Alliances for Action
Overview
Summary
Putting the VALUE back in value chains
Alliances for Action (A4A) is an ITC initiative that aims to transform agricultural value chains and promote sustainable food production by honoring the value that smallholder farmers and SMEs contribute to agri-food value chains. A4A aims not only to improve stakeholders’ financial wellbeing, but also to promote equity, sustainability, and inclusion throughout these food systems.
An A4A development project typically begins by working with farmers, processors, and distributors from across a value chain to identify gaps in the healthy functioning of a food system. Then, working cooperatively, value chain stakeholders share market information, create opportunities to increase expertise, and cultivate mutually beneficial commercial relationships. Stakeholder groups and institutions from across a value chain are included in the consultation, implementation, and governance phases of every development project.
Partners
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
World Bank
The Smallholder and Agri-SME Finance and Investment Network (SAFIN)
International Coffee Organization
Caribbean Forum of ACP States
Caribbean Export Development Agency
Pacific Community
Agence des Cafés Robusta d'Afrique et de Madagascar (ACRAM)
Sustainable Development Goals
Projects
Ghana: Developing cocoa and associated crops through the Sankofa Project empowered by Alliances for Action
Since 2016, ITC in cooperation with its partners- Chocolats Halba (Coop), the Kuapa Kokoo
Caribbean: Development of value added products and intra-regional trade to enhance livelihoods from coconuts II
The overall objective of the Action (Alliances for Coconut Industry Development for the
Senegal: Alliances for Value Addition in Cashew Nut (NTF V)
In September 2021, The Government of the Netherlands and the International Trade Centre
Ethiopia: Building Alliances for Action in Coffee from seed to cup (NTF V)
In September 2021, The Government of the Netherlands and the International Trade Centre
Ghana: Building Alliances for Action in Cocoa from bean to bar (NTF V)
In September 2021, The Government of the Netherlands and the International Trade Centre
ACP Business-friendly: Supporting value chains through inclusive policies, investment promotion and alliances
In 2018, the ACP Secretariat, the EC, together with ITC, UNIDO and the World Bank
Eswatini: Promoting growth through competitive alliances I
Project Summary: CountryKingdom of EswatiniDuration5 yearsPeriodOctober 2020 – October
Partnerships as a catalyzer for collective action
A4A does not work alone to achieve these outcomes. In seven projects for value chain development, A4A engages hundreds of stakeholders across 35 countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. Together with our partners, we seek to build more sustainable and competitive conditions at every step across agricultural value chains. A4A’s team of specialists represents 35 nationalities with a diversity of backgrounds and expertise. This professional capacity enables A4A to maintain a strong presence in the field, with a focus on project implementation.
Through our unique, participatory approach, A4A cultivates the conditions for stakeholder partnerships to emerge, which collectively lead to ongoing, scalable improvement in the health of agricultural value chains, the sustainability of food systems, and thereby in the well-being of smallholder farmers and SMEs. In this way, A4A works beyond the scope of individual projects by facilitating ongoing learning and collaborative action among value chain actors to advance the achievement of more equitable global agri-value chains.
Thanks to digitalization, it has never been easier for individuals and organizations to connect and collaborate to tackle complex issues and create meaningful change.
Coffee Sustainability Initiatives Map
The Coffee Sustainability Initiatives Map is an interactive tool that provides more visibility on sustainability and support initiatives in coffee producing countries around the world. Users can discover what is being done, where, and by whom in the coffee sector. The Coffee Sustainability Initiatives Map is co-created and requested by members of the International Coffee Organization’s Coffee Public-Private Task Force and the International Trade Centre through the Coffee Guide Network, supported with co-funding from the European Union and ITC. The collective effort shows how collaboration can result in practical resources for collective action.
