The 15,000-member Nyakatonzi cooperative in Uganda is improving value addition and boosting profits. The cotton cooperative is investing in new oil extraction equipment (co-funded by 2SCALE) that will allow it to process cotton and several types of oilseeds. More than 3,000 farmers are currently involved,…
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Partnerships with two of Uganda’s largest beer manufacturers – Nile and Uganda Breweries – are ensuring that smallholder sorghum farmers have a guaranteed market, and incentives to invest in further improving output and quality. Twenty-one local businesses and more than 25,000 farmers are involved. As…
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The Meki Batu Farmer Union in Ethiopia has long been known for high-quality vegetables. With 2SCALE support, it is now going full-scale commercial, with retail outlets selling its own brand of produce. 2SCALE teams worked with the Union to develop and roll out a new…
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Five new storage facilities for maize, built by local communities with 2SCALE support, were inaugurated in July. The warehouses, with a capacity of 500 to 700 tons, consist of a wooden framework which is then plastered and finished. They were built by members of the…
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Sesame is a valuable commercial crop in north-west Ethiopia; but years of mono-cropping have left soil nutrients depleted and yields declining. 2SCALE works with the Sesame Business Network and CDI-Netherlands to persuade farmers to rotate sesame with other crops such as sorghum. Farmers are aware…
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A large-scale demonstration-and-training program in Kenya is helping to scale out new technologies that will enable small-scale potato farmers to improve yields and quality. The program is led by three private firms: Lachlan (bio-enzymes for seed treatment and crop protection), Bayer (pest and disease management)…
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Low-cost mini-warehouses, designed by 2SCALE and co-funded by the private sector, have helped potato farmers in Kenya prevent storage losses, aggregate produce more efficiently and increase profits. The impacts have been so significant that other development organizations are providing funding to scale out. One example…
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The Eldoret Agribusiness Trade Fair, sponsored by the Netherland Embassy in Kenya, provided a launching pad for new technologies and new business connections between small-scale farmers and private firms. Participants at the September event included Kenyan government agencies, Dutch and US-funded development projects, and the…
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A new partnership was launched earlier this year, aiming to ramp up dairy production and processing in Kenya’s Meru County. The lead partner is dairy firm Feska, which aggregates fresh milk for resale to large-scale processors. Feska already has a dairy farm, a 12,000-liter milk…
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700 Million FCFA (EUR 1,067,142) Available to Improve Factory Operations and Scale Up Plastic Mulching Technology. Through 2SCALE intermediation, the Netherlands cooperative society Oikocredit and Promo Fruits, the largest juice processor in Benin, signed a new credit agreement in the amount of 700 million FCFA…
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Nigeria is an important focus of the 2SCALE program as one of the largest food markets in Africa. The country is developing rapidly with an increasing middle-class. We took the time to interview Michel L.H. Deelen, Head of the Netherlands Embassy in Lagos and Deputy Head of Mission of…
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Ruth Kinoti, managing director (MD) of Shalem Investments in Kenya is clear in her message: a different mindset is an important condition for supporting women’s entrepreneurship and empowerment in the agro-food sector. On 23rd August, Ruth and two of her peers, Ruth Okiror, MD of…
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What difference does it make to be a female entrepreneur in Africa among male peers and the community? Why is it important to support women entrepreneurship? What is the best way of doing so? And what inspiration can women entrepreneurs offer for women leadership and…
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Eldoville Dairies has introduced two new cheese products in Kenya, Black Danbo and flavored Gouda. Danbo is being sold in Kenya for the first time. The new Gouda comes in two flavors, cumin and black pepper. Experts from PUM Netherlands provided advice and training, and…
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Potato trader and seed producer Montesco is the sole agent for Dutch company HZPC in Mozambique. It is also the lead partner in a new initiative to professionalize the potato value chain. The importance of this partnership was reflected in the participation at a recent…
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