REGESG - AGRA

AGRA

Gen

Environment, Social and Governance (ESG)

AGRA recognises environmental and social risks as critical issues that require deliberate systemic and organisational capacities to identify, manage and monitor in the implementation of its core mandate. To this end, AGRA has institutionalized environmental and social considerations in its work, and that of its partners by developing and adopting an Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS).

AGRA's ESMS guiding principles

  • Avoid, reduce or limit negative environmental, social and climate impacts and improve the environmental and social benefits of its initiatives
  • Support the preservation and protection of biodiversity and sustainably manage natural resources
  • Avoid negative impacts on the living conditions, livelihoods and land tenure of communities
  • Ensure the health and safety at work of its own employees and require its subcontractors and partners to implement measures to protect the health and safety of their employees at work
  • Condemn forced labour and child labour, prohibit discrimination, prohibit and combat harassment and support the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining of workers
  • Comply with all relevant environmental, social, health and safety as well as land acquisition policies, laws and regulations of the countries of intervention and international standards

The Environment and Social Management System (ESMS) provides a systematic procedure to check AGRA programmes and projects for potential adverse environmental and social impacts to assure that negative impacts are avoided or minimised to the extent possible while positive impacts are stimulated.

RE-GAIN: Scaling solutions for food loss in Africa

RE-GAIN is a multi-country programme that has been developed in partnership with the Green Climate Fund (GCF) which aims to enhance the climate resilience and adaptive capacity of smallholders by promoting the widespread adoption of Food Loss Reduction Solutions (FL-RS) in seven African countries - Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

RE-GAIN has been screened for environment and social risks and an Environment and Social Management Framework has been developed to articulate key risk areas and detailed procedures in addressing these issues as per AGRA ESMS Policy and manual. This is further in line with the Green Climate Fund's environment and social management policy and framework.

Download report in English here

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Amharic, French, Swahili
 

Improving Fertilizer Blends Delivery

Supporting agro ecology transition for Sustainable Agricultural Production in Burkina Faso

The project aims to increase crop productivity in Burkina Faso through the strengthening of the delivery of balanced mineral fertilizers in combination with the use of compost for increased smallholder farmers' incomes and poverty alleviation.

The overall strategy is to develop crop and site-specific fertilizer blends, this will be undertaken in partnership between research institutions and private sector as part of building on agro-ecology technologies for smallholder farmers' resilience and sustainable production.

Project Site

Cascades, Haut Bassins and Boucle du Mouhoun regions.

Key Intervention Areas
  • Developing the right fertilizer product for soil health and smallholder farmers resilience
  • Capacity building around training of trainers, especially extension agents from private and public sector

The environment and social screening report for the project can be downloaded below.

Download the Report Here
 

ProAdapt

The project aims to promote non-timber forest products (NTFP) in order to increase incomes and improve food security and resilience to climate change of smallholder farmers in the Hauts-Bassins, Cascade, Boucle du Mouhoun and Centre-Ouest regions.

Objective 1

Increased capacity of small holder farming households and agricultural systems to better prepare for and adapt to shocks and stresses.

  • Establish 11 nutrition gardens benefiting 10,000 women and youth
  • Create 10 NTFP parks under sustainable management
  • Sensitize 40,000 smallholder farmers on NTFP consumption
Objective 2

Strengthened and expanded access to output markets of NTFP for 20,000 rural women and youth through:

  • Establishment of 400 Village Tree Enterprises (VTEs)
  • Support to 20,000 smallholder farmers for market and inclusive finance services access

The environment and social screening report for the project can be downloaded below.

Download the Report Here
 

ProRes

Enhancing resilience to climate change and improving food security

The investments include agroforestry practices promotion to support productivity enhancement for 210,000 smallholder farmers. The project will improve their access to good quality inputs including organic fertilizer, and resilient seed varieties for the targeted crops (Maize, sorghum, rice and cowpeas).

The project will also promote non-timber forest products and shade tolerant crops for income diversification. The promotion of multi-purpose trees like Gliricidia sepium, Cajanus cajan will contribute to soil health enhancement and fodders production to support a good integration of crops and livestock productions.

Lead Organization: Tree Aid

Other Partners

INERA, AGRIROMO, SMR, NAFASO, STRACOPA

The environment and social screening report for the project can be downloaded below.

Download the Report Here
 

Gender Consortium - Enhancing Resilience and Upscaling of Gender

Inclusive Rural Economy for Increased Productivity, Livelihoods and Food Security in Nigeria

This investment is based on the concerns that smallholder women farmers need to be socially and financially included, have access to improved inputs, markets, agro-advisory services and training on good agronomic practices that would help in increasing their yields, enhance their resilience and participation in decision-making.

