KENYA

The Kwale Project

LOCATION

Kwale, Kenya

PROJECT DETAILS

Products: Cotton, chicken feed (from cotton by-product), chickens, cassava, corn, cowpeas, green gram, potatoes, rice, sorghum, soybean, sunflower

Project phase: Implement, grow and transition

Key project partners: Base Titanium, Cotton On Group, Diageo, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Kwale County Government, Kinondo Community Bank, FMO

WHO

When Business for Development first started working with the Kwale community in 2013, approximately 80% of people had never earned an income, instead relying on subsistence farming to survive. The region only experiences rain for five to seven months of the year and the average landholding size was five acres. Crops often failed so farmers over-diversified their crops - it was common for farmers to grow fourteen different types of crops. Any surplus production was stored for the hunger season.

WHAT

After completing a market analysis during the initial phase of the project, cotton was identified as having grown well in the region in the past. A field trial was created with 100 farmers to test whether it could be grown under current market dynamics. The community rallied around the crop and the quality of the output was exceptional. Cotton On Group, an Australian retail multinational, was brought on board as an offtake partner for the sustainable cotton.

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To compliment the cotton crop, the by-product of cotton is being made into cotton seed cake, which is used in feed for chicken. This initiative is primarily being driven by women - empowering them to improve their livelihoods.

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For rotation crops, many farmers focused on Sorghum production. A partnership with Diageo, one of the world’s largest beverage producer, was created and the purchased sorghum is used in their East African Breweries production. As a result, the Kwale project has another means to develop a sustainable income.  

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Farmer productivity has been improved through better access to quality inputs (seeds, fertiliser, crop protection), cropping plans tied to anticipated rainfall patterns, soil management and rotation cropping. A farmer owned and operated co-operative has been established to enable price protection for farmers and facilitate connections to markets. Farmers have access to training, credit, machinery, technical guidance, and logistics and marketing support. This project is going through a transition phase where slowly the community is managing the project without external support. As part of this transition, a Business Park is being established which includes a ginnery to be owned by the cooperative, thus providing them the means to earn a greater income through participating up the supply chain.

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Ultimately, Business for Development is working with the community to eliminate food insecurity and achieve sustainable food access and production.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Morobe Coffee

LOCATION

Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea

PROJECT DETAILS

Product: Coffee

Project phase: Feasibility - Field trials

Key project partners: Harmony Gold, Outspan PNG, Coffee Industry Corporation

WHO

If a community member of Morobe Province is not employed by a mine, often they rely economically on growing coffee, fruit, vegetables, artisanal gold mining and/or mining royalty payments. Education levels vary from secondary school  to no schooling at all. The topography of the region and poor infrastructure means some communities may need to walk 25 kilometres to reach the nearest town, making it difficult for them to sell their produce.

WHAT

The focus of this project is to reinvigorate the local coffee industry and improve livelihood opportunities, starting with three communities near the Hidden Valley mine operated by Harmony Gold. This involves rehabilitating old coffee trees, introducing coffee growers to good agricultural practices through training and upgrading equipment to improve yields, developing market linkages with a strong buyer, improving the sales process and shortening the supply chain. 

Tabar Islands Cocoa

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

LOCATION

Tabar Islands, Papua New Guinea

PROJECT DETAILS

Product: Cocoa

Project phase: Feasibility - Field trials

Key project partners: St Barbara

WHO

The Tabar Islands are a group of three small islands located in New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea. The remote location, small population (~8,000) and land area result in few income earning opportunities outside the gold mine located on the northern most island - Simberi. The mine is scheduled to close in 2021 and the communities will potentially return to their previous subsistence lifestyle.

WHAT

The project involves development of an independent, community-owned cocoa enterprise that will produce and process cocoa. Extension and support services, seedlings and inputs, and purchase of wet bean from growers will be facilitated through a community-owned co-operative.

Golden Futures for Agriculture

THE PHILIPPINES

LOCATION

Didipio, The Philippines

PROJECT DETAILS

Product: Coffee

Project phase: Feasibility - Field trials

Key project partners: OceanaGold, Agriculture Departments of Kasibu and Nueva Vizcaya

WHO

Farmers living in the Kasibu municipality of the Philippines are among the lowest paid workers of the region, with an average monthly wage of AU$100. Small land ownership (0.5 to 1 ha) limits income earning potential and there is a high dependence on dry months to grow and sell food – usually six months of the year.

WHAT

The project involves establishing a community-owned coffee production enterprise, to generate income earning opportunities and ensure food security for the community. To date a coffee field trial has been completed involving 95 smallholder farmers. Activities included providing farmers with access to quality seedlings and fertiliser, training and continuous extension support throughout the period.

South Gobi Cashmere

MONGOLIA

LOCATION

South Gobi, Mongolia

PROJECT DETAILS

Product: Cashmere

Project phase: Implement and grow

Key project partners: Oyu Tolgoi, Kering,

Wildlife Conservation Society, Stuart Anstee & Associates

WHO

The semi-nomadic herders of the South Gobi are heavily reliant on income generated from cashmere sales, with more than 60% of their income generated from cashmere during a single sale period each year. This cycle of poverty is exacerbated by the extreme weather conditions of their environment and a highly dispersed population. The heavy reliance on cashmere income has meant that income earning potential is constrained by the ability to manage the size of the herd and ability of the pastureland to support the consumption needs of their goats.

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WHAT

Business for Development is working with a consortium of project partners to create improved income earning opportunities and more resilient livelihoods for the herders, while simultaneously restoring the degraded ecosystem of the South Gobi. Focus areas include improving goat productivity by looking at ways to optimise the financial value of each goat, financial management training, creating greater certainty with respect to cashmere sales by connecting the herders/co-operatives to buyers, and exploring ways to reduce costs and risks to herders through better access to finance and insurance.

Ironbark Laos

LAOS

LOCATION

Vilabouly, Laos

PROJECT DETAILS

Product: Citrus

Project phase: Sustained

Key project partners: Ironbark Citrus, MMG

WHO

Many farmers in Laos struggle to grow enough rice - a staple food - to feed their families. Growing citrus was seen as a way to provide farmers with a basis to sustainably exit poverty, netting a tenfold increase in income over traditional crops.

WHAT

In 2013 MMG was looking to create an economy which is non-mine dependent and would be able to support a community once the mine closes. Ironbark Citrus, a Queensland based citrus producing company, was at the same time seeking a region that could counter seasonal to their mandarin plantations. Laos, was a perfect location.

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Business for Development worked with Ironbark Citrus and established  a citrus nursery to provide trees to participating farmers and delivered horticultural extension services. With MMG a revolving loan fund was established to assist farmers to join the project. Over time an inclusive agribusiness cooperative was established – Ironbark Laos – which is now exporting mandarins to a range of countries in ASEAN.