Draft:European Cooperative for Rural Development

The European Cooperative for Rural Development (EUCORD) is a Brussels-based non-profit organization incorporated under Dutch cooperative law. EUCORD’s mission is to increase farmers’ capacity to sustainably grow quality crops matched to the commercial needs of the agribusiness sector and in doing so, increase food security, develop the local private sector and improve the livelihoods of rural communities. EUCORD’s vision is to nurture more prosperous and entrepreneurial communities in rural areas  through various project implementations.

EUCORD has experience working in several countries in Africa, helping communities reach their full potential and supporting agri-enterprises that rely on locally sourced materials. EUCORD supports end-to-end value chain development by facilitating access to credit, low-cost and high-quality inputs, and arranging agricultural advisory and training to farmers.

History

In 2001 co-founders Henk Knipscheer and Hans Megens discussed the creation of a new NGO which would collaborate with agribusiness in developing countries and use their untapped potential to pull people out of poverty. EUCORD was registered in 2003 as cooperative in the Netherlands and opened its office in Brussels. The first projects were carried out with Winrock International and the Rabobank Foundation in Mali. EUCORD aims to promote Public-Private Partnerships between civil society organizations, public agencies, and companies in the field of sustainable development in rural Sub-Saharan Africa. EUCORD’s first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project was launched in 2005 to support sorghum value chain development in Ghana and Sierra Leone funded by the Common Fund for Commodities (UN), Diageo and Heineken.

Approach

EUCORD’s main priority is to assist with the development of an efficient and competitive agri-sector, one that is competitive and will produce good quality crops (a) to benefit consumers, and (b) to benefit agro-enterprises. In addition, eliminating imports will benefit the whole economy as scarce foreign currency can be used for more productive (non-human consumption) purposes. EUCORD plays the role of trainer (in good agricultural practices), facilitator (in helping sustained access to improved seed, other inputs and credit), and honest broker (helping with the arrangement and honoring of sales contracts and quality control). Collaboration with the agribusiness sector allows EUCORD to introduce contract farming arrangements. These arrangements provide a secure market for farmers, which makes it more attractive and less risky to invest in improved agricultural practices.

Projects

Some examples of the projects that EUCORD has implemented:

• The West African Sorghum Value Chain Development (WASCD) project, ran from 2006 to 2011 and funded by Common Fund for Commodities, Diageo and Heineken International, aimed to implement a public-private-partnership project that will substantially enhance the sorghum supply chain in both Ghana and Sierra Leone.
• The CREATE (Community Revenue Enhancement through Agricultural Technology Extension) project from 2013-2020 was implemented in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone and funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heineken International and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The goal was to reduce poverty in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone through increasing agricultural capacity in rural households and limiting the dependency on imported commodities.
• The BOOST (Barley Organization of Supply and Training in Southeast and Central Oromia) program, ran from 2020-2023 and funded by International Finance Corporation (IFC) was to enhance the productivity of farmers and the quality of the resulting malt barley to meet Soufflet Malt Ethiopia’s local sourcing objectives in terms of quality grades as well as quantity.
• WABiCC (West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change) project supporting forest-buffer communities.
• The Uhira Wunguke (Irrigate to Win) project, implemented between 2018 and 2022 and funded by Achmea Foundation, aimed to pilot sustainable financing solutions within 19 cooperatives for the introduction of water efficient irrigation technologies in Eastern Rwanda.

Awards

The World Business Development Award (2010) looks for organizations and companies demonstrating clear connections between their business practices and achieving the MDGs. This was awarded to Heineken in partnership with EUCORD for their project in Sierra Leone. EUCORD’s role in this project was to assist Heineken with the development of a sustainable sorghum supply chain in Sierra Leone.