Value Chain

CARE International Foundation Switzerland-Sudan The Value Chain of Groundnut, Tomatoes, Hides and Skins in South and East Darfur and South Korofan States – Sudan

There was a value chain study in the year 2016 covering East and South Darfur and South Kordofan States targeting three commodities namely groundnut, skins and hides and tomatoes. Although in the last four years, the country has witnessed a tremendous change in different livelihoods aspects, the 2016 study constitutes a baseline bench mark and give glimpse to the current research. For the validation of the aforesaid study, a careful understanding of the methodology, findings and recommendations are well undertaken to reveal the similarities and differences between the two studies. Read More...

Technical Feasibility Study for Establishing a Mango Pulp Processing Plant in South Kordofan

This technical consultancy is commissioned to assess the viability of a multi-fruit processing facility in South Kordofan region. This region is mango-rich where 35% of all Sudanese mangos originate and therefore a process- ing facility would sit at the heart of the raw material source. Operational best-practices generally promote value-addition facilities to be located either closer to the end user or at the raw material source.
The feasibility study included extensive secondary research on the subject as well as an intensive element of primary research that included field work across South Kordofan (Kadogly, Rashaad, Tandik and Abu Jubeiha), interviews with KIIs, focus groups with farmers, traders & women associations and observational assessments. The analysis of the data and information was enriched by engagement with the supply chain who guided the team to design the appropriate value chain that is conducive to the environment.
This research recommends the adoption of the dormant Tandik facility for the fruit processing facility. Our architectural team have analysed the data and information and trust the Tandik site would require investment to upgrade the facility, but it provides a substantial launch pad for the project to have a near-ready facility. Moreover, the authorities at the Ministry of Agriculture at Kadogly, Rashaad and Abu Jubeiha localities, have all endorsed the adoption of this site and are willing to champion tax and rent concessions for the operator. Read More...

Step Up to Empower Women and End Violence Value Chain and IGA Analysis

This study was conducted in order to assess the socio-economic situation in the project-targeted area and identify potential opportunities for women to participate in far-reaching value chains. This has been done through identifying potential cash crops and their value chains to support women to benefit from; and create clear pathways to participate. In addition to that, the study aims to identify potential key income generating activities mainly for girls and women. The study was conducted for CARE International in Sudan within the project of “Step Up to Empower Women and End Violence” (SEEV) being implemented in Abujibiha and Rashad localities in South Kordofan.
The methodology was based on secondary data collected from the project documents and the reports from relevant government institutions. The primary data formed the backbone of the report and was collected through direct fieldwork that involved Focused Group Discussion (FGDs), Semi Structured Interviews (SSI), Key Informants (KI) and questionnaire administered in seven communities that were sampled covering a total sample size of 600 households. In addition to that, Information sources included women groups, CBOs, project stakeholders and Value Chain actors at markets and production sites.
The main findings of the study indicated that the households’ demographic characteristics are typical for rural households. Illiteracy rates are as high as 29.5% at Tandik in Rashad locality. This will need to be considered in extension messages and delivery of the extension activities, especially in Gabarouna and Taypa in Abujibiha and Tandik in Rashad localities.
Farming constitutes the main livelihood mainstay for households in the targeted area and the main source of income; however, Abujibiha households adopt other sources of income compared to Rashad. More than 60% aof people in the two localities own the land that they cultivate, while 30% of the two localities cannot cultivate all the land they have because they have no resources to do this.
The crops selected for value chain especially sorghum, sesame and groundnut are found to be strategic in relation to food security as well as sources of income. The estimated percentage sold reached 56%, 90% and 64% for the crops respectively in Abujibiha and 46%, 80% and 68% for Rashad locality. There is a need to focus on making the agricultural system more effective and improving agricultural production process through addressing each of the issues stated as explained with details in the report.
Results proved that the farming activities of the selected crops for value chain are not noticeably different between the two localities; however, minor differences exist as indicated by soil characteristics or some specific culture (a group may prefer to grow specific crop). Farming is dominated by womenm where almost 70% of the farming practiced at Bildat (rainy season and winter season) and Gubraka is practiced by women. This is true of sorghum, groundnut, cow pea, and pumpkin. The study revealed that components of agricultural production system, including seed sources, farming practices and storage, in addition to promotion of financing services represent entrance for improving production process, the quality and increasing productivity. Organizing farmers mainly women in production groups and enhancing agricultural extension and agricultural protection through demonstrations and adoption of Integrated Pest Management approach are considered as promising means and added value in relation decreasing loss in harvest. Sorghum, groundnut and sesame cultivation found to be rewarding and contributing remarkably to women income. This is because women dominate cultivation of these crops at Bildat farms (small farms close to villages). Vegetables and other crops grown at Gubraka level also contribute to household food security as well as income.
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Study on the sustainability of GRAD structures and outcomes

