SOUTH AFRICA—PROJECT OVERVIEW

Improving Market Access for Emerging Farmers in the Eastern Cape. Through a partnership with the University of Fort Hare's Agricultural Rural Development Research Institute (ARDRI) and Center for Development Studies, and a strategic linkage with Pick 'N Pay supermarket, PFID—F&V is working to:

1. Increase market access for historically disadvantaged emerging farmers in the Eastern Cape; and
2. Build a sustainable capacity for continued market access. Achievement of these objectives of this activity will ultimately result in improved incomes and rural employment via the multiplier effect.

During the life of the project, technical assistance, training and market analysis will be conducted to:

• Gather and analyze information on potential opportunities—new products, new markets, price trends, needs of potential buyers in the target markets and strategic implications for South African firms who may compete for this market segment.
• Identify and analyze requirements for successful exports to the markets. For produce this will mainly mean finding out about private quality and safety standards and other specifications such as packaging requirements and public laws and regulations for exporters.
• Disseminate the above information to suppliers, distributors, producers, exporters, and government staff via outreach presentations, printed and electronic newsletters, and one–on–one exchange.
• Facilitate contacts between the buyers and producers (emerging farmers) in the establishment of commercial contacts and visits to firms in the target market regions.
• Provide technical assistance to emerging farmers and small agri–businesses—i.e. those participating in the supply chains of the products being marketed—to improve their capacity to meet private standards requirements, and to solve specific problems that are bottlenecks to successful supply.
• Provide limited and focused activities on the supply side, mainly in post–harvest domains such as packaging and logistics.
• Provide training in market research and development to emerging farmers and small agri–businesses. Training aims to increase the local capacity, while ensuring long–term sustainability of the outcome–activities of the project.
• Assist the University of Ft. Hare/ARDRI and the emerging agricultural industry to strategize as to best steps in extending their information–gathering and transaction–facilitating capacity.
• Develop a supermarket penetration strategy that will result in alliances with small and medium producers.
• Share competitiveness issues and policy lessons with government decision–makers to better increase information flows.

For more information contact:

PFID—F&V Project Coordinator: Siyengo Andile
E–mail: ASiyengo@ufh.ac.za
USAID South Africa Mission: http://www.sn.apc.org/usaidsa/