Focus Areas
Agriculture, Agribusiness, Voluntary Carbon Market
UPi in partnership with Futures Agribusiness (FAGRIB) is promoting sustainable agriculture in Africa. Our interventions cut across cocoa, coffee, sesame, gum Arabic, and shea butter value chains in sub-Sahara Africa. Our climate-smart approach enables the agricultural sector to improve production and productivity and profitability while also conserving natural resources and reducing its environmental footprint. To this end, we use nature-based solutions for integrating agricultural and environmental goals.
Sustainable Livelihoods and Economic Strengthening
Sustainable development can only take place within the context of a robust private sector equipped to drive growth to:
attract investors
create employment
generate wealth
reduce poverty.
Sustainable growth and economic inclusion for women, youth and vulnerable groups are at the center of UPi’s approach to economic development. We focus on institutional strengthening and capacity building on market systems, promotion of entrepreneurship, enhance production and productivity of agricultural commodities, and market linkages.
Disaster Risk Reduction
UPi recognizes the need to mainstream Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation into all development plans and policies. DRR focuses on improving national capabilities to generate and use climate information in the planning for and management of climate-induced hazard risks, developing core skills and competencies, acquiring relevant technologies, improving early warning dissemination and advisory communications; and promoting the uptake of climate information at the local level.
Climate Change
The advent of new mandatory emissions trading programs and growing consumer pressure have driven companies to turn to the voluntary market for carbon offsets. Companies in this marketplace have the opportunity to work with businesses and individuals who are environmentally conscious and are choosing to offset their carbon emissions. To this end, UPi in partnership with Futures Agribusiness (FAGRIB) is connecting US and European companies to blue carbon opportunities in Africa, as well as providing technical assistance for managing co-benefits embedded in the carbon initiatives.