équité PROGRAM [2016-2018] Fair Trade & Agroecology: Working on promising and sustainable value chains! A project to support the development of fair trade in west africa A PROJECT LED BY: & FINANCED BY: West Africa Network
I Project stakeholders PROJECT FUNDERS AFD & FFEM The French Development Agency (AFD) and the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) have decided to jointly finance a project to support the development of fair trade in West Africa, by encouraging innovative approaches based on both fair trade and the preservation of biodiversity. This project is funded by AFD through its Trade Capacity Building Program (PRCC in French) for 2.9 million euro and the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) for 1 million euro. The purpose of the project is to contribute to the sustainable economic development of West African countries and the fight against poverty by strengthening family agriculture and supporting the development of equitable value chains. PROJECT HOLDER PFCE The French Fair Trade Platform (PFCE) gathers around the main french actors of fair trade and has for objective to defend and promote the sector both at institutionnal level and among the general public. The PFCE gathers fair trade importers, organic and fair trade specialised retailer networks, development NGOs and awareness-raising associations working in the field of responsible consumption and international solidarity in France. Our platform also represents the main fair trade labels and guarantee systems present on the French market : Fairtrade Max Havelaar, Ecocert Fair Trade and WFTO (of which we are a member of the European board of directors). The PFCE initiated the project by submitting the first concept note to the AFD in 2010. Between 2010 and 2012, the PFCE has been largely associated with the identification stage of the project through its contribution to the feasibility study steering committee. In early 2015, the PFCE has been proposed by AFD to hold this project, a decision wich was taken by its board of directors in february 2015. ORGANISATIONS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION The implementation of the project will be carried out by a consortium composed of the French NGO Agronomists and Veterinarians Without Border (AVSF), as a team leader, and of the Fairtrade Africa West Africa Network (FTA-WAN) Agronomists and Veterinarians Without Borders (AVSF) is a French NGO working since 1977 to support family agriculture through the promotion of agro-ecology and the support of peasants efforts to obtain better living conditions, sustainably manage the natural resources they depend on and participate in socio-economic development of their territory. The Fairtrade Africa - West Africa Network (FTA-WAN) is the antenna of Fairtrade Africa for the West African subregion and gather around 135 certified Fairtrade/Max Havelaar cooperatives in 8 countries (Ghana, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Cameroon, Benin and Togo).
II PROJECT DESCRIPTION THE 4 OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT: 1. To support the structuring of producers organizations (POs) in southern countries and value chains in which they operate, through the development of fair trade 2. To test the potential of South-South fair trade sectors of development 3. To strengthen the role of producers organizations (POs) in the governance of international fair trade labels 4. To enhance the readability of fair trade as a tool for sustainable development and in particular the preservation of biodiversity 6 COUNTRIES : Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Ghana and Togo, for the three components (see below) and the Senegal for conducting a study on the south-south fair trade and the funding of at least one craftsmen organization as part of the facility. FAIR TRADE LABELS PRESENTS IN THE AREA : Fairtrade/Max Havelaar, Fairtrade Ecocert, WFTO VARIOUS VALUE CHAINS : cocoa, shea butter, fruits, cashew nuts and handcrafts; as well as a possibility for fonio, sesame and moringa. THE PROJECT IS ORGANISED AROUND 3 COMPONENTS: COMPONENT 1: IMPLEMENTATION OF A FINANCIAL FACILITY TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF FAIR-TRADE VALUES CHAINS AND PROTECT BIODIVERSITY ( 2.5 MILLION) This component focuses on the implementation of a financial facility which aims to strengthen the capacities of producers organizations (POs) on aspects relating to production, quality management, market access and management of territorie, which includes the dimension of biodiversity. The facility is in the form of a subsidy on call for grant proposals open to POs operating in the value chains and the countries concerned, certified by Fairtrade Max Havelaar, Ecocert Fair Trade, WFTO The type of actions that can be financed through this facility is diverse : Technical assistance services, training and awareness Specific studies or pilot operations Financing small materials or equipment in addition to other formats of intervention, only if these equipments are essential to start the project Preference will be given to projects with environmental aspects and aiming to contribute to the preservation of biodiversity Funded projects will be for amounts ranging from 50,000 to 250,000 with a co-financing rate of 25%. 15 to 20 projects should be funded by the facility with the aim of achieving significant effects on the prioritized fair trade value chains, and the organizational dynamics at national and sub-regional level.
