PML Long-term Projects
The PML department is currently implementing long-term projects in
Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Peru, Tanzania, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Zambia .
Afghanistan 
Through the Garden Gate: Integrating Women into MarketsThis project employs innovative training and marketing models (while building on community networks) to strengthen commercial linkages for women's crops and increase income. MEDA facilitates market linkages to suitable supplies, financial services and buyers, and provide training in production, marketing and management. The women are learning that their products are in demand in urban centers and are overcoming obstacles and increasing their contributions to household income and well being by serving that market demand. The women farmers are reaping increased production, processing their surplus yields and selling their products, and this gains them greater respect and status in their households and communities. The project currently has over 1,500 women farmer participants and by year 4, will work with some 2,250 women in Parwan province thereby impacting 10,000 or more family and community members.
Through the Garden Gate was a finalist at the 16th Annual Canadian Awards for International Cooperation in the Centre for Intercultural Learning Award for Gender Equity Achievement, 2008.
It was recognized for its contribution to poverty reduction and sustainable development through the use of the market development approach. By improving market access and enhancing support services such as, agricultural extension, credit, input supplies, storing, processing and packaging, this program empowers poor women farmers to grow nutritious food for their families, contribute to their household’s income and enable them to gain the respect of their spouse and communities.
Agro-Silvo-Pastoral Management System
MEDA has also recently started to implement the Agro-Silvo-Pastoral Management System, which combines crops, trees and animals, in three villages in Afghanistan. This project will encourage sustainable land management practices and biodiversity conservation, which will increase soil fertility, enhance water retention capacity of the land, and reduce overall soil degradation. The focus is on planting trees carefully selected to meet farmers’ needs for food, fodder, firewood and as a barrier to prevent humans and animals from entering into the farms. It is expected that this initiative will impact 3000 beneficiaries including 600 women farmers. The community’s schools will also be involved in the “Plant a Tree” component of the project to raise awareness on environmental conservation.
It's a green thumbs up for Afghan food gardens - The Waterloo Region Record, June 28, 2008
Afghan garden program helps women grow hope - The Epoch Times, June 26, 2008
Nicaragua
Sesame Production and Marketing Program (PRODUMER, Phase 2) MEDA's PRODUMER project concentrates on providing sesame producers with technical assistance in production, processing and marketing. The project strengthens the linkages between exporters and farmer groups. PRODUMER has helped to raise the prices paid to farmers by promoting competition among exporters to break up local monopolies. The technical assistance provided by the project to farmers has also helped significantly raise productivity and incomes over the years. PRODUMER recognizes that each link has an important role to play in the sesame value chain, and that by working together they can solve common problems and become more competitive. For this reason, the project has worked hard to bring together the different actors of the supply chain (seed producers, farmers, exporters, relevant government bodies and NGO's) to discuss current issues affecting the sesame industry and develop strategies for the industry as a whole. To this end, PRODUMER has worked diligently with a number of relevant bodies to significantly and sustainably improve the quality of certified seed available to farmers. The project is also working closely with exporters and implementing initiatives to improve the image of Nicaraguan sesame in the international marketplace in order to increase demand. With the heightened vibrancy of the marketplace, farmers receive new opportunities and the promise of future prosperity.
Seed farming: The sesame solution -
BCBusiness, August 1, 2008
Pakistan
Pathways & Pursestrings: Market Access for Women Producers
Based on the success and lessons learned in the
Behind the Veil project , this 4-year $7,000,000 (CND) project, recently funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), will scale up and replicate this sales agent model to other areas and value chains across Pakistan. In addition to integrating sequestered women into new value chains, it will also build the capacity of local indigenous Pakistani NGOs to deliver state-of-the-art value chain development programs. With the Entrepreneurship & Community Development Institute (ECDI) as the lead training partner, MEDA will also work with a number of other local partners to provide 12,000 to 16,000 homebound and isolated women with sustainable market linkages, support services and skills to enable access to growing markets with products. This partnership with local Pakistani NGO’s will provide the foundation to develop the capacity of indigenous civil society organizations and private actors to implement market driven value chain development projects and activities. With preliminary research, planning and start-up underway, the project expects to work in the embroidered garments, glass bangles, seedlings and milk collection subsectors. The geographic reach will extend to the provinces of Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab and North Western Frontier. Increasing income and economic empowerment for women producers and sales agents participating in the project and a number of public and private organizations actively facilitating value chain development are the key expected program benefits.
