This brief provides an overview of the FoodTrade East and Southern Africa (FTESA) programme and
summarises the final evaluation’s findings, lessons and recommendations.
FTESA was a five-year (2013–2018) regional programme funded by the Department for International
Development (DFID) UK (£35 million) that supported food staples market development and trade by
tackling market failures. A Programme Management Unit (PMU) managed and supported programme implementation. FTESA funded interventions by awarding grants (22 in total) to the private sector via a challenge fund mechanism and to non-commercial organisations via a development fund. FTESA’s programme operations and grant coverage focused largely on five countries (Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia).
The FTESA sought to address a wide range of challenges:
- Significant post-harvest losses and inadequate storage and aggregation systems
- Limited access to capital
- Limited access to improved inputs and advice on good agricultural practices
- Lack of access to markets
- Lack of information and transparency
- Government interference
FTESA aimed to catalyse lasting changes that enable efficient trade in staple foods across the region and contribute to price and market stability.