This study conducted by PDCR aims to better understand the sustainability and functionally of the processes and elements of GRAD-I as well as the different actors and structures supported and established by the project. And as such this report will focus on VESAs, household/value chains, agro-dealers, FEMAs/Cooperatives, micro-franchise, multi-stakeholders platform and access to finance after the project ended and will cover the period from December 2016 until September 2019.

Background
The Graduation with Resilience to Achieve Sustainable Development (GRAD) project (hereafter referred to as the project) was a five-year USAID-funded project which began in December 2011 and ended in December 2016. Its strategic objective was to graduate a minimum of 50,000 chronically food-insecure households from the Ethiopian Government’s (GoE’s) Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP). Additionally, it aimed to increase each household’s income by $365 by the project’s fifth year in 16 Woredas in Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (SNNPR). During the implementation of the project combined “push” and “pull” model into a complete and integrated package of interventions and within this model the project at times established and/or the above-mentioned actors.

Methodology
Accordingly, desktop reviews of relevant documents including the project final evaluation, suitability and exit plan as well as a variety of reports were undertaken. The study team collected quantitative and qualitative information from 330 VESAs, 1,066 households, 188 saleswomen, 21 agro-dealers, 31 FEMAs/cooperatives. Furthermore, it consulted with representatives from multi-stakeholder platforms groups, Woreda FSTF, MFIs/RuSACCOs and participating wholesalers linked to the project.
Key findings:
VESAs:
56% of the VESAs established and supported by the project are still active as members were able to benefit from their membership, improve their saving and loan management, improve loan repayment mechanisms, were able to share out on time and at critical times, have structured and transparent management committee. These groups develop their members’ social capital, have a strong sense of trust, have benefited from their family’s support. The active VESA have reasonable membership size, common interest and have managed receive continued support.
42% of the VESAs established are inactive as members lost confidence and the interest right after the project ended. Members did not clearly understand the value of the VESAs, some faced internal conflicts, others such as the groups in Sidama and Gurage Zones were affected by drought and security issues. Overall, the inactive VESAs have received less support especially those established in the later part of the project. On a positive side, in Tigray few groups dissolved their VESAs as there was no needed since they now have started saving at banks and can access credit from MFIs.
2% of VESAs have transformed into RuSACCOs. Those who managed to this transformation was encouraged by some of their members who already were also member to a RuSACCO. The VESAs were not encouraged due to RuSACCO’s principle that supported individual membership to join already established RuSACCOs; and groups would rather retain their VESA as they feel they have full control and do not want to lose their social capital.
Active VESAs were formed on a voluntary base and were given adequate briefing about the purpose of the group. In contrast, the inactive VESAs members were mainly selected and groups were formed by project staffs.
Active VESAs remained together and have not sought to split into smaller groups as they value the social capital created within the group and prefer to work as a one team. Dissimilarly, 53% of the currently inactive groups did separate to form smaller groups, mainly due to internal conflicts, dissatisfaction regarding members selection methods and lack of management skills amongst the leadership.
Across all study areas, all VESAs were found have bylaws and in the case of Tigray and Amhara regions, some groups internally agreed and have amended their bylaws articles related to saving amounts, loan repayment mechanisms and interest rates reflecting their needs.
Active VESAs have successfully built social cohesion, capital, are a safe and fertile environment for training, social and cultural norms discussion platforms that may impede development drives and contribute to food security (e.g. gender inequality, infant feeding practices, etc.).
On average 61% of the active VESAs have been able to increase their savings size while only 13% reporting a decrease. Those who reported a decrease was directly associated to their inability to save as family expenses have escalated and they were unable to generate more income in order to save.
In all the study areas, the groups have paid share out every year in May and June. Their average value of liquid savings during the last share-out was 28,282 Birr with an average group share out of 1,444 Birr ($51) and an internal loan size of 26,649 Birr.
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Sustainability of impact-strengthening the Dairy value Chain (SDVC) Final Report

