Coconut Industry Assessment
Challenge
Improve farmer livelihoods: Hampered by a lack of reliable data on Cambodia’s coconut sector, an industry consortium approached DFI to conduct a landscape assessment. The consortium wanted to understand the state of play of the industry and gain needed information to fulfill its mandate of improving livelihoods of farmers in Asia.
Client Contribution to the SDGs
Approach
DFI conducted a value chain analysis of both the young and mature coconut sector in Cambodia through our comprehensive assessment process:
- Desk-based review: DFI reviewed publicly available online literature on the sector, such as news articles, scientific publications, IFI strategies and market data. DFI then developed a profile of challenges in 4 priority provinces to provide background during consultations on the ground.
- Stakeholder consultations: DFI held multiple face-to-face interviews with key stakeholders in Phnom Penh and in the 4 top coconut-producing provinces. Additionally, DFI met with key representatives across the coconut value chain – from farmers, traders, processors, to the local and national governments, non-governmental organizations, and International Financial Institutions (IFIs). DFI supported these with phone consultations with sectoral experts to gather additional insights and best practices, particularly from more advanced coconut markets, better informing the strategy developed by the assessment.
- Strategy / recommendations formulation: Drawing from learnings, DFI formulated immediate and longer-term plans of action for client consideration. Plans encapsulated extensive actionable intelligence presented to Client at its national meeting in June 2017.
Outcomes
- Client gained a more comprehensive understanding of the Cambodian coconut landscape and root challenges present in the country
- Client also earned deeper knowledge on the sector and the opportunities it continues to hold, created through evaluations made against comparable markets
- Client was equipped with better-informed strategies that would help accelerate progress towards its goals
- Client was also able to begin advocacy for the sector through the different consultations and expanded network this exercise was able to secure