In Yanfolila, southern Mali, USCPY, a union of nine mango cooperatives, was accompanied by two coaches from the Trade for Development Centre. The work carried out over the three years of the intervention is impressive. Professionalization of the cooperatives, increased production and sales, and the retention of both members and customers… Their coaches detail the progress made.
Welcome to the Harvest Club, in the heart of Leuven. Stefanie Vereecken selects a wide range of clothing, home décor, accessories and beauty and care products for her sociable concept store. All from suppliers with their heart in the right place, just like Stefanie. Want to take a look inside?
Koakaka is a coffee cooperative from Rwanda that produces top quality coffee. Despite this, the cooperative – like many in the region – faced many challenges: demanding buyers, small profit margins and a lack of market knowledge.
In 2016 Koakaka was selected for a coaching module in marketing and in business management of TDC. This gave them all the tools to strengthen their position on the international market. Successfully!
Underneath the pristine white surface of milk lies a dairy sector in crisis as small producers struggle to survive. European overproduction is driving farmers’ incomes below profitability and, as a result, preventing the development of a local dairy sector in Africa.
“Why could Benin not succeed in doing what France did?” That was an idea Edgar Deguenon took home to Benin in 2008 after an internship in France. He had visited many organic farming and short supply chain initiatives. Such initiatives can also help resolve issues that farmers in Benin face such as the high usage of pesticides and the related health problems, or the long supply chains with many intermediaries, which put much pressure on the farmers and keep prices low. With ten years of experience in this area, AMAP is a small organisation that explores the domestic organic products market and pioneers in connecting producers and consumers.
Colette Yehouénou lives in Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin. She was only thirteen when her father died, forcing her to stop her studies to look after her three brothers: “At the time, I already loved cooking, but I turned to haute couture. I trained and set up my own business. I combined sewing and haberdashery. I had customers who bought their supplies from me and one day one of them explained to me that he was taking a course in food processing. I was very interested, and I signed up for the second promotion”.
Did you know that the Province of Luxembourg is Wallonia’s first ‘Fair Trade Province’? Find out what they did to achieve this status…
The Enabel Trade for Development Center monitors developments in fair trade and sustainable trade. This survey aims to paint a picture of how Belgians consume.
After two and half years of selling clothes via private sales and at fair trade shows, at the end of 2019 Sophie Depas and Esther Sougné opened the L’envol du colibri boutique in Namur. They support the idea of ethical and sustainable fashion, through brands for both women and men. An interview with the two ladies.
The Biogarantie label is in the process of evolving towards a Biogarantie Belgium label. Objective ? To be ever more responsible and demanding on the notion of “organic”, to highlight Belgian production and processing, to guarantee a fair price for the workers in the agricultural chain, in short, a whole set of specifications defined by the farmers themselves in agreement with the other operators in the sector. This also represents a challenge of pooling points of view.
