Supporting and strengthening small-scale sugarcane producers in the Ecuadorian subtropics.

  • Country: Ecuador.
  • Location: Bolívar and Cotopaxi Provinces.
  • Duration: July 2016 to May 2019.
  • Participants: 350 vulnerable sugarcane-producing families.
  • Area of specialization: Vocational and micro-entrepreneurship training, Rural market development, Microfinance services for entrepreneurs.

Starting point

Ecuador is a middle-income country thanks to the political stability of recent years. However, there are still rural regions, such as the provinces of Bolívar and Cotopaxi, where poverty and food insecurity affect 90% of the population.

In the case of sugarcane producers, the main problems they face are: low crop productivity, low land ownership and limited land capacity for households, lack of credit and inability to invest in productive improvements, and limited access to the national and international market for the associative enterprise’s production. Furthermore, many of these producers have a low level of education, with 75% having no education or only primary education.

The combination of these factors results in a situation of poverty that prevents them from accessing basic services, such as education and healthcare.

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Objective

Contribute to poverty reduction and the economic and social development of rural communities in the provinces of Bolívar and Cotopaxi dedicated to sugarcane production in the Ecuadorian subtropics. Specifically, improve the income and market access of 350 small-scale sugarcane-producing families.

What is the project about

The development focuses on 3 points:

  • Improving productivity and food security. This is achieved through various actions and technical assistance in the field, including an improved technological package, the development of demonstration plots and family gardens, and the implementation of a supplier plan. With these initiatives, beneficiary families will improve sugarcane crop productivity per hectare by 44% and will have access to a greater variety of foods.
  • The organizational, business, and commercial strengthening of CADO (Consorcio Artesanal Dulce Orgánico), the association to which the participants belong. The association will receive assistance in developing its strategic plan and improving its financial, manufacturing, and marketing processes, among others. These actions, along with the revitalization of the Sugarcane Roundtable and the creation of a Gender Committee, will allow CADO to consolidate its position as a local development player in sugarcane cultivation and in the international market, with at least two of its organic, fair-trade products.
  • Improved access to financing will allow them to invest in their land and tools to achieve higher-quality production. Through coordination with microfinance institutions, products and services tailored to sugarcane producers will be designed, and a savings and credit program will be implemented. This process will allow beneficiaries to access capital to finance the production cycle.

Entities that support this project