COMPONENT 2: CAPACITY BUILDING AND INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING ( 1.2 MILLION) This second component of the project aims to enhance or bring out the national platforms of fair trade and other POs representation networks in the countries targeted by the project (development of action plans, work groups animation around products). An important part of this support directly concerns the Fairtrade Africa - West Africa Network (FTA-WAN), which to this day constitute the most formalized network of representation for fairtrade POs in West-Africa. This component will focus on five main areas: Structuring and strengthening the FTA-WAN Accompanying or supporting the emergence of new national platforms The improvement and diffusion of standards and fair trade labels The exchange of practices with organizations and networks of fair trade organizations in Latin America, Asia and East and Southern Africa The capitalization of the project outcomes, particularly regarding the effects of the financial facility and its dissemination within UEMOA and ECOWAS COMPONENT 3: STUDIES, MONITORING & EVALUATION ( 0.2 MILLION) Elaboration of a monitoring method to measure the environmental effects resultng from the project (component 1) A study regarding the development potential of South-South fair trade and the elaboration of an action plan An interim evaluation and a final evaluation of the results of the project III GOVERNANCE & IMPLEMENTATION As a project manager, the French Fair Trade Platform (PFCE) will be reponsible for all the operational and financial aspects of the project and will ensure the project coordination, the follow-up and monitoring, through the support of a steering committee. The PFCE will also be directly responsible for the implementation of the activities of the component 3 Studies, monitoring and evaluation" The project will be piloted by a steering committee, chaired by the PFCE, which will bring together funders and representatives of the labels and guarantee systems targeted by the project. A selection committee will selection the projects eligible to be fundied through the facility. This selection committee chaired by the PFCE will bring together experts in the areas of biodiversity, strengthening of POs, the value chains support, etc. A monitoring committee (internal to the PFCE) will bring together Max Havelaar France, Ecocert and Artisans du Monde (WFTO) representatives to support the PFCE in piloting, monitoring the project and providing key information about the area, the POs and the value chains targeted. The implementation of the activities of component 1 and component 2 will be carried out by a consortium composed of Agronomists and Veterinarians Without Borders (Agronomes et Vétérinaires Sans Frontières - AVSF), as the leading organization, and of the Fairtrade Africa West Africa Network (FTA-WAN).
The french fair trade platform The French Fair Trade Platform (Plate-Forme pour le Commerce Equitable - PFCE) is a non-profit organization gathering the main fair trade organizations in France in order to promote fair trade towards the general public and the public authorities. PFCE brings together more than 30 major companies and associations involved in the FT sector: importers, organic and fair trade retailer networks, NGOs working in the South, associations working on awareness raising and advocacy in the North, networks of researchers, etc. It also brings together the main fair trade guarantee systems and labels existing on the French market: Fairtrade Max Havelaar France, Ecocert Fairtrade, Bio-Partenaire and is a member of WFTO. Through their local networks, PFCE s members represent more than 1,000 structures throughout France. PFCE members are committed to promote fairer and more balanced North / South relations and to implement a fair trade with high social and environmental impacts. NGOS working in the south PFCE Members COMPANIES Awareness raising and advocacy associations Education and research networks FAIRTRADE Labels Organic and fair trade Retailer networks A SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND EXPERTISE ON FAIR TRADE: To provide expertise and a clear and reliable information on fair trade by commissioning and disseminating researches and studies to various stakeholders (students, project leaders, teacher, etc.) Published in 2015, the international guide to fair trade labels analyzes the standards of 8 international labels THE four major missions of the PFCE Promote fairtrade and responsible consumption towards the general public: Promotion of a clear and demanding vision of fair trade by coordinating each year in France the Fair Trade Fortnight which brings together hundreds of festive and solidarity events targeted towards the general public. PFCE contributes to make the voice of Fair Trade to be heard during solidarity and more general events gathering large public attention structuring of the Fair Trade sector A place for exchange and dialogue for the actors of the sector, for a forwardlooking reflection, for the coordination of debates and for supporting the exchange of good practices. In 2015, PFCE commissioned a study to identify tools to ensure the pre-financing of fair trade orders Advocacy FOR trade justice Advocacy campaigns for the implementation of fairer public policies in France, in Europe and at international level. In 2014, PFCE commissioned a study regarding the power relationships in agricultural value chains «Who has the power? Review the rules of the game for more equity in agricultural value chains».
