Inclusive Business Sweden, IBS, is a non-profit organisation and part of a global network of labs in 22 countries that supports organisations in the development of sustainable, innovative and inclusive business models. IBS is also working with the “Base of the Pyramid”, BoP, – the 4 billion individuals living on under $8 a day.
In May, SIANI started a new collaboration with IBS as Co-leads for the Agriculture and Forestry Sector of the Inclusive Business Co-creation Accelerator – a 3-year programme, in collaboration between IBS, SP Technical Research Institute and LU Open Innovation Centre, funded by Vinnova. The Goal of the programme is to support collaborative creation of sustainable, inclusive business models, in six sectors: Agriculture and forestry, healthcare, energy, water and sanitation, ICT, and textiles and clothing, taking advantages of Swedish capabilities to meet the needs of the BoP.
Within the Agriculture and Forestry sector the ambition has been set to collaboratively improve the efficiency and income of 10 million smallholders while enabling associated processing and supply chain.
IBS vision is that by 2020, Swedish business is playing a leading role in addressing the global challenges of poverty – enhancing agricultural productivity, enabling access to energy, water, sanitation, healthcare and communications, improving environmental sustainability, and creating jobs both at home and abroad.
Inclusive Business Forum 2015
The 20th of May, with the participation of Hans Rosling and Iqbal Z. Quadir as key note speakers, over 180 participants from the Private Sector, Civil Society and Government meet at the Forum. Inclusive Business Co-creation Accelerator platform was then launching. SIANI and IBS facilitated a session to identify the barriers and opportunities for the Agiculture and Forestry sector and set the priorities for the work plan of the sector.
Agriculture and forestry session
A variety of representatives from The ministry of foreign affairs, IKEA and Peepoople discussed IBS´s ambitions for the sector to improve the efficiency and income of 10 Million smallholders while enabling associated processing and supply chains.
Although the group thought the target was achievable, they mentioned that engaging 10 million small holders will require a truly inclusive and local involvement in order to connect and link people and business. They consider that Swedish input is very small considering the size of the challenge and the imminent need to collaborate with other countries.
Main priorities identified:
- Participative empowerment: Facilitate access to new technology, including biotechnology, e.g, new seed varieties, capacity building in value chain management and markets, taking into account the needs of the farmers and involving them during the whole process.
- Identify good practices and develop guidelines and tools to support Inclusive Business
- Market data access/traceability: Create transparency along the supply chain and access to market information is important both for producers to understand the demand and adapt their production to the market, to be informed about the market development and get fair prices; but also to consumers to be able to choose products from inclusive, sustainable companies.
- Capacity building for Swedish SMEs on how to make business in Africa/Asia (tool kit, dating site)
Would you like to be part of this challenge? Then join Inclusive Business Sweden and the programme sector lead SIANI at the Inclusive Business Alliance for the Agriculture and Forestry!