Support to São Tomé and Príncipe’s agricultural export crops

The dynamics generated around the export ranks over the last decades have played an essential role for the development of São Tomé and Príncipe, proving to be one of the main axes of the country’s development strategy, both for its role in the food and nutritional security of the population, as well as in the economic and financial balance.

The intervention strategy is based on a systemic view of the export sector. In addition to the direct strengthening of production and quality, and the promotion of the commercialization of export crops, the focus on these crops must also be to promote the resilience of the system as a whole, in its connection to the socio-economic conditions of producers, to environmental sustainability, to the attractiveness of the rural world of Santomense, and to the promotion of diversification and innovation in the context of agroforestry systems and the local market.

BENEFICIARIES:

Direct:

• 3,000 cocoa, coffee, pepper and coconut producers;
• 15 rural entrepreneurs;
• 5 cooperatives and 85 producer associations;
• 40 employees and staff of MAPDR, CADR and CIAT central services;
• 500 people through socio-community initiatives.

Indirect:

• 12,000 people, family members and rural communities from whom direct beneficiaries come.

OBJECTIVES:

Overall: strengthening the economy and creating jobs in São Tomé and Príncipe, in the sector of agricultural export crops.

Specific: training of actors in the sector and creating conditions to improve quality and sustainably increase the amount of national production of traditional export crops; consolidation of access and recognition of agricultural export crops in foreign markets.

ACTIVITIES:

Improvement of the planning and intervention capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development (MAPDR – Ministério da Agricultura, Pescas e Desenvolvimento Rural).

• Provision of follow-up to MAPDR in the realization of the General Agricultural Census (RGAP);
• MAPDR website update;
• Updating the legal framework of cooperatives;
• Strengthening the capacity of the main actors in the agricultural sector in gender equality.

Strengthening of state support structures (research and extension) for the provision of useful services to the different actors in the agricultural export sector.

• Training of the Rural Development Support Center (CADR – Centro de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Rural);
• Support to the Center for Agronomic and Technological Research (CIAT -Centro de Investigação Agronómica e Tecnológica) of São Tomé and Príncipe.

Adaptation of agricultural productivity to climate change and sustainable increase in the profitability of production units in export crops, through the development of production support infrastructure, the training of actors in the rural world and the promotion of innovation.

• Implementation of an action plan on agroecological practices;
• Promotion and dissemination of the contents of the action plan on agroecological practices, through training actions by audiovisual modules, a manual of agroecological practices, international exchanges and sharing of successful models;
• Support to cooperatives, associations and producers in increasing production;
• Implementation of small-scale water collection and irrigation systems for pepper production;
• Creation of means for the improvement of the quality of São Tomé pepper;
• Support for coffee-producing communities;
• Strengthening the governance capacity of producer organizations;
• support to third parties to promote producer organisations, socio-community initiatives and income-generating activities;
• Promotion of new productive activities for the creation of income-generating alternatives within the framework of agroforestry systems in the export ranks.

Consolidation of the insertion of products from São Tomé and Príncipe in the local and foreign markets, through its greater recognition by foreign and domestic buyers/ consumers.

• Marketing support;
• Support for the implementation of the Geographical Indication (IG) certification;;
• Promotion of new finished products from the productive activities of the export crops;
• Promotion of the organoleptic characteristics of cocoa from São Tomé and Príncipe.

NEWS