The choice of 50,000 women and female youths is strategic in the intervention areas because they will impact 200,000 indirect beneficiaries. The best agronomic practices adopted by the 50,000 beneficiaries will trickle down to the 200, 000 indirect beneficiaries, thereby creating a sustainable pool of farmers.

The 50,000 smallholder women and youth farmers will inject into the market 12,500MT premium quality grains which will be sold at premium prices. In addition, this investment will help in closing the financial inclusion gender gap that exists in Nigeria’s smallholder agriculture.

Similarly, this project seeks to put in place adequate strategies and mechanisms for households to manage their risk of food security shocks. Digital platforms for marketing, insurance and input loan financing will be provided and women who have been trained on agricultural production of the selected crops and nutritious food preparations to improve the household nutrition security and provide a platform for the voice of women in decision-making in the states.

Objective 1

Increased productivity for women smallholder farmers in Niger and Kaduna States

Objective 2

Strengthened and expanded Women’s access to output markets.

Objective 3

Increased capacity of smallholder farming households and agricultural systems to better prepare for and adapt to shocks and stresses.

The environment and social screening report for the project can be downloaded below.

Download the Report Here
 

Niger Consortium

Improving Farmers Resilience and Upscaling Productivity, Incomes, and Livelihood in Selected Value Chains in Niger State

The Niger consortium works to facilitate economic recovery and growth for vulnerable households by promoting systemic change in the agriculture productivity and market systems. Project interventions work to improve farm practices by ensuring appropriate technologies and practices are mainstreamed into the primary activities of farming through the planting of climate-smart seeds, access to insurance, promotion of the VSLA model, and vegetable farming.

The sources of income and nutrition of 300,000 rural women and youth will be improved through this intervention. The Niger consortium is implemented as an integrated program that is aimed at improving the productivity and incomes of smallholder farmers in rice, soybeans, maize, cowpea, and vegetable and position them to better adapt to shocks and stresses.

The sequence of activities will include:

  • Improving access to agricultural inputs for 300,000 farmers through increasing input distribution networks
  • Raising farmer awareness and knowledge through extension support
  • Improving farmers access to credit
  • Improving farmer capacity to aggregate quality paddy for the market
  • Improving soil health and ensuring farmer organizations are adequately linked to off-takers and processors.

A total of 750 Community-Based Advisors (CBAs) – (Community, Public, Private Extension agents) will be trained and empowered to reach 300,000 farmers with knowledge and best practices both on productivity and market access. The consortium intends to work with micro-finance institutions to improve financial inclusion for farmers.

The environment and social screening report for the project can be downloaded below.

Download the Report Here
 

Kaduna Consortium

Building Smallholder Farmer Resilience and Reducing Vulnerability in the Maize-Based System in Kaduna State through Strengthened Market Participation

To build the resilience of smallholder farmers, the Kaduna consortium investment focuses on four staple crops i.e., maize, rice soybean and cowpea including tomatoes. The overall goal of the investment is to catalyze and sustain an inclusive agricultural transformation in Nigeria by building smallholder farmer resilience, reducing vulnerability and mainstreaming gender in the Maize-Rice-Soybean, Cowpea and Vegetable Value Chains of Kaduna State through strengthened participation in markets.

The initiative is in response to the negative impacts of climate change in northern Nigeria - frequent droughts and severe floods that alter both surface and underground water supply thereby affecting agricultural productivity and food security; increasing infestation of crops by pests and diseases, increasing rural urban migration, biodiversity loss, decline in soil fertility, increased health risks and the spread of infectious diseases, and changing livelihood system.

Objective 1

Increased staple crops productivity for smallholder farmers (maize, rice, soybean, cowpea and tomatoes) through facilitation of awareness and access to best bet knowledge, practices along with linkages to input market.

Objective 2

Strengthened and expanded access to output market by strengthening capacities of SMEs to support smallholder farmers. Supporting the transformation of smallholder farming systems in Kaduna State by effective transitioning of farming from subsistence to market and profit-oriented farming, strengthen the capacity of market actors to build competitive, inclusive, and resilient supply chains with focus on the access to markets and financial linkage and bankability of the farmers.

Objective 3

Increased capacity of smallholders farming households and agricultural system to better prepare for and adapt to shocks and stresses. Scaling up input finance, building smallholder farming-adapted supply chains and facilitate the growth of SMEs.

The environment and social screening report for the project can be downloaded below.

Download the Report Here