Description:

This EU-funded programme  - 23.2 M EUR, including EUR 18.2 million from the EU and EUR 5.0 million from Belgium -  has the objective to enable rural small-scale producers to strengthen their practice of agroecology through better access to knowledge, support services, improved technologies and market outlets thereby improving their resilience to climatic, environmental and socio-economic shocks and stressors as well as food and nutrition security and incomes. The programme is structured around four components focusing on:

1. Improving access to agroecological bio-solutions, including seeds, bio-inputs (organic fertilisers and bio-pesticides) and mechanical equipment adapted to small-scale agroecology farming practices;

2. Strengthening value addition and markets for agroecological produce harnessing sustainable food system benefits;

3. Increasing access to knowledge and empowering small-scale producers in agroecological transition through Rural Advisory Services (RAS) and farmer-to-farmer joint learning;

4. Expanding the Economic and Financial Analysis of investments2 (EFA+) taking into account avoided negative externalities and broader medium to long term food system sustainability benefits, knowledge management and sharing.

The programme will be implemented through sub-projects (components 1 and 2), a grant to the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRA) through its network of partners (component 3) and directly by IFAD/PMI (component 4) in two regions: i) Africa and ii) Latin America and Caribbean.

Moreover, the programme will support the Coalition for Food System Transformation through Agroecology (UN-FSS AEC). Bioversity International will receive EUR 1.2 million of the EU funding to host the UN-FSS AEC and finance the operations of the Coalition Secretariat.