CTA Project Completion Report: ADOPEM

Abstract

This was a cost-sharing project supported the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA). The project’s primary objectives are to: (1) strengthen the capacity of 2,000 small-scale farmers and rural women to adopt climate-smart agricultural practices; and 2) improve their access to financial products that support productive investments. By meeting these objectives, the project would improve the living condition of these farmers and rural women. It follows an earlier project, “Promoting competiveness of agricultural value chains in the Dominican Republic” involving Banco de Ahorro y Credito ADOPEM, CTA, CODESPA and REDDOM foundations and ADOPEN NGO from 2015 to 2017. The latter was implemented in parallel with a programme entitled “Rural and environmental finance” (FRA), which was implemented in 2016 by Banco de Ahorro y Credito ADOPEM, in collaboration with the Dominican Network of Micro-Finance Institutions (REDOMIF). Outputs of FRA were two financial products, namely Eco-Credito and “Agro Mujer ADOPEM”. The former product was targeted at small-scale farmers to assist them in investing in processes and technologies that would improve their environmental conditions and improve their ability to adapt to the impact of climate change. The latter product was to increase the access of rural women to finance for the development of economic activities.
The viability of these two products was evaluated through a pilot project. Further assessments revealed that, apart from access to finance for productive activities, small-scale farmers and rural women also needed access to market information and improved skills and abilities to support innovation, entrepreneurship and their adaptation to climate change. Encouraged by the evaluation results, ADOPEM subsequently took the strategic decision to extend the FRA programme to other provinces within the Dominican Republic.