[{"bbox": [70, 147, 1128, 584], "category": "Table", "text": "<table><tr><td></td><td>gender cultural-social norms and beliefs</td><td></td><td></td><td>sessions on gender equality and inclusion as well as women's rights will be promoted.</td></tr><tr><td>Risks related to legality and regularity aspects</td><td>Delays in procurements for works / supplies; risks of corruption</td><td>L</td><td>L</td><td>The procurement processes will be managed by an organisation with extensive expertise in implementing technical assistance, works and supplies contracts, specialised in the context of international trade, and according to international best practices. Joint monitoring with provincial/national counterparts will also be assured.</td></tr><tr><td>Risks related to the external environment</td><td>Climatic risk - Weather patterns are erratic and irrigation hardly available for smallholders.</td><td>M</td><td>M</td><td>The Action precisely aims at addressing this issue through transition to more drought tolerant crops and sustainable practices.</td></tr></table>"}, {"bbox": [81, 591, 240, 616], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## Lessons Learnt:"}, {"bbox": [81, 630, 1119, 685], "category": "Text", "text": "The Action builds upon the experiences and lessons learnt from previous EU investments and from projects funded by other development partners, which include the following points:"}, {"bbox": [102, 689, 1119, 850], "category": "List-item", "text": "* A **comprehensive approach to value chain development, locally adapted and driven by sustainability principle**, is crucial to ensure impact of the foreseen investments. Unless all aspects of a value chain are addressed, bottlenecks or killing assumptions will hamper the achievements of project's outcomes. In particular, the commercial development of crops are essential for their success. Traditional grains have failed because the market was small by insufficient processing, packing and promotion and this despite the recognition that they are more drought resistant and potentially a higher productivity;"}, {"bbox": [102, 855, 1119, 989], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Experiences show that **linking farmers to markets** through arrangements that offer predictable and reliable market access including for the provision of inputs and extension services have resulted in significant production and productivity increases. There is the need to establish strong linkages between smallholder farmers and the private sector, including exporters, processors, and buyers, to ensure that farmers have access to markets and receive fair prices for their crops;"}, {"bbox": [102, 994, 1119, 1155], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Regarding private sector development in agriculture/horticulture, one key lesson is the importance of **building the capacity of smallholder farmers** to meet the stringent quality and safety requirements of international markets. This includes providing training on best practices in crop production, post-harvest handling, and quality control. Also programmes often underestimate that competitiveness of firms is often compromised by **inadequate basic business skills** (e.g. accounting, financial management, and record keeping). Access to quality technical know-how and support services is limited especially in rural areas;"}, {"bbox": [102, 1160, 1119, 1267], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Rural infrastructures are key for competitiveness: poor road conditions in the rural areas constrain the entire agriculture value chains due to the resulting high transport costs and lack of seasonal access. This is further constrained by the lack of storage facilities to allow the conservation of the produce during these periods;"}, {"bbox": [596, 1637, 619, 1661], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "18"}]