Sustainability for Competitiveness Guidebook: Small and Medium Enterprises in Eastern and Southern African Agri-food Sector- Spring

Team Members: Venkat Iyer (Manager), Anvita Akkur (Deputy Manager), Yufei Dai, Ingeria Miller, Ling Qin, Minyoung Shin, Lauren Wolahan, Yang Yang, E Zhao, Jiawen Zhao

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the agri-food sector face increasing pressure to adopt sustainability practices while maintaining competitiveness in global markets. This project developed a decision-making framework to help SMEs and policymakers identify sustainability interventions that improve environmental performance while enhancing economic outcomes. Drawing on international sustainability standards, literature reviews, and sector-specific case studies, the research identified environmental, social, and economic sustainability practices that strengthen market access, operational efficiency, and long-term business viability. The framework prioritizes interventions based on feasibility, profitability, and alignment with global supply chain expectations.

Application of the framework to the Zambian honey sector demonstrated that sustainability investments—such as improved resource management, certification programs, and operational efficiency measures—can increase both environmental performance and financial returns. However, findings also highlighted barriers including limited access to capital, insufficient technical expertise, and challenges in measuring the financial impacts of sustainability initiatives. The resulting guidebook provides a practical tool to help SMEs identify priority sustainability actions and integrate them into business strategy. Overall, the research shows that sustainability can serve as a driver of competitiveness rather than a constraint, enabling SMEs to access global markets, improve resilience, and contribute to sustainable economic development.

Learn more about the MPA-ESP Capstone projects.