Kurzbeschreibung
(Deutsch)
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Das Projekt "Agropyme" leistet einen Beitrag zum Aufbau bzw. der Stärkung des Dienstleistungsmarktes für KMU im Bereich der Vermarktung und Verarbeitung land-und forstwirtschaftlicher Produkte in Honduras. Damit wird der Prozess einer Wandlung von der kleinbäuerlichen Subsistenzwirtschaft hin zu einer marktorientierten und ökologisch nachhaltigen Landwirtschaft unterstützt.
Die Hauptstrategie des Projekts, Unternehmensförderung mittels der Entwicklung des Marktes für nicht-finanzielle Dienstleistungen, ist für den Agrarsektor innovativ. Erfahrungen im städtischen Raum in Zentralamerika existieren durch das seit 1998 laufende KMU-Projekt ProEmpresa in El Salvador und Nicaragua. Die Grundidee ist, dass durch Förderung unternehmerischen Denkens, Orientierung am Markt, Erschliessung neuer Märkte (intern und in der Region) und Entwicklung neuer Produkte, vorhandene, aber bisher nicht genügend genutzte Potenziale der KMU im ländlichen Sektor entwickelt werden können. Das Projekt wird damit auch zur Verminderung der Armut beitragen, indem die kleinen und mittleren Produzenten auf Grund ihrer besseren Marktintegration höhere Einkommen erwirtschaften können.
Die Förderung des Marktes für nicht-finanzielle Dienstleistungen im Agrarsektor geschieht durch Interventionen sowohl auf der Angebots- als auch auf der Nachfrageseite. Partnerinstitutionen sind damit einerseits die AgroPyme, d.h. Unternehmen, unter Umständen auch Produzenten-Gruppierungen, welche in der Verarbeitung oder Vermarktung landwirtschaftlicher Produkte tätig sind, andererseits die Anbieter nicht-finanzieller Dienstleistungen, wie technische Beratung und Ausbildung in Themen wie Geschäftsführung, Kommerzialisierung, Produkteverarbeitung etc. oder Anbieter von Marktinformationen.
In der Orientierungsphase wird ein Schwerpunkt der Arbeit darin liegen, Strategien und Methoden zu entwerfen und zu testen, wie die Nachfrage nach und das Angebot an nicht-finanziellen Dienstleistungen in diesem Bereich am besten gefördert werden kann. Die Abklärungen während der Planungsphase des Projekts haben ergeben, dass nicht traditionelle Produkte wie z.B. Früchte und Gemüse das grösste Entwicklungspotenzial für die kleinen und mittleren Produzenten darstellen. Es werden drei Sektoren ausgewählt, welche besonders auch kleinen Produzentenfamilien ein Produktionspotenzial bieten, sowie mindestens 5 Agropymes (Verarbeitungs- oder Vermarktungs-Betrieben) pro Sektor. Diese werden über Zusammenarbeitsabkommen (planes de negocio) Ziel-orientiert unterstützt.
Das Programm beginnt mit einer Orientierungsphase von 3 Jahren in Honduras. Während der Gesamtdauer von max. 10-12 ist eine Regionalisierung, d.h. eine Ausdehnung der Projektaktivitäten nach Nicaragua und/oder El Salvador vorgesehen.
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Projektziele
(Deutsch)
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1.1 Goal
The project contributes to solving the problems related to processing and marketing of agricultural and forestry non-wood products in Central America through the support of the competitiveness of Agropymes (agricultural enterprises) and thus contributes to the improvement of livelihoods of small farmers in marginal areas.
1.2 Project Objective
The improvement of the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises in the agricultural processing and marketing (Agropymes) in Central America, giving a particular attention to the improvement of livelihoods of small farmers in marginal areas and strengthening the specialized non financial service supply that attends Agropymes.
The competitiveness of small and medium enterprises is a function of many internal and external factors. For example, it depends on the motivation and the know-how of the entrepreneur, on available resources, the competition and the socioeconomic, political and financial context. Non-financial services are but one of many factors determining the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises, albeit a very significant one.
