana according to the principles of organic or integrated production. There are currently 70 food suppliers included in the Basket of Ljubljana;

5. Stimulating new forms of sales (e-marketing etc.)

6. Establishing short food supply chains – we are aware of the importance of cooperation between caterers, hoteliers and other providers of catering services with local cultivators. In this way, the quality of catering services has been increasing in MOL.



Categories 1-5 have been developed together by MOL and the food growers. In order to implement category 6, cooperation of larger number of participants is crucial. Firstly, MOL and the restaurant Druga violina (founded by Dolfka Boštjančič Centre – centre for people with special needs, also employing people with special needs) launched Apple Week in Ljubljana. In the framework of this programme, Druga violina has included apple dishes into their offer; from apples grown in MOL. Today other providers participate in the programme – hotels, shops and restaurants, which offer either apples or apple dishes from apples grown in MOL. At the same time, an educational programme was designed, aimed at raising awareness of local food growing.



Public institute Ljubljana Tourism, MOL and Jarina Cooperative formed a programme Green Supply Chains within the European Green Capital 2016. It is an initiative to increase locally grown food in the gastronomic offer of the municipality (http://zelene-verige.si/), project developer is Ljubljana Tourism.



Focus/Objectives

Strategic goal No. 1: Ensure quality agriculture and forestry goods from a preserved environment, with the aim of self-sufficiency of the MOL, by improving the supply of the MOL population with quality food, sustainable forest management and protection, conservation and development of functional capacity of agricultural holdings;

The strategy determines methods of production, taking into account natural and climatic conditions. A special chapter is devoted to monitoring climate change:

- Encourage the introduction of more resistant fruit and vegetable varieties – replacement of the range of products;

- Introducing new technologies in indoor production facilities, allowing the monitoring of or elimination of pests;

- Promote organic farming with the aim of the sustainable preservation of the environment;

- Promote the sustainable use of agricultural land - preservation of the cultural landscape with grazing;



Key characteristics of the experience/process

Long-term development, bottom-up approach.



Key actors involved and their role

Local government, schools, farmers, Agricultural and Forestry Institute, National institute for Agriculture.

Education, networking, producing food…



Key changes observed with regards to food security and nutrition and sustainable agriculture and food systems

Trust that was built between producers and consumers created good and long term connections.



Challenges faced

Maintaining good communication and support system for creating short food chains beginning in kindergartens.



Lessons/Key messages

Constant presence of support – logistic, financial, educational, advisory…