The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) have officially commenced the third phase of the Green Commodities Programme (GCP) in Peru, Indonesia, Malaysia, Ghana, Brazil, a project that is focused on the increasing of productive and sustainable practice in agriculture. This program chaired in 2010 was directed at promoting agricultural products that are both environmentally friendly and ethical at the global level, and thus, gave society, the economic, and ecological environment a positive influence. The worldwide demand for foods that are environmentally friendly is on the rise, but the producer countries are still grappling with the negative consequences such as environmental degradation, rural poverty, climate change, and new trade barriers.
These foundation stones present serious d’edpouse to current production models as well as import settings such that they force the younger generations to leave the farming zones. Transforming the agricultural sector involves the participation among multiple stakeholders, specifically but not limited to private sector, public administration, civil society, academia, finance, and development institutions.
Absence in any of these areas besides the fact that many of the specific stakeholders usually working in isolation are key areas where many countries do not have the required instruments to form a common vision.
The GCP plans to get rid of these problems through directing participative initiatives among the stakeholders in the five selected countries, thus allowing them to construct sectors that are more sturdy. The II phase will uncover the major initiatives in each country:
– Indonesia: The project will include the main regulations of the National Action Plan for Sustainable Palm Oil (NAP SPO) among the key ministries, ensuring NAPs, and calling in private group and shadow government. The trade agreement was signed between the European Free Trade Association and Indonesia, which creates the conditions under which Indonesia will sell sustainably produced goods abroad.
– Peru: Some of the initiatives that will be done are the Coffee National Action – Plan and the National Development Plan for Cocoa and Chocolate, among others. It includes issues such as low productivity, deforestation, and inadequate governance.
Strengthening of governance structures at the regional level also is in the plan, the three regions are Cajamarca, Cusco, Piura.
– Brazil: The focus will be on agricultural deforestation mainly associated with beef and soy production, a major cause of degradation to the Cerrado region
– Ghana: Ghana has been a significant cocoa producer, but it has faced the issue of low farmer incomes, and it is also looking to the sector for value-added opportunities.
– Malaysia: The state will also look into the threats against the biodiversity of the country by the logging and oil palm expansion, and the oil palm is the fast-growing plant in the country which makes the establishment of the plant go fast.
– The major move is focused primarily on forging multiple stakeholder partnerships to tackle these barriers, wherein national and local government, the private sector, and global stakeholders are key players. The enterprise, which has a systems perspective at its center, strives to bring about change that is sustainable and holistic, and it will do so by addressing various problems such as environmental issues, poverty, farm income stabilization, and gender equality in agricultural commodity systems.
– UNDP and SECO’s dedication to generating positive growth in the food and agriculture industry has been highlighted in the launching of the new CP phase. “Through the UNDP, we have found great joy in the continuation of our partnership” said the head of SECO commercial promotion, Monica Rubiolo. The goal of the initiative is for the project to increase collaboration with Swiss partners and promote private sector inclusivity.