Core Contribution to Alliance Biovision/CEAS 2025-2028

The international environment is characterised by numerous multiple crises. The consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the escalation in the Middle East, food insecurity, debt burden and inflation, climate change and the energy crisis are all having a direct impact on the world's population. They particularly affect the most vulnerable, mostly women and children and result in increasing humanitarian needs.

Accelerated change is accompanied by increased uncertainty: The world is becoming more fragmented, unstable and unpredictable. Whilst the vision to reach the Sustainable Development Goals remains, challenges including the accelerating global food and nutrition crisis, shrinking civic and humanitarian space, the erosion of rule of law, intensifying armed conflicts, more frequent climate-related disasters, international migration and internal displacement, exacerbated demographics and an important gender gap hamper progress in reaching them and pose a main challenge for all actors engaged in Switzerland’s International Cooperation. 

Despite agriculture being a mainstay in Sub-Saharan Africa, extreme poverty remains prevalent amongst rural and pastoralist communities where malnutrition rates are high. Unsustainable farming practices and heavy reliance on fuel wood are accelerating environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and soil depletion. Here, people living in remote areas, nomadic people, and migrants to urban centres are most at risk of being left behind.

Inclusive transformation towards resilient and sustainable livelihoods, communities and food systems:

The Alliance pursues an evidence-based systemic approach to set the necessary political and social drive to foster an (agro-)ecological transformation of food and livelihood systems.

Key results as an Alliance:

• In 2023, over 161’000 households newly adopted (agro-)ecological practices, while income increased for more than 37’800 persons, and more than 27’400 persons improved their food security, for example by applying an integrated pest management.
• Over 184 civil society organisations, rural organisations, small and medium enterprises as well as farmer groups have been strengthened in their role as development players in 2023, for example in the field of solid waste collection.

Key results Biovision:

• In 2023, Biovision started 15 new projects or project phases and formed promising new partnerships including with Feedback to the Future Kenya, the Diabetes Awareness Trust Kenya, Consumer Grassroots Association (CGA) Kenya and Global Consumer Centre (Consent) Uganda, among others.
• Biovision provided crucial technical and strategic support to global and national initiatives promoting agroecology. In addition, Biovision continued to support the development and implementation of National Agroecology Strategies in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Burkina Faso. Biovision continued to support the policy development process in several counties in Kenya.

Key results CEAS:

• Collaboration with humanitarian aid organisations aimed at combating malnutrition in fragile contexts has allowed CEAS to exceed the food security targets in Burkina Faso and Madagascar (over 8,000 people), mainly providing young mothers with nutritional support.
• Investments have been shifted from waste management and energy services to softer actions, such as raising awareness and strengthening market players. For example, through support to micro-enterprises, the number of jobs created or strengthened has tripled to roughly 1,700.

• Biovision has developed a comprehensive Gender Action Plan based on the Alliance Gender Policy, which was adopted by the Executive Board at the beginning of 2023. Additionally, a gender focal point has been appointed to expedite the institutionalization of gender and PSEAH processes within Biovision.
• The PSEAH policy is in place at CEAS headquarters and has been streamlined within a new global code of conduct. Prevention activities and complaint procedures are in place. Each target country has a gender focal point, and events have been organised in line with the gender action plan, which is being reviewed in 2024.
• In 2023, Biovision and CEAS actively participated in events organised by SDC on the topic of localisation.

1. Scalable (agro-)ecological production systems are endorsed:
   Future-proof, participatively developed and scientifically sound (agro-)ecological production systems are endorsed in a locally adapted manner.
2. Adoption of (agro-)ecological principles improves livelihoods:
   An increasing number of producers, service providers and communities apply (agro-)ecological principles in a self-determined manner, thus achieving sustainable healthy diets and improving local conditions.
3. Linking (agro-)ecological production with consumption:
   An increasing number of enterprises and markets are successfully connecting (agro-)ecological producers and service providers with consumers.
4. Civil society actors are driving the transformation:
   Organisations and individuals are informed, committed and equipped to accelerate the (agro-)ecological transformation.
5. Policy framework conditions promote the transformation:
   Policy framework conditions at global, national and sub-national levels steer systems towards an (agro-)ecological transformation.

The role of Swiss NGOs in the implementation of the Swiss IC Strategy 2025-28 shall be strengthened through:

a. sharpening the narrative on the importance of the core contribution,

b. an inclusive policy dialogue,

c. locally led development, and

d. potential adaptations of programmes and approaches (reforms in the larger sense).