Pro-Poor Horticulture Value Chains in Upper Egypt

Implementing organizations: UNDP, UNIDO, UNWOMEN, ILO
National counterparts: Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Ministry of investment; General Authority For Investment (GAFI)
Target beneficiaries: Farmers Associations in Upper Egypt: Beni Suef, Menia, Assiut, Sohag, Qena, and Luxor

Project background

The purpose of the Pro-poor horticulture value chains in Upper Egypt joint programme is to promote viable equitable partnerships between small farmers and private sector investors in Upper Egypt. The programme supports small farmers through their Farmers Associations to deliver needed business services thus enabling them to participate in the governance of the supply chain.

The programme also supports the entrepreneurial development of small farmers through raising their business awareness and skills and supporting their incorporation into entrepreneurial forms. In addition, the programme will also help in developing agro industrial value-adding activities based on local crops. Finally, utilizing lessons learned and best practices, the programme will engage with the government in a policy dialogue over constraints facing pro-poor private sector based growth in the horticulture sector in Upper Egypt.

Objectives and expected outcomes

The programme contributes to the UNDAF outcome 3. By 2011, regional human development disparities are reduced, including reducing the gender gap and improving environmental sustainability. The programme also contributes to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger (MDG-1) by primarily targeting poverty in areas with more than 65% vulnerability rank.

The programme further promotes gender equality (MDG-3). Women are officially registered at below 18% of the work force while in reality accounting more than 75% of the labour force in agriculture. It also aims at developing global partnerships for development (MDG-8). The programme will contribute to ensuring environmental sustainability (MDG-7) as tracing agricultural products has a positive impact on the environmental and the quality of the produce. In addition, shifting the farmers’ attention to serve higher quality markets and export markets will lead them to cleaner production (organic or just with monitored levels of pesticides).

The main expected outcomes of the programme are:

• Small Farmers and agricultural workers are more equitably integrated into domestic and international value/supply chains of horticultural products through:
• Enhancing efficiency, productivity and viable business partnerships with private sector investors.
• Providing training and workshops to three Post Harvest Centres (PHCs) on quality and food safety management, Occupational Safety and health (OSH) and Gender Equity Seal (GES) and Farmer Associations (FA) on the requirement of Global Gap Analysis Programme (GAP).
• Entrepreneurial forms of organization established by small farmers through the following outputs:
• FAs capacity to support small farmers to access extension services, Business Development Services (BDS) and run agribusiness is strengthened.
• Small farmers are equipped with entrepreneurial knowledge/skills and provided with access to services necessary to start up and manage entrepreneurial activities.
• Small farmers are collaborating and organized in new businesses.