Agriculture and food

CECI gives pride of place to nonpolluting forms of agriculture that feed people and generate decent income for farmers.

We strive to reconcile the interests of consumers with those of producers, taking as a basic principle that the food system must be fair to both groups. Our agrifood work takes on particular urgency in the context of the ongoing food crisis.

While the World Bank maintains that current agricultural production levels can meet world demand for food staples, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that over one billion people suffer from food insecurity every day. Why are so many people hungry? The following factors, among others, provide a partial explanation:

  • increasing production costs due to rising oil prices;
  • land being converted to non-food crops (e.g., agrofuels), and massive land acquisitions (“land grabs”) by multinationals and certain governments (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, China, etc.);
  • the effects of climate change, which include a higher frequency of natural disasters and a disruption of agricultural seasons.

Upward pressures on food (especially grain) prices are structural and will no doubt continue to have a major impact on the impoverishment of rural and urban populations, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

The aim of agrifood sector development in poor countries is to build the capacity of cooperatives and community enterprises so as to strengthen those economic agents best positioned to develop the potential of rural and urban land. The ultimate goal is to provide for equitable and sustainable development that takes into account the specific needs of youth and women.

Senegal - Bey Dunde: “Farming for sustenance”
Niger - Women and Food Security (FSA) in Niger
Niger - Emergency Response for Populations Suffering from Food Crisis
Haiti - Improving Food Security in Haiti (CASAH)
Guatemala - Rural Business Development Program (PDER)
Haiti - PDLH: CECI and Partners Improving the Lives of over 200,000 People

CECI focuses on the development of specific agricultural sectors based on market demand and regional specialization. We provide support for:

  • rural production;
  • domestic consumption to guarantee food security;
  • export of surpluses;
  • value-added processing projects in urban areas.

CECI and its partners are renowned for dealing effectively with the food security issues of threatened countries, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti.

In Africa and the Caribbean, our agrifood projects are routed through the Alliance Agricole Internationale (AAI), a partnership between CECI, Société de Coopération pour le Dévéloppement International (SOCODEVI) and UPA-Développement International (UPA-DI). In Asia, CECI pursues its agricultural development goals with local partners.


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