Projects

Up-Scaling ARC's Risk Transfer System

01.05.2024 - 06.07.2026

Switzerland is playing a leading role in the development of innovative financial instruments to mitigate climate risks. This project aims to support the African Union's African Risk Capacity, an early warning and risk transfer system, in protecting 175’000 smallholder rice farmers in Côte d'Ivoire as a pilot project against drought, excessive rainfall and other climate-related challenges, and to strengthen their resilience and sustainability in the face of environmental uncertainties.

Integrated Seed Systems Development Africa

01.11.2023 - 31.10.2027

Smallholders in Africa need access to affordable quality seeds of the best varieties, especially in fragile and conflict affected states. The phase 2 of the Integrated Seed Systems in Africa, a successful Swiss supported network of seed professionals, focuses on Seed Systems in the Humanitarian, Development, Peace-Nexus, aiming to strengthen resilience to shocks via the development and mainstreaming of state of-the-art tools, methodologies, and policies, adapted to fragile and conflict-affected states.

Agroecology Promotion Programme APP

01.02.2023 - 30.04.2028

Switzerland has been one of the front-runners positioning agroecology globally to support food systems transformation, notably following the aftermath of the UN Food Systems Summit in September 2021. This Agroecology Promotion Programme strengthens this momentum, by supporting the capacitation of, dissemination and implementation by leveraging actors to further embed agroecology within the civil society, policies and markets, globally, in Sub-Sahara Africa and South-East Asia.

International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) - core contribution

01.06.2021 - 31.12.2025

ICIPE is Africa’s leading insect research institute contributing to plant, animal, human and environmental health. SDC supports ICIPE as its work is highly relevant for the transformation to sustainable food systems, agroecology, healthy nutrition, and the promotion of the ‘One health’ approach. ICIPE’s development path is closely linked to Switzerland through longstanding partnerships with prominent Swiss experts and organisations.

AgriPath: Empowering farmers’ transition to sustainable agriculture through effective and efficient digital pathways

01.03.2021 - 28.02.2026

500 million smallholder farmers need to increase their agriculture productivity, income and climate resilience. There is a lack of scientifically validated evidence on the effectiveness and cost efficiency of digital agriculture services. AgriPath aims to bring sustainable agriculture^{^[1]} to scale by identifying, evaluating, and promoting promising pathways for digitally supported agricultural advisory services.

[1] The Consortium will embrace current concepts of climate resilient agriculture, climate smart agriculture, sustainable land management and agro-ecology.

Aceli Africa

01.11.2020 - 31.10.2025

Aceli Africa is a market-led platform to catalyse finance for credit-constrained East African businesses along selected agricultural value chains that offer the best potential for income and job creation, food security and nutrition, gender inclusiveness, and promotion of climate-smart and agro-ecological smallholder agriculture. Key Swiss added values are the up-scaling of social impact financial instruments pioneered by SDC with partners, the involvement of the largest Swiss private impact investor, and the focus on two SDC priority countries.

Responsible Agricultural Investments Leveraging (RAIL) by IFAD

15.12.2019 - 31.12.2026

The International Fund for Agricultural Development IFAD is a key partner for Switzerland in the efforts to lift smallholder farmers out of poverty. SDC supports the IFAD-led Agricultural Business Capital Fund to finance responsibly African farmer organisations, small and medium agribusiness enterprises, and rural financial intermediaries. The Fund will lead to higher incomes and more jobs notably for youth and women as well as increased food security, contributing to improved livelihoods of an estimated 430’000 smallholder households applying more sustainable farm practices.