IMPORTANT NOTICE!

Please be informed that the ComMark programme came to an end on 31 December 2009. Should you have any queries or need further assistance , please contact the relevant sector staff member(s):

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Agricultural Business Linkages Project

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"I can pay for school uniforms, school fees, transport, equipment... and I’ve been able to start a small business which harvests and treats wooden poles."
"[This project] has made me who I am today. With the money that I earn from the nursery I can pay back my loan, salaries for myself and my staff... and there is still some left over."

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The success of the Southern African agri-business sector hinges on its ability to incorporate the many small-scale farmers working at the periphery of the formal market. By bridging the gap between small-scale farmers and resources such as agricultural inputs, financing markets and expertise, this programme promotes sustainability and self-sufficiency in mainly Eastern Cape communities which have been a source of migratory labour for South African mines.
The programme strengthens and creates new linkages with markets and support services, and provides capacity building, technical training and management support at local level.

Project Events

Emerging Farmer Hatchery Project: Opening Day
Monday, 10 March, 2008 (All day)
Pietermaritzburg
Background: One of the major limiting factors affecting emerging small-scale farmers in the Eastern Cape is the lack of (reliable) access to good quality, reasonably priced, agricultural inputs. Good quality inputs are often hard to come by, or very expensive throughout the Eastern Cape, which increases the cost of production, making farmers less competitive. Lima, within its ComMark-funded Business Linkages and Input Supply [link to project] programme aims to overcome this barrier by connecting farmers with agri-business suppliers. Hatchery Project:

Case Studies and Success Stories

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Agricultural Business Linkages
June, 2008
One of the objectives of ComMark's agri-business programme is to connect emerging farmers and big business to unlock their potential. This is particularly challenging in rural areas, where limited infrastructure increases the costs of doing business. These difficulties are exacerbated by the perception that emerging farmers are not entrepreneurial or receptive to change, and therefore that there is not much money to be made in these areas.