iDE (International Development Enterprises) (Ghana)

iDE is an international development organisation that transforms the lives of marginalised communities worldwide by creating lasting income and livelihood opportunities for rural families. They accomplish this by leveraging human-centred data and market research to create functional, inclusive market systems that are flexible enough to adapt to changing market conditions. By harnessing the power of creativity and entrepreneurship on an individual level, iDE develops a deep understanding of the local market and designs products and services to ensure people can benefit from them. They create a lasting impact by delivering system-change solutions to help more than 36 million people become self-reliant.

The Eurofins Foundation has been supporting the “Seeding the Future through Farm Business Advisors (FBAs)” project in Ghana since 2021/2022.

Although 30% of the country’s population is engaged in agriculture, most of that workforce focuses on low-value staple crops. Rural smallholder farmers face challenges to improving profitability, including access to affordable quality inputs, market and pricing information, and financial services, including loans.

iDE’s agricultural programme prepares local market actors for accelerated exposure and the adoption of climate-smart technologies. Since 2010, iDE has impacted 146,000 individuals. It plans to expand its current efforts to reach vulnerable communities within Ghana’s rural regions: Upper West, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti, and Northern.

With the support of the Eurofins Foundation, iDE accelerated the impact of its FBA programme in Ghana— training 25 new FBAs, who received training in climate-smart agriculture and technology. Utilising this training, FBAs are able to share knowledge and training with other farmers in their community, which helps boost productivity and adapt to shifting weather patterns. Additionally, FBAs are connected to trustworthy buyers and reliable markets, so they have a sustainable resource for purchasing quality inputs and selling crops.

Additionally, iDE identified approaches to specifically address the barriers that women face in growing their incomes in Ghana, one of the most significant being access to finance. As a reference, of the 332 Ghanaian farmers reached in 2022, 66% were women. informal credit access, and information sharing. With the support of the Eurofins Foundation, iDE facilitated the creation of 42 VSLA groups with an average of 30 members each.

In 2023/2024, the Eurofins Foundation will continue contributing to this programme.

This project contributes to the following United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals

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