PROJECT TITLE

CONVERGEFOOD – Improving Livelihoods and Income of Smallholder Producers and Food Workers through Integrated Production, Processing, Finance and Market Access

Cameroon’s food system is constrained by high rural poverty, persistent food insecurity, low productivity, gender inequality, and limited financial inclusion. Import dependency in key commodities such as rice and dairy exacerbates vulnerabilities, while value chains suffer from weak processing, inadequate storage, and climate-related shocks. The National Development Strategy 2030 and the national pathway promote a convergence of food, climate, and biodiversity agendas. The Joint Programme strengthens this agenda by supporting climate-smart production, upgrading value chains (rice, cassava, eggs, milk), and connecting cooperatives and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to predictable markets and blended finance mechanisms.

• Stronger whole-of-government coordination and more coherent food systems governance.
• Improved climate-smart and agroecological production practices for cooperatives and MSMEs across three regions.
• Enhanced access to finance through blended instruments, guarantees, and catalytic de-risking.
• Better integration of small producers into structured and predictable markets, including school feeding and humanitarian procurement.

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; Ministry of Environment; Ministry of Economy; Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises; Ministry of Education; municipal authorities; cooperatives and MSME networks; local banks and microfinance institutions; and others.

• Strengthened Ecosystem of Support enabling knowledge transfer, technology uptake, and coordinated service delivery.
• Upgraded storage, processing, quality control and food safety infrastructure in targeted value chains.
• Blended finance mechanism developed through UNCDF to mobilize private investment and expand affordable credit.
• Screening and support of cooperatives and MSMEs to meet procurement standards and supply predictable buyers such as school feeding programmes.