Market Access for small farmers: a joint effort for business and NGO

The eFresh Portal

Over the last year the GET Foundation has shown its ability to provide market access for small holders (farmers & cooperatives alike) through the Internet. The www.efreshportal.com  in conjunction with its market making services has proven a very efficient tool for small holders to reach out to buyers world wide. The eFresh Portal is the world largest news-, trading-, and transaction portal for the perishable (Fresh) industries.

A joint effort

While NGO’s have succeeded in many capacity building projects, market access has proven to be the most difficult problem to solve. The GET Foundation has succeeded in bridging the gap between the NGO needs (market access) and the professional services available by commercial organisations such as GET NV (builders of the eFresh Portal). The GET Foundation believes that the portal can deliver much more than market access! For small holders to succeed in the international trade, certification and trade finance are essential pre-conditions to be successful in the international business.

Going forward

The GET Foundation held a conference in April to share its experiences and to discuss possibilities to intensify joint efforts to maximize and speed up the number of small holders using the eFresh Portal.

IICD participation

Stijn van der Krogt of IICD participated in this conference. In a video he explains how the eFresh Portal can benefit farmers in Bolivia. IICD will be supporting six partner organisations in Bolivia and Ecuador to export their produce via the eFresh Portal.

Also listen to six other opinion leaders from different sectors speaking about how the eFreshPortal can be used as a tool for market access for small scale farmers in developing countries.