Strengthening Dairy Value Chain (SDVC) Project was one of the first Value Chain Development (VCD) programmes of CARE Bangladesh, it had its roots in focusing extensively in supporting farmers through provision of organizing, training and technically supporting farmers. SDVC-II had a more market led focus and a more facilitative approach. It worked across the dairy value chain, ranging from Livestock Health Workers (LHWs), Input sellers, Milk Collectors, BRAC Dairy, and others. This study aimed to measure long-term sustainability of impacts through Market Systems Development Approach. The study focused on capturing the sustainability of the project’s interventions, 5 years after the project had closed.
SDVC built household resilience, improved livelihoods, and helped chronically food insecure households increase their income and dairy consumption. The project focused on implementing change through a set of interventions namely:
• Improving Productivity
• Increasing Access to Inputs
• Increasing Access to Markets
• Improving the Policy Environment
• Supporting Use of Technology and Data
The study adopted the AAER (Adopt, Adapt, Expand, Respond) framework1 for capturing systemic change. The study found that after five years of project completion, substantial linkages remain, and functions continues to serve the poor in a systematic manner. Where we found that market actors such as Livestock Health Workers, Retailers, Collection points continue to function strongly. Similarly, we found that BRAC dairy continues to source milk from collection points, where smallholders supply roughly 70-80% of the milk. Other processors were also found to utilise the collection points in terms of sourcing milk. BRAC intends to replicate the dairy hub model with the use of Digital Fat Testing Devices in the southern part of Bangladesh as well. All processors like PRAN, Milk Vita, Rangpur Dairy were also found to have been sourcing from the established collection points.
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Learning Women’s Participation in the Cotton Value Chain

The present gender analysis study of the Cotton Value Chain (CVC) was undertaken by CARE India as part of its ongoing three-year project to strengthen CVC in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra state. The project, operating in the Jalgaon Jamod block of the Buldhana district in Maharashtra, aims to improve the productive engagement of resource-constrained women in resilient and sustainable cotton-based farming. It seeks to empower women smallholders from marginal communities and increase their productivity, income, and living standard to build a strong and sustainable CVC. The gender analysis study was conducted with a view to developing a robust understanding of gender relations, roles, and outcomes as they play out in the CVC of the project area. Read More...

CARE Mali Harande FY20 Participants Based Survey PaBS Annual Report

Harande program, implemented the annual monitoring survey through the M&E Unit and Program team supported by the CARE USA Regional M&E Advisor. The methodology is based on the Participants Based Survey (PaBS survey) guidelines expressed in Feed the Future PABS guideline1. It has been conducted using the latest BHA participants-based survey methodology guidance. All fourteen (14) annual survey indicators have been computed using weighting procedures. Except for, gross margin, value of incremental and yield indicators that used more complex formulas, standard errors and confidence intervals have been established for the remaining indicators. FY20 Data collection has been made during the period of July 15 - 29, 2020 and methodology comply with the PaBS FtF guideline as recommended by BHA. The PaBS have been implemented in the following four (4) communes: Dourou, Dandoli, Douentza and Koubewel Koundia, and a total of 48 villages have been reached through these communes for data collection.

A total of 1,733 participants have been sampled for this PaBS. Within them 11% refused the survey and 72% were female. That bring the total participant who responded to the survey in all the frames without double counting to 1,529. Participants who overlap between frames during the survey were counted once. It appears that 28% of participants were youth. Out of a total of 1,529 interviewed respondents 1,265 come from households and 18% of them were household heads. The average size of households was 9 members (the number varies from a minimum of 2 to a maximum of 35 household members). [59 pages]. Read More...

