Nuremberg, 8 February 2013 - The World Organic Trade Fair - BioFach 2013 (Nuremberg 13 – 16 February 2013), in coordination with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Ethical and Environmental Certification Institute (ICEA) and the Sustainable Commodity Initiative (SCI), is pleased to invite journalists to a seminar on : “Seeking buyers to secure sustainable supply chains: ” Linking poor rural smallholders and buyers through sustainable Public-Private Partnerships” (PPPs).

The seminar will highlight how the IFAD-supported programme “Strengthening Smallholders’ Access to Markets for Certified Sustainable Products” (SAMCERT) is developing value chain partnerships through sustainable certification processes.

IFAD project staff from Ghana, Liberia and Sao Tome and Principe will join representatives from the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and Fairtrade International, and private companies to share their knowledge and experience of successful partnerships between poor smallholder farmers in developing countries and the private sector, and to debate the strategic role of organizations like IFAD in supporting such processes.

WHEN: Thursday February 14, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

WHERE: Budapest Room, BioFach Forum – Nürnberg Messe, Messezentrum 90471 Nuremberg

WHO:

• Andrea Serpagli, Country Programme Manager for Sao Tome and Principe (IFAD)
• David Cuming, Co-coordinator, Sustainable Commodity Initiative (SCI) and SAMCERT
• Harriet Lamb, Chief Executive Officer (Fairtrade International)
• Markus Arbenz, Executive Director (IFOAM)
• Michele Maccari, International Cooperation Projects Manager, ICEA
• Roberto Longo, Technical Adviser on Farmers’ Organizations and Markets (IFAD)
• Volkert Engelsman, Chief Executive Officer (EOSTA)
• Vladimiro Adelmi, Organic and Fairtrade Private Labels Brand Manager (Coop Italia)(IFOAM)
• IFAD Project Representatives from Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe and Ghana.

Media Alert No: IFAD/03/2013

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) works with poor rural people to enable them to grow and sell more food, increase their incomes and determine the direction of their own lives. Since 1978, IFAD has invested almost US$14.3 billion in grants and low-interest loans to developing countries through projects empowering about 400 million people to break out of poverty, thereby helping to create vibrant rural communities. IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized UN agency based in Rome – the United Nations’ food and agriculture hub. It is a unique partnership of 169 members from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), other developing countries and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).