Club Med and Agrisud help develop local value chains in 6 countries

Signed in 2008, the collaboration between Club Med and the NGO Agrisud aims to strengthen the value chain through very small agroecological family farms well established in local markets. By organising a lasting match between the local supply of food products and the demands of Club Med resorts, and by ensuring fair remuneration for producers and a strong distribution of added value, this initiative gives the poorest groups access to these markets.

This local development project thus supports local producers in precarious situations living close to Club Med resorts in Senegal, Brazil, Morocco, Indonesia, China and Mauritius. 

Family farms are rarely able to seize the outlet opportunities presented by tourism operators to complement market outlets, and at the same time, many operators want now to develop local value chains. The project intends to facilitate long-term fair-trading partnerships by offering methods and resources that remove the constraints and make stakeholders stronger in order that initiatives can be replicated.  

This project has a positive impact on sustainable economic growth, social inclusiveness, employment and poverty reduction: it contributes to securing fresh, locally sourced products while promoting equal access to economic resources for women through its initiatives in Senegal, which are specifically geared towards women suppliers. 

Environmental protection and resource efficiency are also promoted through the initiative as it encourages producers to use land more sustainably. The project also strives to reduce CO2 impact in terms of carbon sequestration by vegetable and tree-planting and reduction of transportation of produce and other supplies. 

The main results from this initiative and the change it has triggered in these countries will be presented by Agnes Weil on March 22 at the online event: “Let’s meet in the middle: How the central stages of the food value chain shape the way we produce and consume". 

Following the release of the report "Catalysing science-based policy action on sustainable consumption and production: the value-chain approach and its application to food, construction and textiles", this event hopes to illustrate one of the reports’ main messages – that whereas the most significant resource use and environmental impacts are taking place at the production stage, it is the structurally powerful and concentrated middle stages of the value chain which shape to a large degree what farmers produce and sell, and what consumers buy and eat. – through a series of inspiring, real-world examples from the One Planet network and beyond. 

Upcoming value-chain consultations

This webinar will also set the stage for a series of upcoming consultations over the course of 2021, which will take place across the sectors of Food, Construction and Plastics. The first set of consultations will identify innovative business and policy solutions in the Food sector, undertaken through expert workshops each focusing on specific stages of the value chain.  

To get involved in these consultations, you can nominate an expert to participate in the workshops or submit existing initiatives and solutions to have the most comprehensive mapping of initiatives and solutions along the food value chain.