Financial partners

Hivos is an international organisation that seeks new solutions to persistent global issues (discrimination, inequality, abuse of power and the unsustainable use of the planet’s resources) and focusses on achieving structural change. Hivos cooperates with innovative businesses, citizens and their organisations and shares with their partners a dream of sustainable economies and inclusive societies. The Organization works on advocacy and campaigns directed at governments, international institutions, businesses and citizens in the North or at the global level. Hivos works in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

More information about Hivos: www.hivos.org

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is Switzerland’s international cooperation agency within the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). In operating with other federal offices concerned, SDC is responsible for the overall coordination of development activities and cooperation with Eastern Europe, as well as for the humanitarian aid delivered by the Swiss Confederation. The goal of development cooperation is that of reducing poverty. It is meant to foster economic self-reliance and state autonomy, to contribute to the improvement of production conditions, to help in finding solutions to environmental problems, and to provide better access to education and basic healthcare services.

Among its activities in the priority topic Agriculture and Food Security SDC contributes to a strengthening of agricultural research for development (ARD). Two of SDC’s focus areas in ARD are:

• Assessing the potential of organic agricultural farming systems in tropical and other ecosystems.
• Supporting the development and scale up of innovative crop improvement technologies and management systems that enhance production system productivity.

SDC co-finances the project ‘Productivity and Profitability of Organic and Conventional Farming Systems: A Comparative Analysis in Sub-Saharan Africa' of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and its partners in Ghana and Kenya, as well as at regional and global levels.

More information about SDC: www.sdc.admin.ch