Project Overview

A2F Consulting supported the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) in identifying opportunities to promote gender considerations and women’s empowerment in low-carbon value chains across 15 Carbon Fund countries. The project combined cross-country analysis with targeted fieldwork to inform gender-responsive interventions and pilot programs.

Work Developed

• Conducted desk research analysing women’s roles, constraints, and opportunities in forest-related livelihoods and low-carbon value chains across 15 countries
• Delivered gender-responsive value chain feasibility studies in Costa Rica, Republic of the Congo, and Lao PDR
• Performed in-depth stakeholder engagement, including 45 interviews and surveys of 210 value chain actors across selected cases
• Identified actionable recommendations to integrate gender considerations into low-carbon value chains and inform pilot program design

The assignment was implemented over 14 months and structured in two phases: a global desk review and three country-level deep dives. Fieldwork focused on cocoa, banana/plantain agroforestry, and bamboo value chains, providing practical, evidence-based guidance to support gender-inclusive low-carbon economic activities.