Empowering Sri Lanka’s Tea Plantation Communities Final Evaluation

In May 2017 Chrysalis in partnership with CARE International UK began implementing the Empowering Sri Lanka’s Tea Plantation Communities Project funded by Twinning’s adopting Community Development Forums (CDFs) pioneered by CARE International Sri Lanka. These platforms seek to enhance worker-management relationships so to achieve social and commercial benefits in 7 tea estates in Sri Lanka by May 2019. Since inception the project has reached over 3,500 tea estate workers living in estates operated by three plantation companies with the help of the CDFs, while indirectly providing benefits to over 16,000 worker family members. At its core CDFs seek to transform relationships between management and estate workers, while also providing the estate community with a platform through which to directly influence and shape their development priorities and solutions. Further it serves to help link the community with a host of service providers and socioeconomic opportunities. Undertaken in July and August 2019 the overall objective of the end of project evaluation was to assess the degree to which the project had achieved its intermediate and the final goal and to develop key lessons so to enhance future programming in the sector. The evaluation used a contribution analysis, and a mixed method approach to collect data (e.g. household surveys, focus group discussions, key informant and structured interviews). Data was collected from 7 participating estates operated by 3 companies: Bogawanthalawa Plantations (Bogawana Estate, Kotiyagala Estate, Lethenty Estate and Fetteresso Estate), Malwatte Valley Plantations (Uva Highlands) and Agarapathana (Nayabedde Estate and Dambetenna Estate). Using the proportionate random sampling technique 241 respondents were selected for household surveys, 12 managers were interviewed using structured interviews and 7 focus group discussions were held consisting of 86 representatives from the 7 CDFs. A total of 16 key informants were also consulted [73 pages]. Read More...

Technologically Enhanced Agricultural Livelihoods Mid Term Review

Launched on 1 July 2017, the Technologically Enhanced Agricultural Livelihoods project (TEAL) in Vietnam is a four-year project funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) Australian NGO Cooperation (ANCP) initiative. The project has been implemented in four communes, two in Dien Bien province and two in Son La province.

TEAL is focused on supporting ethnic minority women coffee farmers to improve coffee production, processing, and market linkages to increase their income, and to shift gender norms that are preventing women from having a visible, respective and productive role in the coffee market system and broader society.

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Étude sur les filières porteuses des communes de Beaumont, Jérémie et Roseaux

Diagnostic & Development Group S.A. (DDG) a été recruté par CARE Haïti pour réaliser une étude sur les filières porteuses dans les communes de Jérémie, Beaumont et Roseaux, dans le cadre du projet d’Appui à la Sécurité Alimentaire, au Renforcement Agricole et à l’Amélioration Nutritionnelle dans la Grand’Anse (ASARANGA), implanté par CARE, Action Aid Haiti (AAH) et Konbit Peyizan Grandans (KPGA).
Une approche mixte, c’est-à-dire combinant des techniques de collecte de données quantitatives et qualitatives, a été adoptée pour réaliser l’étude. En plus de données secondaires, essentiellement obtenues dans des rapports d’études pertinentes, des données primaires ont été collectées, au cours des mois de juillet et août 2019, via une enquête de ménages, un inventaire d’associations et de coopératives, une enquête de marché, des groupes de discussion avec des planteurs et des entrevues individuelles avec des représentants d’institutions financières dans les trois communes d’intérêt.
Nous avons étudié huit filières pour les sections communales cibles des communes de Jérémie, de Roseaux et de Beaumont. Il s’agit des produits vivriers igname, manioc, banane et le haricot ; le maïs, l’arachide et deux filières d’exportation traditionnelles : le café et le cacao. Le processus de sélection a tenu compte du nombre de planteurs qui pratiquent ces cultures, de l’importance de la filière dans la sécurité alimentaire et l’environnement et enfin de leurs potentiels de revenu. Read More...

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