Youth and Women Agribusiness & Entrepreneurship Initiative

PAMOJA THRIVE PROGRAM

Pamoja Thrive is an integrated youth and women entrepreneurship program designed to transform agricultural production systems into sustainable agribusiness ecosystems in rural and conflict-affected communities. The program is built as the enterprise and market engine of the broader Agri Peace model, ensuring that increased agricultural production is matched with structured value addition, processing, cooperative enterprise development, and market integration.

While Agri Peace Idjwi strengthens climate-smart and regenerative agricultural production, Pamoja Thrive enables youth and women to transform that production into viable enterprises. The program supports the development of agribusiness cooperatives, small and medium enterprises, savings systems, and market linkages that allow communities to move from subsistence farming to structured, income-generating local economies.

By linking production to entrepreneurship, Pamoja Thrive addresses unemployment, poverty, and economic exclusion while strengthening resilience, food systems, and social cohesion in fragile contexts.

Background and Context

Rural and conflict-affected communities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo face interlinked challenges of low agricultural productivity, limited access to markets, weak value chains, and high youth unemployment. Women, who play a central role in agriculture and informal trade, often lack access to capital, processing infrastructure, and structured market systems.

Despite strong agricultural potential, most communities remain trapped in subsistence farming, selling raw produce at low prices and capturing minimal value from their labor. The absence of organized agribusiness systems results in income instability and continued economic vulnerability.

At the same time, there is a growing opportunity to develop local agribusiness ecosystems that combine production, processing, and trade. Youth and women represent a critical but underutilized workforce that can drive this transformation if equipped with entrepreneurship skills, cooperative structures, and market access.

Pamoja Thrive responds to this gap by building an integrated agribusiness and entrepreneurship system that connects directly with Agri Peace production clusters, ensuring that agriculture becomes a foundation for enterprise development and economic transformation.

Program Goal

To develop youth and women-led agribusiness enterprises that transform agricultural production into sustainable value chains, increase household incomes, and strengthen community resilience and economic stability.

Specific Objectives

The program aims to:

1. Equip youth and women with agribusiness and entrepreneurship skills

2. Transform agricultural production into value-added enterprises

3. Establish cooperatives and enterprise groups linked to Agri Peace production systems

4. Strengthen financial inclusion through savings and credit mechanisms

5. Improve market access and value chain integration for rural producers

6. Create sustainable employment opportunities in agribusiness and related sectors

Target Groups

• Youth aged 18–35 years (both men and women)

• Women farmers, traders, and informal entrepreneurs

• Members of Agri Peace farmer cooperatives

• Vulnerable households in rural and conflict-affected communities

• Emerging rural agripreneurs and small-scale business actors

Program Approach

Pamoja Thrive is implemented as a value-chain-based agribusiness system, directly linked to agricultural production under Agri Peace Idjwi.

• Integrated Agribusiness System

The program connects four key layers:

1. Production (Agri Peace Idjwi): Climate-smart farming and cooperative production

2. Aggregation: Collection and coordination of agricultural outputs

3. Value Addition (Pamoja Thrive): Processing, packaging, and transformation

4. Markets: Local, regional, and institutional sales systems

This creates a full farm-to-market enterprise ecosystem.

• Entrepreneurship & Agribusiness Training

Participants receive training in:

• Agribusiness planning and enterprise development

• Value chain analysis and market systems

• Processing and post-harvest handling

• Financial literacy and business management

• Branding, packaging, and product positioning

• Cooperative governance and group enterprise management

Training emphasizes practical application linked to real agricultural outputs from Agri Peace production clusters.

• Enterprise Incubation and Development

Selected participants are supported to:

• Establish agribusiness micro and small enterprises

• Develop business plans based on available agricultural supply

• Access mentorship and technical support

• Build operational and financial systems for sustainability

Examples of supported enterprises include:

• Maize milling and flour packaging

• Bean sorting, grading, and packaging

• Cassava processing (gari, flour, starch)

• Potato processing (chips and dried products)

• Vegetable preservation and drying

• Agro-trading and distribution businesses

• Cooperative and Cluster Development

The program strengthens cooperative systems by:

• Linking Agri Peace farmer cooperatives with Pamoja Thrive enterprise groups

• Establishing agribusiness clusters for processing and trade

• Promoting collective production, storage, and marketing

• Building governance structures for shared economic ownership

This ensures economies of scale and reduced transaction costs.

• Financial Inclusion and Investment Systems

To support enterprise growth, the program promotes:

• Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs)

• Community-based revolving funds

• Financial literacy and household economic planning

• Reinvestment of profits into business expansion

This creates internal capital circulation within communities.

• Market Access and Value Chain Integration

The program facilitates:

• Local market linkages with traders and institutions

• Bulk purchasing and selling arrangements

• Product branding and packaging for competitiveness

• Participation in trade fairs and market exhibitions

• Strengthening supply chain coordination between producers and processors

Expected Outcomes

Implementation of Pamoja Thrive is expected to achieve:

• Increased number of youth and women-led agribusiness enterprises

• Higher household incomes from value-added agricultural products

• Strengthened integration of rural value chains

• Improved market access for smallholder producers

• Expansion of cooperative-based economic systems

• Reduced youth unemployment and economic vulnerability

• Strengthened social cohesion through shared economic activity

Theory of Change

If youth and women are equipped with agribusiness skills, linked to agricultural production systems through Agri Peace, organized into cooperatives, and supported with financial inclusion and market access, then they will develop sustainable agribusiness enterprises that transform local economies, increase incomes, and strengthen community resilience and stability.

Implementation Strategy

The program is implemented in phased stages:

1. Community mobilization and linkage with Agri Peace farmer groups

2. Selection and formation of youth and women agribusiness groups

3. Entrepreneurship and agribusiness training

4. Cooperative formation and VSLA establishment

5. Enterprise incubation and startup support

6. Market linkage and value chain integration

7. Monitoring, evaluation, and adaptive learning

Implementation is community-led and anchored in existing Agri Peace structures.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL)

Key indicators include:

• Number of trained participants (disaggregated by gender and age)

• Number of agribusiness enterprises created and sustained

• Volume of agricultural produce processed and sold

• Increase in household income among participants

• Number and performance of cooperatives and VSLAs

• Market access and trade linkages established

• Employment generated within agribusiness value chains

Learning systems will inform scaling and replication across additional communities.

Sustainability Strategy

Sustainability is ensured through:

• Integration with existing Agri Peace production systems

• Cooperative ownership of agribusiness infrastructure

• Reinvestment of enterprise profits into expansion

• Strengthening of local financial systems (VSLAs)

• Development of local entrepreneurship and mentorship capacity

• Market-driven demand for processed agricultural products

Pamoja Thrive provides the missing link between agricultural production and economic transformation in rural communities. By integrating directly with Agri Peace Idjwi, the program creates a complete agribusiness ecosystem that enables youth and women to move from subsistence farming and informal trade to structured, value-added enterprises. This integrated model strengthens incomes, builds local resilience, and contributes to long-term peace and stability by addressing the economic drivers of vulnerability and exclusion. Pamoja Thrive, therefore, represents not only an entrepreneurship program, but a scalable rural transformation platform rooted in agriculture, enterprise, and community-led development.