DFCD to support Limbua Group in strengthening climate-resilient, deforestation-free smallholder sourcing
Deze content is in het Engels. Wil je meer informatie? Neem dan contact op!
The Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD), through its Origination Facility, intends to support EatFresh, a Tanzanian producer and exporter of fresh Hass avocados and avocado oil. Operating from Iringa in Tanzania’s Southern Highlands, the company sources avocados from approximately 2,300 contracted smallholder farmers and processes both export-grade fruit and lower-grade avocados into value-added products. EatFresh aims to expand its sourcing network and processing capacity while strengthening the resilience and sustainability of its supply chain.The Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD), through its Origination Facility, intends to support EatFresh, a Tanzanian producer and exporter of fresh Hass avocados and avocado oil. Operating from Iringa in Tanzania’s Southern Highlands, the company sources avocados from approximately 2,300 contracted smallholder farmers and processes both export-grade fruit and lower-grade avocados into value-added products. EatFresh aims to expand its sourcing network and processing capacity while strengthening the resilience and sustainability of its supply chain.
The DFCD Origination Facility, managed by WWF-NL and SNV, supports the development of investment-ready projects with a strong climate resilience and impact focus. The proposed project focuses on strengthening climate adaptation, water resilience, biodiversity management, farmer traceability, environmental and social practices, and climate-smart agricultural training across EatFresh’s sourcing network. The project will also help the company prepare for larger-scale investment to support its future growth.
EatFresh operates in Tanzania’s Southern Highlands, one of East Africa’s most important agricultural regions. The landscape supports millions of people through crop and livestock production and is a major source of avocados, maize, tea, and coffee. However, the region is becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate-related risks, including changing rainfall patterns, prolonged dry periods, rising temperatures, and growing pressure on water resources.
These changes can affect avocado yields, fruit quality and production reliability, creating risks for both smallholder farmers and agribusinesses. Farmers often have limited capacity to respond to climate-related shocks, while businesses face increasing uncertainty regarding future supply volumes and quality. At the same time, agricultural expansion and changing land use can place pressure on important ecosystems, including forests, wetlands and other habitats that provide vital ecosystem services such as water regulation and soil protection.
As EatFresh expands its sourcing network, stronger systems are needed to understand and manage climate, water and biodiversity risks while responding to evolving market, certification, investor and regulatory expectations.
EatFresh has established strong relationships with smallholder farmers and has developed a business model that creates value from both fresh avocado exports and avocado oil production. The company also provides farmers with access to markets, agronomic support and harvesting services.
By assessing climate, water and biodiversity risks and incorporating the findings into farmer training, sourcing criteria and traceability systems, EatFresh can make better-informed decisions about how and where it expands. The project will also strengthen the company’s capacity to support farmers with climate-smart agricultural practices that improve resilience, productivity and sustainability over the long term.
In the proposed collaboration, WWF-NL and WWF Tanzania will support EatFresh through the following activities:
Assessing climate, water and biodiversity risks across current and future sourcing areas and developing practical action plans to strengthen resilience.
Expanding farmer training programmes by integrating climate-smart and sustainable agricultural practices, including support for organic production.
Strengthening farmer traceability, environmental and social management systems, and sustainability-related data collection.
Supporting progress towards organic certification and greater investment readiness to enable responsible business growth and supply chain expansion.
Securing investment following the Origination project will help EatFresh achieve the following:
Train approximately 2,000 farmers in climate-smart, sustainable, and organic farming practices.
Achieve additional sustainability certification and strengthen access to export markets.
Improve traceability, environmental performance, and climate resilience across the avocado value chain.
“The partnership with DFCD comes at a particularly important time. The Hass avocado variety has recently been impacted by a pest previously unknown in Kenya, the Persia mite. Farmers who practised organic farming were less affected, highlighting the value of sustainable farming practices. Through this partnership, we aim to support our farmers in becoming more resilient by adopting improved pest management practices and promoting biodiversity on their farms. This will ultimately increase their yields.”
– Mr. Patrick Ndungu, Director at Origen Fresh and Chairman of the Avocado Oil Processors Association of Kenya
“Origen Fresh is a strong example of what the DFCD Origination Facility exists to do, back businesses where commercial growth and environmental responsibility genuinely reinforce each other. This partnership gives Origen the tools to understand the climate, water and biodiversity risks across its sourcing areas, and to build that understanding into how it sources, trains and supports farmers as it scales. That kind of groundwork is what makes a project genuinely investable, and it's what we look for across the Origination Facility's pipeline. We are pleased to stand behind Origen as they take this next step.”
– Dr. Abubakar Lewano, DFCD Regional Lead for Africa
With DFCD support and new investment, Origen will generate the climate, water and biodiversity insights needed to guide the expansion of its sourcing network. The company will then translate these findings into practical farmer-support materials, sourcing criteria, traceability systems and management processes. In doing so, Origen can expand on a stronger environmental and social foundation while supporting smallholder farmers to respond to climate and supply-chain risks.
For more information, please contact:
Abubakar Lewano
DFCD Regional Lead for Africa
alewano@wwfkenya.org
In case you have any grievances in relation to this project of the DFCD’s Origination Facility, please contact the service desk at servicedesk@wwf.nl.
The Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD) is a climate fund, dedicated to supporting climate adaptation and mitigation projects which benefit vulnerable communities and landscapes. Initially funded by the Dutch government, it is powered by a consortium of four expert organisations: FMO (Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank), CFM (Climate Fund Managers), SNV, a global development partner, and WWF Netherlands.