1.3 Project Objective for the first phase (Orientation Phase)
Definition and validation of the working hypothesis, the strategies and methods for the improvement of the competitiveness of the Agropymes and bringing together supply and demand of non-financial services for processing and marketing of agricultural and non-wood forestry products, bearing in mind gender and environmental aspects.
During the orientation phase the project will concentrate on Honduras. It will be involved in the following activity areas:
- Strengthening of small and medium agricultural enterprises (Agropymes) favoring those in which the small farmer's interest is represented.
- Strengthening of the supply of specialized non-financial services for small and medium enterprises in processing and marketing of agricultural and non-wood forestry products.
- Participation in coordination and exchange between similar programs and projects, as well as the strengthening of the policy dialogue.
These activities are closely related. Priority will be put in the strengthening of Agropymes. The project will finance activities from their business plans specially those regarding the provision of specialized non financial services in the areas of management, negotiation, transformation and commercialization. The project will play an important role facilitating the flow of information from the demand to the supply of non financial services and supporting their approach to this market.
Special attention will be given to the strategies by which the project can indirectly contribute to poverty alleviation. In order to achieve this, the project will focus on:
- The promotion of organizations in which the small and medium producers are partners (i.e. shareholders) of the Agropymes (for example cooperatives that are involved in commercialization)
- Generating alliances between producer and distributor (contractual agriculture)
- The promotion of "niche products" in favor of, to promote initiatives in marginal zones
- The promotion of entreprenurial capacities of producers and the improvement of their ability to negotiate
- The dissemination of information
- The promotion of alliances among producers (analyzing first cost-effectiveness)
- Incorporating quality and value added to rural production (with regards to marketing and transformation)
1.4 Regionalization and Consolidation Phase
The preparation and planning of the extension of the project to further countries (Nicaragua and/or El Salvador) will take place during the second semester of the third year. The actual implementation of this extension will then take place during the three years as of 2004. Simultaneously, the Consolidation Phase will be implemented in Honduras. As of 2007 the extension to a third country can be envisaged, possibly while changing the project location. During this phase the project will gradually withdraw from Honduras (Follow-up Phase) while consolidating activities in the second country. After a maximum of 10-12 years the project will be concluded.
1.5 Intervention strategy and instruments
- The project will be active in the agricultural transformation and commercialization chain, primarily through the support of organizations and enterprises that exist and through the support of institutions that are active in the specialized non-financial service market.
- The project will be demand oriented.
- The interventions of the project are oriented towards the promotion of entrepreneurial attitudes, as well as the sale and purchase of services. For this reason the following instruments will be favored: Calls for proposals to identify project partners, performance agreements, performance bonuses, capacity building, advisory services to groups, pilot actions.
- Interventions and incentives implemented by the project will be limited in time and linked to concrete results and products (ex. through performance agreements with Agropymes), aiming at the self-financing of the partner institution.
- The AGROPYME Project will take gender aspects into consideration - that is, the activities to promote production, processing and marketing enterprises will benefit women and men in an equal way. Particular support will be provided to female heads of families, while negative effects of the project on women and children will be avoided.
- The AGROPYME Project will take environmental aspects into consideration - that is, the activities of the project will promote environmentally compatible and sustainable production, processing and marketing processes.
1.6 Principal emphasis and sector orientation of the project
After a comprehensive analysis of the existing agricultural production sectors in Honduras (basic food crops, agro-industry, coffee as central export product, non-traditional products such as fruit, vegetables, ajonjoli, etc.), the non-traditional products were chosen because they represent the largest development potential for small and medium size farmers.
A study has revealed that a service supply for the commercialization agricultural chain exists, albeit not covering the actual demand. For small and medium farmers in this sector, the access to processing and marketing systems is particularly difficult. For this reason, an important need for supporting the demand exists in this sector.
With its strategies the project will contribute indirectly to the reduction of poverty. With its market oriented approach, it will contribute to greater social justice, namely by better integrating small and medium size producers into the market and thus allowing them to achieve higher income.
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