ISEA launches platform on WE LIVE FOOD in AVCs’ amid UN call to put women and girls in the heart of COVID-19 response

On 16 September 2020, the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA) in partnership with Oxfam and the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok, launched the Multi-stakeholder Platform on WE LIVE FOOD (Women’s Empowerment, Livelihoods and Food) in Agricultural Value Chains. This collaborative platform aims to advance the conversation with policymakers, business, and finance leaders, and civil society on a sustainable response to the challenges the pandemic presents to women and men small scale producers in agricultural value chains. 

The Platform is guided by the Benchmarks for Transformational Partnerships and Women’s Economic Empowerment in Agricultural Value Chains (BTP WEE AVCs). These benchmarks have resulted from ISEA’s study of best practices and inclusive businesses that demonstrate significant positive impacts on the lives of women and men in agricultural value chains in Asia, which it conducted since 2015 in the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. On the other hand, the Benchmarks aim to provide guideposts for enterprises, agribusiness, and stakeholders in agricultural value chains on how to mobilize finance, create strategic linkages, and unlock opportunities for sustainable food production while at the same time uplifting the lives of women and men small scale producers. 

On the same occasion, ISEA also launches its new website. Key elements of the website is the webpage of the MultiStakeholder Platform on WE LIVE FOOD in AVCs which contains the downloadable materials on the concept note of the platform, the Pathway to Sustainability in Agricultural Value Chains Paper, BTP WEE Scorecards for SMEs, Corporate Agribusiness and AVC Intervention.

Please check out https://www.isea-group.net/platforms/welivefoodinavcs/