Bamboo joins SSNUP to boost farmers’ resilience

Bamboo Capital Partners, a specialist impact investor in emerging and frontier markets, has joined the Smallholder Safety Net Upscaling Programme (SSNUP) as an impact investor, in a move that is set to benefit smallholder farmers across Africa, Latin America and Asia.

The programme, which aims to strengthen the safety nets of 10 million smallholder households and improve the well-being of 50 million low-income people, is scheduled to run for ten years with an overall target budget of €55 million (about $59 million).

SSNUP co-finances technical assistance projects that strengthen the resilience of smallholder farmers and value chain actors such as SMEs, agricultural cooperatives, microfinance institutions and other agricultural financial intermediaries. These projects can range from developing index insurance services to promoting climate-smart and agro-ecological farming practices.

Jean-Philippe de Schrevel, founder and managing partner of Bamboo Capital Partners, said: “Bamboo is very pleased and proud to be joining SSNUP and excited to offer the opportunity to investee companies in the agricultural sector to receive technical assistance that will ultimately benefit smallholder farmers. It is a programme that catalyses value chains to positively impact 50 million vulnerable people.”

SSNUP is supported by the governments of Luxembourg, Switzerland and Liechtenstein and is managed by ADA, a non-governmental organisation based in Luxembourg whose mission is to increase the autonomy of vulnerable communities in Africa, Central America and South-East Asia with inclusive finance, thereby contributing to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Matthew Genazzini, SSNUP coordinator, ADA added: “We are delighted to welcome Bamboo into SSNUP’s ranks and join efforts to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Bamboo has a proven track record for delivering impact in this space and we are excited to welcome them on board.”

The programme brings many benefits to smallholder farmers including greater productivity, sustainability, resilience and job creation. For financial service providers, SMEs and cooperatives it strengthens governance, increases capacity, efficiency and ESG compliance.

By being part of SSNUP, Bamboo will be able to help agribusinesses scale up their services and strengthen their capacities, which in turn will help deliver sustainable jobs, income and positive impact for smallholder farmers.

Bamboo has raised over $450 million and invested in 80 companies worldwide. Its investee companies have positively impacted the lives of 238 million people cumulatively and supported 53 000 jobs, including 18 000 jobs for women.

The Bamboo team comprises of 30 professionals active across Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. Bamboo also acts as the Asset Management arm of global impact firm Palladium, which operates in over 90 countries, following a strategic partnership in 2020.

The SSNUP programme is a facility to co-finance the technical assistance projects of impact investors active in the field. It is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Luxembourg Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, with ADA ensuring the coordination as well as the knowledge management component of the whole programme.

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