The Efico Fund, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation, was setup with the purpose of improving the living conditions of poor communities producing coffee and/or cocoa in developing countries.
The Fund is responsible for selecting and monitoring projects and for distributing financial support. Projects contribute directly or indirectly to the structural and sustainable improvement of poor populations that produce coffee and/or cocoa in developing countries. The projects may also involve humanitarian aid and rehabilitation activities for the poor in these countries.
In this context, applications are now permanently invited from eligible projects till October 1, 2012 for the Efico fund.
Funding Size
Projects can be supported one or more years with a maximum amount of 20.000 € per year. The jury can grant an exception if this is well-founded in the project application.
Eligibility
The project must aim to provide sustainable development for poor populations that produce coffee and/or cocoa in developing countries. This assumes that the project will satisfy three dimensions of sustainability: social, environmental and economic. The central idea is that projects will improve the living conditions of coffee producers and their communities.
Social criteria
- provide sustainable improvement of the living and working conditions of coffee and/or cocoa farmers, plantation workers and their families and ensure that their basic needs are met regarding food, housing, health and education;
- respect local labour laws, allow consultation, participation and adequate working conditions (see UN Global Compact);
- respect human rights and non-discrimination on the basis of gender, race, religion, political or philosophical convictions;
- improve education and training for all concerned, paying special attention to women and children.
Environmental criteria
- maintain and promote local biodiversity (fauna, flora);
- limit the use of pesticides as much as possible; apply, wherever possible, the principles of sustainable agriculture, giving priority to natural methods of pest control and, if pesticides must be used, use the least toxic and limit their application as much as possible over time and area;
- use, wherever possible, integrated soil fertility management, with judicious use of organic and inorganic fertilizers and natural methods (mulch, soil cover, papilionaceae, etc.) to retain soil fertility and prevent soil erosion;
- manage water resources judiciously through the recycling and purification of waste water, storage of rain water where land is irrigated, and drainage to prevent stagnation;
- give priority to renewable energy sources and limit energy consumption;
- limit the production of waste and recycle as much as possible and, where nothing else is feasible, ensure safe removal for treatment/processing.
Economic criteria
- strive for better (coffee) quality in production and processing through training, financial stimuli and transparent product quality guarantees, value for money;
- encourage market access, make input/output market information available and stimulate collective and participatory activities (cooperatives, producer groups);
- ensure the traceability of each batch through product documentation and good supply chain management;
- ensure food safety in all circumstances; avoid contamination;
- support labels, quality and origin certifications to create commercial added value for coffee;
- capitalize on ecological added value in financial terms wherever possible.
Last date for submission of applications is October 1, 2012
For more information and details, you can visit this link.
