SOAS wins consultancy contract with with global sustainability platform for sugarcane, Bonsucro
5 August 2022
SOAS academics, will work in partnership with academics in CEBRAP (The Brazilian Centre for Analysis and Planning) to support Bonsucro to develop a monitoring evaluation and learning framework, strategy, guidance and support package for Bonsucro members in receipt of a Bonsucro Impact Fund grant.
Dr Mukta Das and Professor Carlos Oya are leading the delivery of this work at SOAS, alongside Dr Louise Nakagawa and Dr Ariane Faverato at CEBRAP. The consultancy project and the cooperation between SOAS and CEBRAP will last for approximately 21 months.
Bonsucro is the global sustainability platform for sugarcane, one of the world’s most important crops. Bonsucro's purpose is to collectively accelerate the sustainable production and uses of sugarcane - for farmers, millers, buyers, and end users. The Bonsucro Impact Fund (BIF) has been set up to address critical sustainability challenges in the sugarcane sector. The fund will support collaborative, innovative projects that catalyse sustainable sugarcane production. The BIF makes grants using income from the sale of Bonsucro Credits . All trades are charged a transaction fee, around 50% of which is invested into the BIF.
The SOAS-led consultancy work for Bonsucro also includes writing an evaluation report based on data collected as the framework is implemented.
Dr Mukta Das, Research Impact and Knowledge Exchange Fellow said:
"Weeks after SOAS' excellent REF results, the university is embracing a new and more productive way of understanding, working towards and measuring impact. The emphasis has broadened at SOAS to embrace learning and adaptive research project management. In other words - we’re using impact monitoring and measurement to learn and change direction during a project if necessary.
This consultancy with Bonsucro provides SOAS with an excellent opportunity to embed these impact principles. It also provides SOAS academics a model - whereby they combine their academic expertise with the impact experience in the Research and Knowledge Exchange Directorate and contribute - in this case - to the sustainability agenda”.
For more information about this project or SOAS' impact principles, or if you are interested or know of similar opportunities, please contact Dr Mukta Das.