Projects

Global Measurement of Diet Quality

01.01.2023 - 31.12.2025

Diets are the number one risk factor in the global burden of disease and multiple forms of malnutrition co-exist with overweight and obesity being the fastest growing form, particularly among poor populations in developing countries. Routinely collected information on Diet Quality is necessary to better understand dietary trends, help to create awareness, and inform policies to improve diets and health outcomes. Therefore, SDC supports an international initiative to develop diet quality measurements.

CGIAR Contribution 2020 - 2021

01.01.2020 - 31.12.2021

The Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is a global research for development partnership in the fields of agriculture (crops, livestock, aquaculture and forestry). CGIAR holds in trust unique genetic resources for agriculturally significant species of central importance to advancing and sustaining productivity for the world’s smallholder farmers in the 21^st century. CGIAR has a singular role in providing international and global public goods through high-quality agricultural research, partnership, and leadership in the areas of poverty and hunger reduction, improvement of human nutrition, enhancement of ecosystem resilience.

BLOOOM: Agricultural Technology for the Bottom of the Pyramid

01.02.2019 - 31.12.2022

Blooom, a newly founded social enterprise provides innovative digital solutions to connect smallholder farmers to input suppliers and consumers. Smallholders get access to information, financing, local and international markets via mobile phone technology. In this public private development partnership, Swiss support serves to expand Blooom’s services to smallholder farmers in low income countries in which the risks of entry for private sector companies are generally too high, including countries in Africa.

Program Contribution to Brücke – Le Pont 2019 - 2020

01.01.2019 - 31.12.2021

Brücke-Le pont is an independent organization established by Travail.Suisse and the Catholic workers' movement (KAB). It has a strong support base in Switzerland and more than 60 years of experience in development cooperation in the South. Its program "Decent Work” includes some 30 projects in Togo, Benin, Salvador, Honduras, Brazil and Bolivia. The programme improves lives of disadvantaged people through vocational trainings, improved access to the labour market, income generation and improved respect of labour rights.

Improving Food Security and Land Governance through investment standards

01.01.2019 - 31.12.2022

Investment in agriculture is needed to feed a growing global population. These investments need to respect the situation of the local population and the environment. Switzerland chaired the drafting process of the Principles on Responsible Agricultural Investments that have been adopted by the Committee on World Food Security. Consequently Switzerland supports the application of the Principles by training development country stakeholders in the negotiation and application of sustainable investment frameworks to increase food security for the poorest populations.

Long-term farming system comparisons in the tropics

01.12.2018 - 31.12.2022

Conventional agriculture based on high external inputs resulted in productivity increases but has high negative external costs. Alternative systems exist but information on their performance is scarce. This long-term system comparison led by the Swiss Research Institute for Organic Agriculture provides scientific evidence on the productivity, profitability and environmental impacts of organic agriculture compared to conventional agriculture in four production systems of the tropics.

Plant Variety Protection Legislation and Farmers’ Rights in Developing Countries

01.10.2018 - 30.09.2022

Plant variety protection legislation in accordance with the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) is gaining importance in developing countries. This kind of legislation often neglects the existing informal seed systems and Farmers’ Rights. SDC supports APBREBES, a network of civil society organizations, to raise awareness and contribute to capacity building on alternative legislation that better reflect smallholders’ needs and practices.

Blue Peace Financing: transboundary, multisectoral and transgenerational investments

01.10.2018 - 30.06.2023

To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals government efforts do not suffice, additional private capital deployed towards sustainable development are needed. Blue Peace advocates for investments to be re-directed to two levels: transboundary entities and to municipalities. This will have a transformative impact. As a door opener, Switzerland through its partnership with UNCDF contributes to the development of innovative financial products that enable transboundary, multisectoral and transgenerational investments leading to sustainable development and peace.

Climate Resilience of IFAD Programmes

01.07.2018 - 31.12.2022

The International Fund for Agricultural Development IFAD is a key partner for Switzerland in the efforts to lift smallholder farmers out of poverty. However, climate change is putting the success of the IFAD’s development programmes at risk. Switzerland supports the integration in all IFAD projects of measures that respond to potential climate threats into all IFAD projects. As a result, farmers become more resilient and Swiss investments through IFAD more sustainable.

Backstopping SDC Climate Change and Environment (CC&E) Network

01.07.2018 - 30.06.2022

A climate smart development cooperation requires continuous knowledge management and a sound thematic expertise. The next phase of the Backstopping Support Mandate (BSM) will help to capitalize on SDC’s key learnings, stimulate capacity building, foster mainstreaming and provide thematic support in the field of climate change and environment This will allow the SDC Climate Change and Environment Network and the Global Programme Climate Change (GPCCE) help improve the overall quality of SDC’s operational activities in this thematic field.

Nutrition in Mountain Agro-ecosystems (NMA)

01.06.2018 - 31.12.2020

A disproportionately high number of the world's hungriest and chronically malnourished people reside in mountain regions. SDC supports the establishment of a Mountain Agro-ecology Action Network by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and consortium, which will facilitate the integration of nutrition sensitive practices and innovations into rural service provision and policies. Agricultural production in mountain regions will diversify, leading to more diverse diets and improved resilience to food insecurity for its populations.

Nutrition in Mountainous Agro-Ecosystems (NMA)

01.06.2018 - 31.10.2021

A disproportionally high number of the world's 2 billion hungriest and chronically malnourished people reside in mountain regions. As a mountain country, Switzerland supports the Mountain Agro ecology Action Network to make Rural Service Providers in 8 mountain countries competent regarding nutrition. They shall adapt their services to actively contribute for improving nutrition for half a million people, particularly women and children.