Our Expertise and Services: Sustainable and Inclusive Economies
Helvetas seeks to increase the income, job opportunities and food and nutrition security of disadvantaged women and men. For this purpose, we collaborate with the private sector, associations and governments. We support them to provide affordable services and inputs, ensure sustainable resource management and improve market access.
Why sustainable and inclusive economies matter
It is our commitment to improving livelihoods and the resilience of disadvantaged women and men in developing nations. The global demand for food supplies from rural areas has reached a historic high. Helvetas promotes sustainable agriculture practices that are profitable, environmentally sound and beneficial for communities. It offers the opportunity to provide affordable food to a growing population by maintaining access to fertile land, forests and water in a context of a changing climate. Inclusive economic development offers all members of society access to economic opportunities
What we do
By increasing efficiency for both farm and non-farm market systems, Helvetas enhances incomes, job opportunities, as well as food and nutrition security. We support people in getting access to natural resources – such as land and water – and to rural advisory and financial services.
Helvetas helps develop local markets and certified agricultural commodity chains, including organic rice and cocoa. We also strengthen labor market systems to create jobs and launch enterprises, with special attention paid to disadvantaged groups, like women and youth.
We recognize the important role of the private sector in innovation and economic growth, both integral elements in enhancing social and political stability in our partner countries.
Helvetas also advocates for sustainable, fair, resilient and environmentally sound production and consumption systems that provide rural and urban populations with sufficient and nutritious food.
What we offer
The Sustainable and Inclusive Economies advisory services team is consulting Helvetas’ programs as well as external clients in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
- Expertise in sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition, sustainable market systems and private sector development, and financial inclusion.
- Long-standing experience in linking producers with markets of certified produce (such as organic and fair trade value chains) and in facilitating knowledge sharing.
- Advice on designing internal control and quality management systems as per the requirements of the market.
- Training and capacity building on market systems development / making markets work for the poor (M4P).
- Establishing and implementing private-public development partnerships that benefit disadvantaged women and men to increase income, employment and food and nutrition security.
- Advice on financial inclusion, in particular, the strengthening of self-help credit and saving programs, the institutional development of rural microfinance institutions and value chain finance.
Contact our team
Our multilingual advisory team offers wide-ranging thematic expertise and has in-depth experience in navigating complex processes. Helvetas’ work builds on over 60 years of experience in more than 30 countries.
Contact our sustainable and inclusive economies experts
Selected projects
Helvetas develops and guides projects. To be sustainable, they must be locally embedded. We support our partners in effectively organizing projects and processes and assist local authorities to better assume their responsibilities.
Further information
Download and read our publications on different sustainable and inclusive economies related topics.
Links
- Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems
- WAPRO – Multi-stakeholders join forces to enhance water productivity
- Fair and Good – for People and Planet
- Organic Cotton Experiences
- Bellagio Statement on Postharvest Management
- From Famine Relief to Resilient Food Systems
- Ways to improve People’s Nutrition in Mountain Agro-ecosystems
Publications
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Summary Rural Economy Strategy 2012-2016PDF (1.86 MB)
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Rural Economy Working Area LeafletPDF (1.89 MB)
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Working Area Strategy Rural Economy - SummaryPDF (0.78 MB)
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Rural Advisory Services and International CooperationPDF (16.43 MB)
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Food Security and Food Sovereignty - Position PaperPDF (0.54 MB)
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Food Security and Food Sovereignty - Issue SheetPDF (0.46 MB)
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Food Security - Every Drop CountsPDF (0.76 MB)
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How To Go Organic - Organic Cotton Sourcing GuidePDF (1.9 MB)
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Organic Cotton Experiences - Learnings and recommendations from Mali, Burkina Faso and KyrgyzstanPDF (14.07 MB)
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Organic Cotton Improves Livelihood - Impact study on organic and Fairtrade cotton in KyrgyzstanPDF (0.53 MB)
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Organic Cotton Changes Producers' LivesPDF (0.78 MB)
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Impact Assessment of a Farmer-to-Farmer Approach in NepalPDF (2.93 MB)
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Factsheet Organic and Fairtrade Rice in India and ThailandPDF (0.82 MB)
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The Hanoi Statement on Rural Advisory Service SystemsPDF (0.58 MB)
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Multi Stakeholders join Forces to achieve Quantum Leaps in Water ProductivityPDF (0.75 MB)
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Topic Sheet: Village Savings & Loans Associations (VSLAS)PDF (4.68 MB)
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Building economic resilience through Systemic response to COVID-19PDF (0.26 MB)
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Enhancing Water Productivity Using Push Pull Policy ApproachPDF (0.19 MB)
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Guideline - Assessing Climate Risks and Vulnerabilities in Market SystemsPDF (0.98 MB)
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Rural Finance - Position PaperPDF (1.27 MB)
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Collaborating with the Private Sector - Position PaperPDF (0.5 MB)
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Impact of Advisory Services on Profitability of FarmersPDF (1.94 MB)
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Empower Farmers - Build Capacity of Service ProvidersPDF (0.36 MB)
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Farmers Rising Out of PovertyPDF (2.74 MB)
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"Voice and Choice" Rural Advisory Services in Kyrgyzstan 2012PDF (14.46 MB)
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Local Market Development Project Kyrgyzstan/TajikistanPDF (1.28 MB)
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Gainful Employment from a Culture of Hospitality – The Kyrgyz WayPDF (0.67 MB)
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Capitalisation of Experiences of the Local Market Development Project in KyrgyzstanPDF (3.18 MB)
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Nuts – a High-Value, Nutritional Crop for Income Generation in Rural AreasPDF (0.98 MB)
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Key Achievements of the Rural Livelihood Development Programme (RLDP), TanzaniaPDF (0.45 MB)
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Contract Farming in Tanzania's Central Corridor - Lessons from the RLDP TanzaniaPDF (1.16 MB)
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Contract Farming in Tanzania's Central Corridor - Short VersionPDF (0.3 MB)
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Gender Mainstreaming in Tanzania's Central Corridor - Lessons from the RLDP TanzaniaPDF (0.28 MB)
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Gender Mainstreaming in Tanzania's Central Corridor - Short VersionPDF (0.28 MB)
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Programme Management for Market Systems Development Approaches - Lessons from the RLDP TanzaniaPDF (1.34 MB)
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Programme Management for Market Systems Development Approaches - Short VersionPDF (0.32 MB)
