Supporting projects in developing and emerging countries

Launching a project abroad is often no easy undertaking. Facing this challenge are mainly companies that want to start, for example, a cropping and processing project in countries outside Europe. What they need is experience, good contacts or competent advice. Win-Win GmbH, Agency for Global Responsibility, has been cooperating for over 15 years with a whole variety of companies to ensure profitability and social engagement in developing and emerging countries. Working with the companies themselves, the agency develops tailor-made projects and over a hundred have been successfully launched. The German Investment and Development Company (DEG), is an important partner for financing projects.

Picture: Organising logistics is often a challenge in projects abroad. Photo Win-Win GmbH, Agency for Global Responsibility,

The specifically targeted projects that the Win-Win Agency and companies jointly develop cover, for example, organic and fair trade certification of suppliers, implementing transparency and  traceability procedures, establishing direct supply chains and devising codes of conduct and the corresponding training. In this way, social and ecological projects can be set up in a particular location and CSR communication by the participating companies strengthened. Win-Win also helps firms to apply for their own public co-funding for a project. Win-Win is an IFOAM partner and is currently working with bioC on a global organic database.

Cooperation with conventional and organic companies

Among the organic projects supported in recent years was banana cropping in the Dominican Republic by BioTropic GmbH in Duisburg (see our report http://bio-markt.info/berichte/Projekte_in_Westafrika_Dominikanischen_Republik.html). BioTropic was also involved in introducing organic agriculture in Ivory Coast. Working together with the international fruit importing company InterWeichert in Hamburg, another organic banana project (crossing an indigenous and a commercial banana variety) was set up in Ecuador.

Reforestation in Costa Rica was an issue they tackled with the company Querdenker. Their VisionsWald project is an offer to companies that would like to promote certified reforestation, environmental protection and sustainable use of the rainforest in Costa Rica and, at the same time, they would be supporting further innovative projects for the benefit of people and nature. The objective of a project implemented in conjunction with the Intersnack Group in Tanzania was to create a sustainable supply chain for cashew nuts. The focus of a project currently operating in Ghana is cultivating organic ginger for both exporting and the domestic market.

The Win-Win Agency has also been active in the aquaculture sector. A joint project with Ristic has succeeded in introducing organic prawn farming. Win-Win drew up the plans for the project. It is Win-Win that engages experts on location and is carrying out a PR campaign together with the consultancy komm.passion.

Picture: Aquaculture project by the company Ristic. Photo Ristic

Sekem is an example of involvement by DEG

Sekem is outstanding in the organic industry and is always being praised for its activities in the Egyptian desert: organic cropping in the middle of the desert, around 2000 jobs, educational and training facilities, a medical centre and much more have been achieved. We learn that DEG has been funding and advising Sekem for more than 20 years and has made about 18.5 million euros available for various investments.

For its almost 40-year commitment to preventing soil erosion and to recovering soil in the desert by means of organic cultivation Sekem recently received the Land for Life Award of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

The German Investment and Development Company (DEG) is a 100 percent subsidiary of the KFW Bank Goup and it finances investment by private companies in developing and emerging countries. It promotes the creation of private sector enterprises like Sekem. KFW is a state-owned development bank and operates on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Federal States of Germany.

Further information:
Win-Win

KFW/DEG