Support options
The more we work together, the larger the impact we can achieve. We are therefore always interested in more supporters of coffee and cocoa producers to work on our belief and reach our goal. We aim to enhance the livelihoods of smallholder coffee & cocoa-producing farm households and to impact their communities. We do this by strengthening weak coffee & cocoa producer organisations so that they can run as professional businesses. We are active in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
Project Assistance
With support between 20,000 and 50,000 euros, we will be able to provide producer organisations with technical assistance on access to markets, access to finance, capacity building, diversification of income and environmental preservation and renovation. Therewith we increase the producer organisations’ capacity to become a sustainable business within the coffee and cocoa value chains.
SETTING UP A ROTATING FUND
With support between 5,000 and 50,000 euros, we will be able to provide producer organisations with a loan and guidance to set up a rotating fund. This loan will enable producer organisations to provide the input finance to their members which banks are unable to do. A rotating fund generates more stable relationships between producers and their producer organisation, brings extra sources of income to the producer organisation and will contribute to capitalization, so they become more attractive to banks and social lenders for (larger) loans.
LONG-TERM FINANCE FOR PRESERVATION AND RENOVATION
With support between 10,000 and 50,000 euros, we will be able to specifically work with the producer organisation and surrounding communities on the preservation and renovation of their environment. We can work on organic agricultural practices, reforestation, carbon credit certification, or the protection of water sources, among others.
TRADE FINANCE LOAN
With support between 10,000 and 300,000 euros we will be able to provide start-up producer organisations with a small loan (working capital) to purchase the products from their members, and therewith start playing a role in the coffee and cocoa value chains. Many producer organisations we work with are not yet able to access loans from banks or social lenders, but working capital is always needed to remain a player in the sector. Contributions on working capital will go into our working capital fund, which we rotate between various producer organisations, depending on their harvest period. If you would like to label your contribution to a specific organisation or group of organisations, this can always be discussed.
Close involvement
In return for your support, we keep you closely updated on the impact of our work. We have a strong monitoring and evaluation system in place which informs you on what has been done with the support and what the result of your contribution is.
Through this monitoring and evaluation system, we closely follow the progress of producer organisations. All assessments will take place in the field, under the supervision of Progreso staff.
Assessments can be carried out on:
- Organizational capacity: we use the MIDCA as a powerful tool to monitor organizational progress,
- Smallholder farm household: we follow the impact on the smallholder farm households’ livelihood status on social, economic and environmental aspects
- Project Impact: we assess the actual impact of the defined activities within the set time-frame and budget of the project.
We also train producer organisations to monitor, evaluate, learn and adapt their approaches for more impact and more effective business development!
The mix of interventions depends on each individual situation. Our job is to build a compelling business case for stakeholders. This can be related to for example arranging a social loan, (upfront) payments for environmental footprint reduction, donor financing, or co-investments in sustainability measures. Where possible and desirable, carbon-finance or other types of ‘payment for ecosystem services are part of the financial structure of the projects. Certifications are included in the projects to promote transparency in the supply chain and to create added value.
ProClimate wants to be a source of learning and inspiration for producer organizations and sectors to choose a similar development path. Measuring the impact of our activities on actors and on ecosystems is, therefore, an important part of ProClimate projects. We work closely with knowledge institutes and the public sector.
Join us
If you are interested in supporting Progreso’s work with coffee and cocoa producer organizations, contact us to discuss possible collaboration.
Are you interested to make a donation to Progreso Foundation? We have been granted our ANBI (“Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling”, or organisation for public benefit) in June, 2020.
This means that we meet the requirements set by the tax authorities for charities. It allows you as a donor and/or company to donate with a tax benefit. We also do not have to pay tax on donations.