Large grant for project on green finance for Agrifood SMEs in South Africa
Professor Amin Karimu, the EPRU-EfD lead on the project. Photo: EfD South Africa
Amin Karimu is the EPRU-EfD lead on this four-year project, and Abel Gwaindepi at the Danish Institute of International Studies in Denmark is the principal investigator (PI). The primary objective is to examine how Agrifood SMEs adapt to the demands of green financing practices and their impact on their growth, employment, and climate resilience.
Implication on food security and employment
Development financing is shifting towards green climate-responsive investments, but how SMEs in Africa can successfully integrate into the new financing landscape remains unclear. The project will focus on Agrifood SMEs in South Africa. It will investigate how the Agrifood SMEs respond to green financing and the implications on their growth and employment outcomes as well as the adoption of climate-responsive business strategies.
The project will document the scope, pace, and nature of Agrifood SMEs’ integration into the emerging green financing ecosystems, the potential differences across formal and informal SMEs in the integration process, and trace how this shapes their strategies for climate-resilient food systems. These findings will have direct implications for food security and employment within the region.
Opportunity for PhD students
The project also has a capacity-building component, which includes three PhD students, fully funded by the project for a period of three years to work on certain aspects of the project. There will also be knowledge sharing between UCT and DIIS as part of the PhD students’ training.
Provides policy insights
This initiative is expected to offer valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and development organizations, ultimately fostering sustainable growth in South Africa’s agricultural sector and with lessons for the rest of Africa’s food security, employment outcomes and how to balance climate objectives with SMEs growth.
The project is funded by The Danida Fellowship Centre (https://dfcentre.com/research/calls/)