Inclusive business: a viable option for cassava farmers

SNV in Lao PDR has been partnering with CIAT in Champassak and Salavan provinces to support an inclusive business model for the farming of cassava. The IBC project has been operating since 2013, and has seen an increasing number of smallholder farmers and local enterprises benefitting from the business model introduced by SNV. In total for the years 2013 and 2014, there were 47 target villages with 2,275 heads of household registered as the members of the project.

Previously, traditional cassava cultivation practices produced low yields, with small roots, and farmers found it difficult to access the market. The IBC project intervention has included raising awareness of farmers, farmer group formation, cassava production techniques training, and cassava sales. Smallholder farmers who participate in the project are able to benefit from increased capacity and skills in farming as well as support from a business standpoint.

The project is working to create close relationships between these farmers and local enterprises and processors. Since the project began, it has strengthened the relationship between buyers and producers and built a greater awareness of all of the opportunities that exist along the cassava value chain. This intervention is part of a multi-country project, also operating in Vietnam and Cambodia, supported by IFAD. See what local farmers and businesspeople participating in the IBC project have to say first-hand by watching our video on the project.