Women need linkages 'to utilize their true potential' - The International News, July 9, 2008
Peru
Administration of Peru’s National Mangrove Sanctuary in Tumbes
Tumbes is home to Peru’s only mangrove reserve; an environment which
harbours unique and rare birds, fish, crustaceans and mammals. Although
the area contains a vibrant commercial prawn and crab industry, the
sanctuary is increasingly threatened by deforestation, logging, lack of
a garbage management system and contamination of the waterways on which
local people depend for their livelihoods. This groundbreaking project
– funded by the World Bank and the Government of Peru until 2012 – is
establishing MEDA as a pioneer in integrating economic development into
environmental conservation. Over the five years of implementation MEDA
is developing environmentally-sustainable industries such as ecotourism
which will subsequently fund the management and environmental
protection of the Sanctuary while impacting at least 1,000 local
entrepreneurs. These economic impacts will be facilitated as the
project addresses the primary environmental challenges through
protection and reforestation of the mangrove and dry forest, reduction
in the level of water contamination, and rebuilding important marine
species.
E-Bulletins for Mangroves Administration Project in Peru -
November 2008,
October 2008
MEDA project preserves Peru's mangroves - Mennonite Brethren Herald, August 2008
Sustainable Value Chains in Protect Natural Areas of Peru
Partnering with leading socially responsible enterprises, MEDA is directly improving the competitiveness of small enterprises in five environmentally-sensitive areas in Peru. The coffee, prawn, Brazil nut and wool value chains have all been selected given their strong market potential. In each value chain, MEDA is working with government representatives and lead firms to help microenterprises access higher value markets. Capacity building, improved quality control and business management upgrading are among the tools which will support these enterprises. The InterAmerican Development Bank is supporting MEDA to manage this project for 3 years, until 2010.
Developing Accessible Traceability and Certification Services for Smallholder Producers
With a budget of US$266,300, MEDA’s NOVIB-supported project which runs from May 2007 to April 2009, aims to help farmers bridge the knowledge and technical gaps required to produce for higher value markets, namely Organic, Fair Trade and export to the European Union. The higher standards of quality and environmental stewardship of these markets requires a more stringent monitoring system to assure consumers that their extra dollars are supporting the principles they believe in. Using Agromonitor Information Management System (SGI), this project reaches 1,120 farmers, giving them the tools and support they need to comply with these demands. The Agromonitor software system developed by MEDA handles the monitoring and compliance requirements, aiding farmers with scheduling inspections, harvesting and packaging requirements, production of PDF files, linkages to exporters and consultants or whatever else the markets demand. In the past year, MEDA has validated the software’s efficacy, assessed the appeal and user-friendliness of the software with farmers and installed Agromonitor for five associations.
The potential of the Organic, Fair Trade and EU markets to benefit the land and livelihood of farmers is significant and inspires optimism. It is essential that small farmers are not excluded from these opportunities due to lack of knowledge. By teaching and providing farmers with this software, MEDA’s Agromonitor project is spreading opportunities to achieve the goals of these markets: poverty reduction, healthier produce, and promotion of equality and sustainability.
Tajikistan
"Farms to Markets" in Northern TajikistanThe fresh fruit and vegetable
sub-sectors in Tajikistan afford an opportunity for small farmers to achieve enhanced
livelihoods. Strong demand for these products has been identified in
some regional markets, but to be competitive producers must upgrade their quality. The project provides technical
assistance in production, provides credit to small and micro-processors
to update processing technology, and provides credit for agricultural
production through a partner institution, the Association of Business
Women (ABW).
View Video: Farms to Market
Tanzania
Commercial Supply Chain Acceleration - Using Vouchers to Reach Scale on Distribution of Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets (ITNs) Commercial Supply Chain Acceleration - Using Vouchers to Reach Scale on Distribution of Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets (ITNs)
Over three million ITNs distributed using vouchers - and still counting! Malaria continues to be one of the most dreaded diseases in Tanzania but sleeping under a net treated with insecticide greatly reduces the risk of contracting the disease. In some places, organizations distribute mosquito nets free of charge every few years.
