• Year established: 2016
• Workforce: 35 permanent employees, 17 per cent of whom are women, and 200 seasonal workers
• Agri-food and export company

Faly Rasamimanana, Founder & Managing Director

Faly Rasamimanana is a Madagascan entrepreneur committed to developing more inclusive, competitive and sustainable agricultural value chains. Through Faly Export, he develops innovative solutions combining community governance, participatory assurance schemes and digital tools to facilitate producers’ access to international markets. His work focuses particularly on supporting small-scale producers and agricultural cooperatives facing challenges relating to compliance, traceability, supply chain organisation and access to international certifications. Over the years, he has collaborated with producer organisations, export stakeholders and rural communities to strengthen quality systems and improve the competitiveness of Malagasy agricultural products.

Faly Rasamimanana is notably behind the development of the SPG-Fihavanana 4.0 system, an innovative approach inspired by Malagasy cultural values and designed to make assurance and compliance systems more accessible to producers who are often excluded from traditional models.

Faly Export operates in a context where Madagascar has strong agricultural potential and a wide variety of high value-added products, but where many producers still face difficulties in accessing international markets.The requirements of export markets, particularly European ones, in terms of quality, traceability and certification often present a significant barrier for small-scale producers. Traditional certification systems involve high audit costs, complex procedures and technical standards that are difficult to access in rural areas.

In response to this situation, Faly Export has gradually developed an approach centred on supporting producers, structuring supply chains and adapting compliance systems to local realities. The company seeks to bridge the gap between the requirements of international markets and the capabilities of rural communities by offering more inclusive, participatory and accessible solutions.This vision has led to the development of the SPG-Fihavanana 4.0 system, inspired by the Malagasy concept of Fihavanana, which promotes solidarity, trust, collective responsibility and social cohesion.Faly Export is developing an integrated model combining support for producers, participatory assurance schemes, digital traceability and facilitated market access.

The company works with producers and cooperatives to improve agricultural practices, strengthen quality systems and facilitate compliance with international market requirements. Rather than relying solely on traditional certification models, Faly Export favours a participatory approach based on local governance, community trust and digital tools.The business model is also based on the principle of sustainable value creation. A portion of the value generated through commercial activities helps to fund internal control systems, productive investments and certain community initiatives.

Mission

Farmers: To support producers and agricultural cooperatives in accessing more sustainable and competitive markets through inclusive compliance systems, tailored traceability tools and innovative solutions.

Vision

To build more inclusive and transparent agricultural value chains, where small-scale producers become fully integrated players in regional and international markets through trust, innovation and community governance.

Faly Export works with producers, cooperatives and rural organisations involved in export-oriented agricultural supply chains. The company combines a commercial approach with a strong focus on support and capacity-building.Its activities include supporting producers in the areas of quality, traceability, good agricultural practices and compliance with market requirements. The company also contributes to the structuring of value chains by facilitating collaboration between producers, cooperatives and export stakeholders.

Particular attention is paid to producers who are often excluded from traditional certification schemes due to their geographical isolation, low levels of literacy or limited financial resources. To address these challenges, Faly Export has developed simplified and culturally appropriate approaches based on visual tools, participatory mechanisms and digital applications that are accessible even in rural areas.

The company also supports initiatives involving young graduates and agricultural cooperatives as they take their first steps into exporting, notably by providing access to packaging facilities and technical support schemes.Among its partner organisations is SAHI, a union of cooperatives bringing together several cooperatives from the Atsinanana and Analanjirofo regions.

The Faly Export portfolio operates across several agricultural value chains serving local, regional and international markets. The company focuses on products that meet market expectations in terms of quality, sustainability and traceability. Products and sectors include, in particular:

• Fruit and vegetables;
• Lychees;
• Vanilla;
• Spices, notably cloves and cinnamon;
• Dried grains;
• Processed agricultural products.

Beyond simply marketing its products, Faly Export seeks to build buyer confidence through improved monitoring, traceability and compliance systems. The main target markets are export markets, particularly in Europe, whilst also contributing to the development of local and regional value chains.

A key aspect of the company’s strategy is the development of digital and participatory systems designed to improve transparency throughout the value chain and strengthen links between producers, cooperatives and buyers.

One of the key innovations developed by Faly Export is the SPG-Fihavanana 4.0 system, a participatory assurance system combining local governance, digital traceability and international standards.The model draws inspiration from the Malagasy concept of Fihavanana, which is based on solidarity, trust and collective responsibility. Rather than imposing external compliance systems that are sometimes out of touch with rural realities, the initiative seeks to adapt standards in a way that is understandable and accessible to producers.The system is based on community governance mechanisms, including councils of elders, technical monitoring committees and market committees. This ‘ ’ organisation helps to strengthen local ownership and the credibility of the system.

Faly Export has also developed Holy App, a mobile application designed to enhance traceability and internal controls. Using this app, producers can send geolocated and time-stamped photos and videos to document farming practices and the various stages of production in real time.The app also includes voice features and an offline mode to ensure it remains accessible in rural areas with limited connectivity. Furthermore, the company uses simplified visual aids to explain good agricultural practices and compliance requirements to producers who cannot read or write.

In the medium term, Faly Export aims to scale up the roll-out of the SPG-Fihavanana model, expand the use of digital tools and strengthen partnerships with producer organisations and international market stakeholders.

Success factors

• Adaptation to local realities: Faly Export adapts international standards to the realities of rural communities, rather than imposing external systems that are difficult to access.
• Participatory and cultural approach: the company draws on cultural values, community mechanisms and participatory tools to encourage producer buy-in.
• Simple and inclusive tools: Visual aids, voice-activated apps and simplified traceability mechanisms make compliance systems more accessible, particularly for producers with low literacy levels.
• Technology for local engagement: Technology is used as a tool for inclusion when it is designed around producers’ real needs and supported by on-the-ground work.

Lessons learnt

Faly Export’s experience shows that the competitiveness of agricultural supply chains does not depend solely on production. It also relies on organisation, traceability, trust between stakeholders and producers’ ability to meet market demands sustainably.

Additional Resources

• English
• Faly-Export_Fiche-dentreprise-FL-OECD-COLEAD_FR