AGRONOMISTS AND VETERINARIANS WITHOUT BORDERS (AVSF): An NGO acting since 1977 to support family agriculture and committed to fair trade, which has proven its capacities to support POs and the development of their networks. A STRONG EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD OF STRENGHTENING EXPORTING PRODUCERS ORGANISATIONS: Since its creation, AVSF has supported more than 90 organizations of small producers (24 000 families) to export quality products to the organic markets and/or fair trade through the work with cooperatives of support-advisory projects, investment and training in many areas: agro-ecological intensification; technical management of harvest, processing or preparation; quality management ; certification; administrative management ; business plan ; marketing; research and management of pre-financing and working capital; governance Thanks to its implication in over twenty southern countries and in France, and the strong partnerships it developed there, AVSF has the capacity to mobilize expertise in the North and in the South and to organize numerous exchanges of experiences and South-South transfer of skills between producer organizations and networks in various countries and continents. AN HISTORICAL SUPPORT IN PROMOTING FAIR TRADE IN FRANCE AND BEYOND: AVSF co-founded Max Havelaar France and was an active member until 2009. It was a member between 2009 and 2013 of the technical committee of ECOCERT in charge of improving the ECOCERT Fair trade label and has been a member of the PFCE since 2012. AVSF has participated in the construction of positions and arguments in favor of fair trade as well as many awareness-raising activities based on studies assessing the impacts of fair trade and their extension. AN HISTORICAL SUPPORT FOR THE PARTICIPATION OF PRODUCERS IN THE GOVERNANCE OF FAIR TRADE: AVSF has always defended the idea that cooperatives should actively participate in the governance of the Fair trade labels by its support of the CLAC (Latin American and Caribbean Network of Fair Trade Small Producers) and several national platforms (Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador...) which contributed to the emergence of "Small Producers Symbol". A STRONG EXPERIENCE IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES TARGETED BY THE PROJECT: AVSF has been cooperating for over thirty years in Mali, Senegal and Togo, three of the countries targeted by this project and has permanent teams in these countries. AVSF has contributed to the structuring and consolidation of value chains allowing a growing participation of producer organizations by strengthening their collective capacity to manage the harvest, quality, postharvest, processing and/or marketing. Work was done in several cases by supporting the implementation of differentiation and certification approaches including fair trade and organic. FAIRTRADE AFRICA - WEST AFRICA NETWORK (FTA-WAN) : The Fairtrade Africa-West Africa Network (FTA-WAN) is the antenna of Fairtrade Africa Network (FTA), established in 2005 in West Africa, which gathers 135 certified Fairtrade cooperatives in 8 countries: Ghana, Ivory coast, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Cameroon, Benin and Togo. West Africa Network MEMBERS AND THEIR VALUE CHAINS: The POs members of FTA-WAN produce mainly: cocoa (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cameroon), cashew nuts (Ghana, Burkina), cotton (Senegal, Mali, Benin, Burkina), mango (Burkina, Mali, Ghana), pineapple (Ghana, Togo, Benin), sesame (Burkina Faso, Senegal), etc. NETWORK ACTIVITIES: FTA-WAN is currently the most structured network of fair trade POs in West Africa. The network brings together national platforms of POs certified fair trade (PNCE-B in Burkina Faso, the RICE in Ivory Coast and the Ghana platform as well informal networks in other countries) and product working groups (including cotton and cocoa). MISSIONS OF FTA-WAN: To defend the cause of African producers and promote the active participation of the latter in the Fairtrade system and, especially, in the areas of governance and development policies and standards; To develop market access for West African producers by reinforcing the organizational, financial and technical capacities of their organizations; To encourage producer organizations to take advantage of existing business opportunities in West Africa; To promote trade justice in Africa in order to support socioeconomic development of the continent through trade.
to know more about this project Contact Us : PFCE French Fair Trade Platform / Plate-Forme pour le Commerce Equitable Jardin d agronomie tropicale, 45 bis avenue de la Belle Gabrielle, 94 736 Nogent sur Marne, Cedex FRANCE www.commercequitable.org Your contact: Emilie Durochat Responsable «Partenariats & Développement» durochat@commercequitable.org +33 14 39 47213 AVSF Agronomists and Veterinarians without Borders / Agronomes et Vétérinaires Sans Frontières 14, avenue Berthelot, Bâtiment F bis, 69007 Lyon, FRANCE www.avsf.org Your contact: Christophe Boscher Senior project manager c.boscher@avsf.fr FTA-WAN Fair Trade Africa West Africa Network www.fairtradeafrica.net/fr/networks-andpartners/regional-networks/ Your contacts: Fortin Bley, President fortinbley@gmail.com West Africa Network Edward Akapire, Head of region edwardakapire@yahoo.com +233 20 84 93339