The LYFE programme is our ground-breaking initiative to embrace entrepreneurial talent and support smallholder producer organisations in developing countries to strengthen their businesses, create brands and access new local and international markets.
LYFE is a platform for sharing ideas and best practice; for mentorship; and for building business relationships amongst producer organisations and with entrepreneurs and businesses around the world.
Two main drivers led us to create the LYFE programme:
- The increasing number of requests we have been receiving from smallholder producer organisations for business support
- The growing interest in our work from successful entrepreneurs and business leaders, keen to offer practical support and to ‘give something back’
Identifying with Smallholders and Small Businesses
Many successful entrepreneurs do not come from affluent backgrounds. Many of them feel strongly about sharing their knowledge and experience with others who have faced similar obstacles to
achievement.
So whether it be small farmers’ co-operatives in Malawi needing information about international markets, or community-owned social enterprises in the UK wanting to set up their own ethical trading initiatives – the LYFE programme will help to match the entrepreneur with the community and provide access to a wealth of enterprise materials, case studies, good practice and ideas.
What Happens?
- LYFE is about skilled, experienced, entrepreneur-mentors being matched to individual smallholder organisations.
- It addresses identified business development needs through managed mentoring projects with agreed tangible objectives.
- It goes beyond ‘empowerment’ – taking the attitude that often only simple measures are needed in order to support smallholders to achieve their business aspirations and compete effectively in the domestic and international marketplace.
