Presentation from the Informal Consultation on Livestock Issues between the FAO Animal Production and Health Division and interested Non-Governmental Organizations. 1–2 December 2009 Italy, Rome FAO Headquarters. [Originally posted on http://www.cop-ppld.net/cop_knowledge_base]

1. FAO Strategies and Actions
in Support of Farmers and
Farmer Organizations
Doyle Baker
Rural Infrastructure and Agro-Industries Division
FAO

2. Strategies Related to
Farmers and Farmer
Organizations
Current and Planned
Work – Examples
from Africa
Priorities for NGO
Services Provision
and Capacity Building

3. Strategies Related to
Farmers and Farmer
Organizations
Current and Planned
Work – Examples
from Africa
Priorities for NGO
Services Provision
and Capacity Building

4. Analysis
Essential to address to farm commercialization and
changing markets in order to increase farm income
Old Challenge
Loss of services and cash income opportunities
following structural adjustment
New Opportunities
Expanding domestic markets and prospects for regional
markets
Explicit modernization and public and private
cooperation policies
Gradual improvements in infrastructure – road, markets,
ICT

5. Strategic Orientation for Support
1. Enhance farmer capacity to be reliable
suppliers
 Awareness of farming as a business
 Beyond first stage commercialization (e.g. contracts
& production scheduling)
 Building marketing and business skills for farmers
 Demonstrations, on-farm tests, FFSs
 Farmer business schools and FFS networks

6. Strategic Orientation for Support
2. Ensure efficient services provision to farmers
 Farmer cooperation to overcome diseconomies of
scale – collection centres, inputs procurements
 Other services –information & communication,
finance, inputs supply, traders, transporters
 Urge organizations not to duplicate functions better
carried out by other partners
 NGO assistance in setting up links
 Initiation of business models by the private sector
when possible
 Use of and payment for existing local service
providers

7. Strategic Orientation for Support
3. Help to push value up the chain (particularly for
commodities)
 Post harvest management practices and agro-
processing technologies
 Intermediation with business services providers,
government & private sector
 Development of producer-buyer win-win contracts

8. Strategic Orientation for Support
4. Drive and upscale change through regional and
national organizations and multistakeholder
alliances
 Represent interests with various stakeholders
 Training of trainer programmes for frontline
organizations and service providers
 Resources mobilization from projects, private sector,
financial sector
 Strong relations with district & local authorities
 Effective linkages among development partners

9. Strategies Related to
Farmers and Farmer
Organizations
Current and Planned
Work – Examples
from Africa
Priorities for NGO
Services Provision
and Capacity Building

10. FO support through value
chains development
Project
Portfolio
Commercialization capacity
building – marketing and US$ 42
value addition Million
Recent Innovative Strategies
and Approaches

11. Zambia and Malawi –
Cassava value chains [Italy]
 Formation of a producer group of processors
(entrepreneurs) for bulking of raw material and primary
processing of cassava flour
 Facilitating linkages to financial service providers to
provide loans to procure processing equipment
 Establishment of a guarantee fund
 Training of primary processors in cassava processing
and entrepreneurship skills development
FO support through value chains
development

12. Malawi – livelihoods and land
management [Norway]
 Formation of primary and secondary level groups
 Capacity development of primary and secondary level
producer groups for cotton and rice
 Provision of training and technical support in business
management and marketing to managers
 Technical support and training at secondary level to
provide business services to members.
 Technical support to link farmers to markets
FO support through value chains
development

13. Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda; DRC starting
– Food Security in Cross-Border Districts
[Italy]
 Facilitate group formation and registration
 Train in leadership, organisational skills, group dynamics
 Develop finance schemes (e.g. matching grants)
 Train groups in business planning and management
 Build farmer capacity in marketing, business, product
quality and safety, standards
 Facilitate linkages to markets and input suppliers
 Demonstrations to increase productivity
FO support through value chains
development

14. Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Sierra Leone,
Liberia; Gambia and Guinea starting -
national food security programmes [Italy]
 FFS and demonstrations to address production
constraints
 Farmer organization capacity for marketing, business
management, negotiation
 Enhance farmers’ capacities for value addition - storage,
processing
Commercialization capacity building –
marketing and value addition

15. Business models to strengthen
producer-buyer linkages [EC]
 Senegal, Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone - rice value
chains
 Zambia, Kenya, Uganda – cotton value chains
 Cameroon, Malawi – cassava value chains
Even better examples in Caribbean and Pacific
Recent Innovative Strategies and
Approaches

16. Business models to strengthen
producer-buyer linkages [EC]
 Analysis of the current business model
 Buyers, market channels, business strategy, value network,
asset structure, etc.
 Identification of the critical success factors for buyers
 Preparation of an upgrading strategy and financing plan
 Facilitation to launch implementation of the upgrading
strategy
 Training to increase capacity of PO in agribusiness skills
Recent Innovative Strategies and
Approaches

17. Food systems development – Tanzania
[Germany]
 Farmer and FO technical and business capacity building
 Business models appraisal and development
 PPPs for value chain investment
 Market mechanisms innovation
 Sector coordination
 Regulatory and fiscal reform
Recent Innovative Strategies and
Approaches

18. Agribusiness Support to Smallholder -
Kenya, start 2010 [Germany]
 Business models – build on existing pilots
 Technical & management training for farmers & SMAEs
 Commercial viability of market linkage and business
service providers
 Capacity of KENFAP and affiliated organizations
 Capacity of Kenyan Agribusiness and Agro-Industries
Consortium
 Capacity of Agribusiness and Inputs Division; Agricultural
Sector Co-Ordination Unit
Recent Innovative Strategies and
Approaches

19. Public Sector
Apex Producer Agribusiness
Organizations National Organizations
National District National
District District
Business PartnersSl anot ui t s n
t r oppu i t I
Producers & Small and
Producer Medium Agro-
Organizations Enterprises
Local
National
Other Other
Service Market Linkage Service
Providers Companies Providers

20. Strategies Related to
Farmers and Farmer
Organizations
Current and Planned
Work – Examples
from Africa
Priorities for NGO
Services Provision
and Capacity Building

21. Frontline
services to Business development services –
enhance business planning, market information,
contract negotiation, business linkaging,
producer information on agribusiness trends
supply
capacity and Supply chain management services –
strengthen production scheduling, collection and
producer- sale sites, grading, certification, handling
and quality control, and logistics support
buyer
linkages

22. Frontline
services to
Training to improve farmer skills -
enhance quality management, packaging,
producer labeling, food safety, business planning
supply
capacity and Technology introduction services -
strengthen drying, storage, seed production, post-
harvest operations, grinding, grating,
producer- cottage processing and pre-processing
buyer
linkages

23. Thank You