Increasing incomes and food security of small farmers in West and Central Africa through exports of organic and fair-trade tropical products (2005-2009) 

Demand for organic and fair-trade products is increasing on the international market. These markets offer opportunities for small farmer in developing countries.

However, organic and fair-trade markets demand high quality products and farmers need to meet certification requirements. Furthermore, the organic market can be entered only after a conversion period, during which the farmers have higher costs without yet having access to this market.

From 2005 to 2009, the project Increasing incomes and food security of small farmers in West and Central Africa through exports of organic and fair-trade tropical products assisted farmer groups and small exporters to help them overcome these challenges and take advantage of these remunerative markets.

The project was funded by the German government and executed in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal and Sierra Leone. It ended in September 2009. The tools it developed are available online from these pages, in particular the export guide and the market briefs.