Grains for Growth
Target Impact
61,800 (60% Women) Youth in Work.
IDH seeks to transform markets through collaborative innovation, convening, and investment in inclusive and sustainable solutions that enable businesses to create value for people and the planet. To achieve this, IDH brings together coalitions of committed stakeholders from across global value chains towards joint visions and program agendas for sustainable trade.
IDH’s international presence extends to multiple regions and landscapes, facilitated by a network of around 400 staff, including experts, who are embedded in key agricultural, manufacturing, apparel, and commodity value chains. In 15 years of operation, IDH has mobilized private sector investment and support to test and innovate new business models designed to create better jobs, better incomes, a better environment, and gender equity for all.
Status: Active
Country
Ghana
Period
Sep 2021- Mar 2025
Industries
Agriculture
Impact to Date
20,924
20,924 smallholder farmers have been supported.
105,093
105,093 on-farm jobs have been supported.
70,725
Of those, 70,725 are Youth in Work.
2
Two premium off-takers (Nestle and Guinness) have been onboarded.
1200
Regenerative agriculture has been piloted with 1,200 smallholder farmers.
++
Increased revenues and crop yields for SMEs.
Partnership Focus
Provide close support to 12 selected SMEs to improve capacity to supply to premium off-takers.
Provide support to smallholder farmers in adopting Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) accessing high-quality inputs and mechanization solutions (farm-level and primary processing) and including the introduction of climate-smart and regenerative agriculture approaches to improve soil health and farm resilience.
Support SMEs to develop and scale their businesses through advisory support and facilitating market linkages with premium buyers.
Develop digitalization approaches to support smallholder farmer engagement, advisory services, market information, and access to financing solutions.
In Partnership With
Grains production in Northern Ghana is largely characterized by informal supply chains, where actors have limited access to affordable financing solutions, mechanized farming, and quality agro-inputs. These constraints have a negative impact on the quality and volume of grain production, the ability of SMEs to attract and maintain premium-paying buyers, which results in limited commercial investments. With increasing local consumption demands for grains in Ghana, a rising import dependency, and local raw-material sourcing interests, there is significant opportunity to support the development and commercialization of the grains sector in northern Ghana to facilitate economic growth and job creation. The Mastercard Foundation partnered with IDH in 2021 to contribute to the development of the grains sector – particularly the maize, rice, millet, fonio, and sorghum supply chains, support the inclusion of smallholder farmers and create jobs with a central focus on women and youth empowerment.
Contact Information
For more information, visit: IDH – the Sustainable Trade Initiative