Promoting local food value chains and equitable job opportunities through a sustainable agri-food industry in STP

The smallholder agricultural sector in São Tomé and Príncipe has a great untapped potential. Families living on the basis of subsistence agriculture could have their incomes raised and overall rural economies could be greatly benefited by strengthening small-scale producers’ capacities. Currently, this group suffers from numerous issues related to lacking basic conditions for their production. Smallholder agriculture has a low productivity rate and rural families are particularly prone to poverty and vulnerability. These conditions are strongly related to the lack of an integrated policy framework, which can support smallholder development, while tackling key social issues pertaining to their communities. This joint project’s aim is to foster smallholder farmers development by means of a two-pronged strategy: integrating policy building at the national level and the implementation of a scalable community pilot. The JP will present a grounded and well-designed policy framework which is backed by a strong case of how investments in smallholder farming can yield positive results in multiple related areas. The pilot will be implemented in a community reflecting the broader problems presented for the small-scale agricultural sector: Uba Budo. Smallholders in this area have constantly faced challenges with seasonality of their production – shortages in the dry season and waste in the rainy season. Lacking resources and job opportunities are also a contributing factor to this community’s social and economic vulnerability, particularly among women and adolescent girls. The joint project will be targeting three main direct beneficiary groups: i) the smallholder farmers from Uba Budo community, who will receive seeds and agriculture materials, training, access to water for irrigation and access to processing and preservation facilities to boost their food production. As a result, this group should benefit from higher productivity, lower rates of post-harvest losses, increased income and adequate market insertion; ii) vulnerable women and adolescent girls, by promoting greater insertion of women of all ages in the agricultural productive sector, creating decent and sustainable job opportunities in the small-scale processing industry, through sensitization campaigns and training to women and adolescent girls on gender issues such as GBV, sexual and reproductive rights. Finally, iii) government officials involved in policy-making for the agriculture sector will receive adequate training and support in developing an enabling policy framework. The current joint project will leverage on seed funding to accelerate multiple targets across SDGs 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 and 17 and invest in building a value chain model in the Uba Budo community that yields benefits from production to consumption.

Project symbol

STP/22/50/UND

Admin unit

DWT/CO-Yaounde

Start date

01/04/2022

End date

30/09/2024

Total allocation

201891

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

193843

Development Partners

Multi Partner Trust Fund Office, UNDP

Country/Countries

Sao Tome and Principe

Outcomes

Outcome 3: Full and productive employment for just transitions
Outcome 4: Sustainable enterprises for inclusive growth and decent work
Outcome 7: Universal social protection