Projects
Transforming Lives Through Sustainable Agriculture
Key Projects
Since 2011, RMI has completed over 30 projects, transforming rural landscapes and livelihoods. Our work spans sugarcane, rice, beans, and more, delivering sustainable solutions that align with international standards and benefit thousands of small-scale farmers.
2023-2024
SASA Transformation Intervention Impact Study
ZAR 4 million
The study was to monitor and evaluate the impact of the transformation interventions made by the industry to support small growers to improve their sustainability and to make recommendations for the future.
The study had four key areas of focus, namely:
- System for Delivery of the Transformation Interventions (TIs) since 2018/2019,
- Impact of environmental conditions (climatic, socio-economic, and business environment) on the performance of sugar cane production,
- Impact of the Transformation Interventions since the start of implementation,
- From any lessons learned, identify factors which can be used to influence the design of Transformation Interventions going forward.
RMI Development undertook the study in joint venture with Information Decision Systems (Pty) Ltd that specializes in the field of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Information Technology
2017-2024
Community Owned Enterprise Development (COED) project
The development of several community owned enterprises that focus on the participation of local women (60%) and youth (30%) were supported under this COED initiative. These include the Mhlumeni Poultry and Egg Production project, Sihhoye Piggery Project, Malibeni Piggery Project, and the Mhlumeni Community Eco-Bush Camp. -investment to start-up grant from the Burkhardt Foundation. SWADE offered technical support.
$ 80,000 partner investment plus $25,000 RMI CSI investment.
The RMI team provided comprehensive support to the project, participants: guiding them to do their own resource analysis and market research develop their business idea and vision; the use of the Business Canvas to develop their business concept, the design of business structure that are fit for purpose in terms of their business model; to navigate logistical challenges; and to establish stakeholder linkages with local, international partners, and government officials.
Through targeted training sessions and capacity-building initiatives, we equip local project participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to plan implement and grow their businesses. We also facilitated the cross pollination of ideas and sharing best practices between projects. In addition to the business training, our programs were designed using gender transformative approaches to promote inclusive decision-making and intra-household cooperation in commercial agricultural value-chain business.
Our initiatives incorporate social and behavioral change methodologies to drive positive action and embrace the changes required for business success.
2021-2022
Green Climate fund-Project Development
This project was aimed at securing funding to Building Adaptive Capacity of Sugarcane Farmers in Northern Belize
$234 000
RMI was the team leader managing a team of specialists to develop a full funding proposal for submission to the Green Climate Fund
2011-2015
Bagomoyo greenfield Sugar Development Project
This entailed the establishment of an integrated sugarcane project aimed at significantly contributing to domestic sugarcane production in Tanzania involving 1,500 to 2,000 small scale farmers and improving the everyday life of over 100,000 people in Bagamoyo district.
$650 000
RMI role in the project entailing the following:
- Empowering the community to actively participate in the planning and implementation of a 3000ha sugarcane outgrower scheme in Bagamoyo
- Comprehensive stakeholder engagement process focussing on building the capacity of the government and local communities to meaningfully engage with the project.
- Advising the client on all aspects related to sustainably contracting outgrowers to produce 3000ha of sugarcane.
- Development of the outgrower component of the project Business Plan that complies with AfDB and other international funding requirements
- Implementing the develop 3 pilot irrigated rice projects (about 90 ha) in the project area
2012-2013
Massingir Sugar Development project
This entailed the construction of a mill and a 25000ha grower project that TSB wanted to develop downstream of the Massinger dam in Mozambique.
$112 000
RMI lead the outgrower component of the project. The work involved community mobilisation and business planning for a 3,500 ha outgrower project. This included advising both the community and TSB as to the best ways to develop sustainable partnerships.
2012-2014
Solidaridad Technical Support in Swaziland, Malawi, Tanzania
This project entailed developing a farmer support tool to ascertain the sustainability and business risk of small-scale farmers in several countries.
$100,000
RMI took the lead. It’s role in the Project was to:
- Conduct a comprehensive survey of farmers in the different countries, analysing the results of the surveys and understanding the sustainability barriers and opportunities facing these farmers.
