The Organic & Fairtrade Competence Centre

Organic & Fairtrade Competence Centre

HELVETAS

• Helvetas and Organic & Fairtrade

• Mandate of the OFTCC

• Activities 2009

• SECO Leverage fund

www.organicandfair.org

OFTCC SC meeting, 25 February 2009HELVETAS

Rice (2006)

Vegetables and fruits (2005)

Cotton(2003) Coffee

(2002)Cotton(2004)

Cotton(2002)

Cotton(2004)

Cotton(2008)

Cocoa (2009)

Cocoa (2009)

Mango(2002)

Cotton(2009)

Overview of Helvetas organic & fairtrade projects

Cocoa (2009)

Pineapple(2005)

OFTCC SC meeting, 25 February 2009HELVETAS

Objective: Provide competent services to new and existing OFT value chains.

Funding (Phase II)• 40% SECO• 28% Helvetas• 32% others

The mandate of the OFTCC

OFTCC SC meeting, 25 February 2009HELVETAS

1) Knowledge management (info, tools, CoPs, websites etc.)

2) Value chain and market development (coordination, strategies, new stakeholders, market development)

3) Sensitizing stakeholders and aligning initiatives (events, media work, coordination with other networks and initiatives)

Working areas of the OFTCC

OFTCC SC meeting, 25 February 2009HELVETAS

• Development of extension and management tools (ICS, crop guide, calendar for farmers etc.)• Stakeholder coordination organic cotton, MoUs, GPP• Preparations for OC website, campaign, congress, cocoa programme• Consultancy missions China, Laos, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Mali• New mandates (ICCO, Coop, China, City of Zurich etc.)• Contribution to events: IFOAM, Organic Exchange, ICAC, SECE etc.

Main achievements in 2008

OFTCC SC meeting, 25 February 2009HELVETAS

Highlights 2009

• Launch organic cotton web platform and CoP• Start of organic & fairtrade cocoa programme• Campaign to promote organic cotton• World congress on organic cotton in Interlaken• OFT value chain workshop and guide

OFTCC SC meeting, 25 February 2009HELVETAS

Global Organic Cotton Community Platform

Detailed information about organic cotton through links to existing resources

Information gaps closed with additional topics and tools

Provides an interactive virtual space and online discussion tool to communicate about organic cotton issues.

OFTCC SC meeting, 25 February 2009HELVETAS

Organic & fairtrade cocoa programme

• Multi-country & multi-stakeholder programme with 3 components

• Country-wise implementations(pillars)

• Stakeholder and market platform for the North (roof)

• Countries:Vietnam, Ghana, Honduras (start 09)Indonesia (planning 09)

• Contributors:SECO, Coop / Halba, Ford Foundation, Rabobank Foundation

• Knowledge management and exchange between producer groups (base)

OFTCC SC meeting, 25 February 2009HELVETAS

Campaign to promote organic cotton

• Posters in CH• Point of sales promotion

• Web site with shop-map• Media coverage

OFTCC SC meeting, 25 February 2009HELVETAS

World congress on organic cotton

21 – 25 September 2009 Casino Kursaal, Interlaken

400 international practitioners working on new business & partnership models in organic cotton value chains

> 32 workshops> Marketplace: 40 - 50 exhibitors> Ethical fashion show> Company flash presentations> Gala dinner on the lake of Thun> Company & store visits

From Fashion to Sustainability

OFTCC SC meeting, 25 February 2009HELVETAS

OFT value chain workshop and guide

• Joint project of ICCO and OFTCC• Embedded in compre- hensive process• Participants and experts from 23 countries• Use of web 2.0 tools (pbwiki, dgroup, tagging)• Presentation of draft guide at OC-Congress

Need assessment, common issues

Selection of participants

Agenda setting, „State of the art“

Learning and exchange

Elaboration of guide and tools

Distribution, web site, trainings

OFTCC SC meeting, 25 February 2009HELVETAS

SECO Leverage Fund: „Organic & Fairtrade for Development“

• Objective: Support organic and fairtrade commodity initiatives in least developed countries• Conditions:

– development orientation– convincing business case– private sector involvemen

• Contribution: max. 50% of budget, max. 500‘000 CHF in 3 years• OFTCC supports preparation of proposals, submission to SECO

For details: see Leverage Fund Guidelines, www.organicandfair.org