Strengthening cooperative governance: Zimbabwe’s Rusitu Valley leads the way
- 04/12/2024
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
No CommentsStrengthening cooperative governance: Zimbabwe’s Rusitu Valley leads the way The Rusitu Valley Fruit Growers and Marketing Trust (RVFGMT), a cooperative of 1,400 growers in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe, is undergoing a transformative journey to strengthen its governance and sustainability. With targeted support from the Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme, RVFGMT is addressing critical governance challenges to better serve its members and position itself as a beacon of sustainable development in the region. RVFGMT aggregates and markets the produce of its… +Seizing emerging opportunities: organic and bio-organic fertilizers for advancing soil health in Africa
- 04/12/2024
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
Seizing emerging opportunities: organic and bio-organic fertilizers for advancing soil health in Africa As part of its role in the multi-partner DeSIRA LIFT programme, COLEAD works closely with African research institutions and companies to promote sustainable agriculture and food systems. In particular, soil health. The potential of biofertilisers to improve soil health in Africa was a key theme at this year’s African Fertiliser and Soil Health Summit (AFSHS), organised by the African Union and held in Nairobi, Kenya, from… +COLEAD’s first development project in São Tomé and Príncipe (coco value chain)
- 02/07/2024
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
COLEAD’s first development project in São Tomé and Príncipe (coco value chain). Following a meeting with VALUDO at Biofach, COLEAD received its first application for support from São Tomé and Príncipe through the FFM+ programme in 2023. This project is an important step for COLEAD in its commitment to support sustainable agri-food systems in ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) countries. Following a Sustainability Assessment (SAS) to identify key challenges and gaps, a tailor-made action plan was developed to benefit… +FFM+: Over 700 development projects, 60% of them for businesses and agricultural cooperatives
- 11/10/2023
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Corp EN, News
Since the launch of the digital system for receiving applications for support under the Fit For Market+ programme in early July 2022, 716 applications for support (as at 21 September 2023) have been received. Most (60%) of these requests have come from horticultural businesses and cooperatives. Other requests come from the structures that make up the ecosystem of these businesses, namely consultants, support structures, professional organisations, training and research institutes, and the competent authorities. The number of requests for support… +MALI and BURKINA FASO: COLEAD and the EU in the fields
- 11/04/2023
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Burkina Faso, Mali, News
The Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme was launched in Mali and Burkina Faso through the organization of two workshops in March. In total, 100 participants were present, including companies, professional organisations, cooperatives, service providers and competent authorities. At the event, the COLEAD team presented the evolution of EU market access requirements for fruit and vegetables, as well as the support opportunities available through the FFM+ programme, which aims to “mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic by strengthening the… +Information session on the new EU Regulation on organic production and labelling of organic products (EU 2018/848)
- 15/12/2022
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Caribbean
The Fit For Market SPS programme, in collaboration with the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), organised an information session specifically designed for the Dominican Republic on the new EU Regulation on organic production and labelling of organic products (EU 2018/848), and its implications for the certification of producer groups. This event took place online on 1 December 2022. The session was opened by Escipión Joaquin Oliveira Gomez, Assistant Secretary General, Sustainable Economic Transformation and Trade, Secretariat of the Organisation… +COLEACP attending the 6th African Diaspora Agrofood Forum in Brussels
- 14/11/2022
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, News, Senegal
On Friday, 21 October 2022, COLEACP took part in the 6th African Diaspora Agrofood Forum (ADAF), organised by The Food Bridge vsw and hosted by the Brussels city hall. This annual forum brings African Diaspora entrepreneurs, policymakers and expert in the African agrifood sector together to highlight the latest trends and potentials for growth in the agrifood sector. COLEACP contributed to the organisation of the event through the FFM SPS and FFM+ programmes funded by the European Union within the… +Madagascar: Support for the implementation of technical workflows for organic banana and passion fruit production
- 21/09/2022
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Madagascar, News
HavaMad, a Madagascan fruit processing company producing certified organic fruit juices and purees, has recently received technical support from the Fit For Market SPS programme, in the form of input from experts from both Reunion and the Tamatave Horticultural Technical Centre, Madagascar. The company wished to revise its workflow to produce passion fruit and also diversify into banana production. HavaMad also wished to continue the support initiated in February 2020 concerning the production of the passion fruit variety Galea. For… +Dominican Republic: Training in organic farming in La Vega
- 12/09/2022
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Caribbean, News
In an environment surrounded by nature, ideal for disconnecting from the hustle and bustle of cities and professional obligations, training in organic agriculture was held from 20–24 June 2022 at the La Vega Cooperative Club House with 12 participants from a variety of backgrounds. These included participants from a company in San Francisco de Macoris (2), associations of banana producers (3) and other organic crops (1), representatives of the Departments of Organic Agriculture (2), Extension (1) and Plant Health (1)… +Togo: Standards training of ANABIO members on organic agriculture
- 27/05/2022
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News, Togo
A training workshop on the Togolese organic agriculture standard and the local organic certification process for member companies of the National Association for Organic Agriculture in Togo (ANABIO) was held from 3 to 5 May 2022 in Lomé. Thirty-four (34) participants from about twenty horticultural companies took part in this training whose main objectives were to (i) train on the concept of the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) and the Togolese regulatory requirements for the production, processing, and distribution of organic… +