This works, as long as the net stays intact and no new children are born. Because the nets are free, local stores don't stock them, so they cannot be replaced.
This project works to create a marketplace for mosquito nets where the voucher covers most of the retail cost of an ITN, but the voucher recipient also pays a small amount and therefore values it more. A demand is created for ITNs, so store owners have reason to stock them. Already over 6,600 retail shops in Tanzania sell ITNs to both voucher customers and non-voucher customers alike.
The two groups most at risk from malaria are pregnant women and infant children. Pregnant women receive vouchers at one of 4,500 local health clinics during their regular prenatal check-up and infant children receive a voucher during their regular childhood immunization. Vouchers for pregnant women are supported with funding from the Tanzania Ministry of Health and the Global Fund while vouchers for infants are supported with funding from USAID.
So far the impact of this project is significant. Research suggests that six lives are being spared for every 1,000 nets sold. In addition to the lives that are saved, ITNs prevent serious illness that would devastate families - wages would be lost and costly treatment would be needed. View Video on YouTube:
Hati Punguzo: Insecticide-Treated Mosquito Nets for Tanzania
Bob Kroeker talks about how MEDA is saving countless lives in Tanzania with insecticide-treated nets.
UkraineSoutheast Ukraine Planting for Prosperity and Economic Rejuvenation (SUPPER)The mission of this $10 million, five year project initiated in April 2008 and supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is to substantially and sustainably increase the incomes and competitiveness of at least 5000 poor, small farmers in the Zaporiska and Crimea regions in southern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s current transition to a market economy is raising incomes driving up domestic consumption demand and regional exports of high value agricultural products such as table grapes, greenhouse-grown tomatoes and cucumber which are well suited for small scale production. Yet, few small farmers are equipped or positioned to take advantage of these market opportunities and poverty levels amongst small farmers in Zaporiska and Crimea are amongst the worst in the country. Key constraints include: absence of supply consolidation and value addition (cleaning, grading, packaging, branding) at farmer level, lack of post-harvest cool/cold storage; investment and working capital shortages and low penetration of financial services; use of outdated productive technologies; and lack of marketing and business management skills amongst small farmers.
With local partners, the Association of Farmers and Land Owners of Crimea (AFLOC) and the Agricultural Extension Service of Tavria State Agrotechnological University, SUPPER will work closely with input suppliers, technology distributors, storage facilities and financial institutions to better respond to small farmers’ needs. With capital and training facilitated by SUPPER, small, labour-intensive farms will find it easier to adopt modern technologies, increase productivity and deliver profitable, premium quality products to markets in which they have a competitive advantage.
SUPPER also aims to establish expanding, commercially-based lead farmer (LF) networks to integrate thousands more small farmers into profitable agricultural markets long after MEDA’s role has ended.
To hear more about this project listen to Nigel Motts on MEDA's World (October/November 08).
Read more about MEDA's work in the Ukraine in the Marketplace.
Read more about SUPPER in the Ukraine project profile.
ZambiaProsperity through Innovation: Accelerating water technology supply chains
The goal of the 'Prosperity through innovation' project is to accelerate supply and demand for appropriate and affordable water technology products without dependency while strengthening local businesses to ensure their long term viability and sustainable reach to underserved rural populations in Zambia. To influence demand, the project uses a discount voucher as a market stimulant. To strengthen the supply-side, the project employs various strategies to help suppliers understand and serve the needs for water technologies for small scale farmers. These strategies include a series of marketing training sessions to suppliers and retailers that help build their capacity and knowledge on effective marketing and sales strategies. The project has also facilitated practical demonstration of new marketing strategies such as technology agri-fairs and direct technology demonstrations for small scale farmers.
The first vouchers were launched on February 14, 2008, and so far there has been a steady upward trend in redemptions and technology adoption. Positive market development pointers so far include increased sales of technologies by participating suppliers and retailers with substantial sales after five months, evidence of supplier-farmer interactions, suppliers’ willingness to invest in effective marketing and sales strategies, and suppliers’ investments in restocking and manufacturing of quality, appropriate and affordable technologies.