- Develop a Self-Assessment Tool divided into five themes namely A) Institutional and Governance B) Health and Safety C) Environmental D) Economics and E) Production. Each theme included a set of questions that collectively provide an indication of the current sustainability status of the farm.
This Assessment Tool was then used to build on the opportunities and allow the farmers to develop plans to take advantage of these opportunities.
2015-2017
CRIDF Climate Vulnerability Assessment project for South-east Africa
The project entailed the development of strategies to mitigate climate change impacts on small sugarcane growers delivering sugarcane to Illovo Sugar Mills in Swaziland, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania.
$112,000
RMI took the lead in the assessment. Based on the observed vulnerabilities, several concept notes were developed for funding. This included the establishment of a ratoon management revolving fund in Eswatini and the creation of the Mazabuka resilience fund in Zambia.
2014-2018
Maragra sugar expansion project
RMI was contracted by Maragra (Illovo) to implement the first phase of a 2000ha sugarcane outgrower expansion.
$100 000
RMI took the lead. his assignment aimed at preparing the community for the change that this project will bring to them through a comprehensive community sensitization and training program. IFC performance standards were used to guide this process with Free, Prior and Informed Consent as the basis for community engagement
2016-2018
Magobbo management support
Magobbo management support RMI was contracted to empower the growers of Magobbo, a 450ha sugarcane development with 84 members, in Nakambala Zambia to run and manage their farm. This two-year project saw the transfer of management from the current management agent to the growers themselves
$87 000
Zambia Sugar Limited-Hephzibah Biyani
2017 - 2019
SAMP – the Seeds and Markets Project
Project aim is to preparing certified open pollinated seed for sale to smallholders. Community Enterprise Organization Building in Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. Farmers multiply maize, bean and maize, beans and chickpea seeds and sell to their own company which certifies, packs, and sells on to other farmers.
$66,000
RMI was appointed to assist with organisational development of farmers as supplies to and shareholder in the seed processing businesses
Our role was design and delivery of Capacity Building to the Owners, Boards and Managers of the Community Owned Enterprises.
Our strategy is to train through experiential learning using case studies and real-life examples illustrating successful business strategies. We put knowledge on the table and show our clients how to use it.
We visited each site and undertook business health checks for each organization. This information guided the design of the Capacity building and the Training workshops. Training materials were developed for each site to reflect the special characteristics of each. These were delivered on site by our staff who traveled to each site.
People were encouraged to think deeply about their purpose, and how they were working together to accomplish that purpose.
Emphasis was on inclusion of women and youth at every level of the COE and throughout the value chain. As a result, women took key leadership positions on all COE’s, and youth occupied key technical roles in the processing facilities.
2018-2019
Mahlobyanini Farmers and Youth Development
With a community in Bushbuck Ridge, South Africa, building capacity in youth to enable them to build capacity among their elders. Ultimate goal: a well organized modern farm and a youth owned business support group.
$30,000
2018-2020
Kilombero sugar expansion project
Kilombero Sugar implemented a large extension to their sugar facility. To this end they need to extend the scale and scope of their outgrower programme by 1,000 to 1,600 growers.
The strategy defined “expansion” as both horizontal expansion (more land under caner production) and vertical expansion (higher yields and RV% per ha) It therefore required engagement with existing and new cane growers
$87 000
RMI has been engaged to assist Kilombero Mill with strategic planning of the initiative and to lead and train inhouse farmer support/extension teams that would drive the expansion initiative.
The following steps we retake to meet the IFC performance standards and the Bonsucro standard relevant to gender and youth:
- Ensure that women and youth are well represented in the extension teams that were trained and guided in the field work
- Ensure that the voices of women and youth are heard in village level meetings and decisions on the project.
- Ensure that that rights of women to land is properly recognised and protected during the land ownership confirmation process
- Ensure that support services are available to encourage woen and youth to participate in farming operations
- Ensure that matters of household food security are properly addressed