European Development Days: High level panel: Growing a Better Future for Farmers

On 16-17 October, the European Commission will be hosting EU Development Days, a two-day forum on international affairs and development cooperation that will see Heads of State, Nobel Prize laureates, business leaders, and development professionals meet to discuss some of the global issue that are at risk of slipping down the international agenda in the wake of the economic crisis.

16 October 2012. To improve information sharing and promote networking, the ACP-EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) in collaboration with FAO, AgriCord and other partners organised a high-level panel in Brussels in the context of the European Development Days.

Various panelists gave their perspectives on how they see the future of farmers in the context of new drivers affecting food production, trade and the environment.Among the topics that were discussed are: how policy factors influence agricultural production and the nutritional status of the poor in developing countries, how small-scale farmers can increase their productivity to feed a growing population, the economic drivers behind key policy decisions, the new policy challenges affecting food production and the role of traditional and emerging actors in the food system.

The objectives of the panel were to 

1. raise awareness on existing and emerging challenges on food policies 
2. promote the exchange of information and expertise from various parts of the world, especially from developing countries 
3. feed into the debate various perspectives on policy options, which have the potential to improve the future of farmers.

Speakers came from different parts of the world, highlighting unique experiences: Graziano Da Silva, Director General, FAO, addressed the audience from Rome in the context of World Food Day; Richard Greene, Mission Director in Bangladesh, USAID; Ruth Rawling, Vice-President Corporate Affairs, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Cargill; Piet Vanhemtsche, President, Agricord; Kalilou Sylla, Executive Secretary, ROPPA, Panafrican Farmer's Organisation, PAFO; Elisangela dos Santos Araujo, Federação Nacional dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras na Agricultura Familiar (FETRAF), Brazil.
The panel was webstreamed and is available to watch here.

• AgriCord factsheet - Farmers Fighting Poverty
• Geopolitics of food briefing
• Food price volatility briefing

FaRMAf - Innovative new project to improve food security in Africa

26 et 27 septembre. Ouagadougou. Le projet FARMAF financé par l'UE, qui porte sur la gestion des risques agricoles en Afrique, a été lancé. Le projet vise à améliorer la sécurité alimentaire et les moyens de subsistance des producteurs agricoles familiaux en Afrique, en renforçant leur accès aux outils de gestion des risques agricoles.

L'atelier de lancement a mis en évidence le fait que la capacité des agriculteurs à anticiper, éviter et répondre aux chocs naturels et économiques était cruciale pour la réduction de la pauvreté et de la sécurité alimentaire en milieu rural. Toutefois, les agriculteurs africains, et les producteurs familiaux en particulier, manquent souvent d'accès à des outils et sont donc directement confrontés aux risques pré- et post- récoltes. Le projet FARMAF vise à renforcer l'accès des producteurs agricoles familiaux à ces outils. Ce faisant, FARMAF contribue à améliorer de façon durable les moyens de subsistance des agriculteurs en Afrique.

Au cours de l'atelier de lancement du projet FARMAF, les expériences du Burkina Faso, de la Tanzanie et de la Zambie ont été présentées et discutées, ce qui a permis de mettre en lumière le fonctionnement de différents outils (assurance, systèmes d'information sur le marché, warrantage et action collective).

Des suggestions ont été faites sur la façon dont ceux-ci peuvent être améliorés et renforcés grâce à la participation des organisations régionales de producteurs agricoles (PAFO, ROPPA, EAFF, SACAU et PROPAC), et des organisations nationales de producteurs agricoles (MWIWATA, CPF et ZNFU) et à la collaboration des instituts de recherche Agrinatura (CIRAD, NRI et WUR).

Selon le représentant de la Plateforme continentale des organisations paysannes (PAFO), Kolyang Palébélé, ce projet vise « à améliorer l’accès des producteurs agricoles aux outils de gestion des risques de manière efficace contribuant ainsi à l’amélioration de la sécurité alimentaire familiale et des revenus des ménages ruraux les plus pauvres ». Comme outils de gestion, il s’agit principalement des systèmes d’assurance agricole, de warrantage et d’informations de marché, a indiqué M. Palébélé.

De son avis, ces outils ont été développés avec succès dans certains pays africains car ayant permis aux producteurs d’accéder à des mécanismes de crédit en milieu rural, à des systèmes de commercialisation plus efficace et d’obtenir des prix rémunérateurs.

Financé par l’union européenne, la FARMAF est mis en œuvre pour compenser les pertes liées aux conditions climatiques, a ajouté le président de la Confédération paysanne du Faso (CPF), Bassiaka Dao. Pour réaliser ses objectifs, le projet cherche à accroître l’éventail d’outils et d’instrument durables que les petits exploitants des pays africains peuvent utiliser pour gérer les risques agricoles.

Ceci devra réduire leur exposition aux chocs baissiers, améliorer leur accès au crédit et leurs capacités à investir dans une technologie améliorant le rendement et à mieux gérer la commercialisation des produits de la ferme, a précisé le représentant de Agrinatura, Paolo Sarfatti.

Lire l'article : La FARMAF, un projet de gestion des risques agricoles en Afrique - Burkinapmepmi.com - le portail des PME / PMI au Burkina Faso

 Flyer FaRMAF-GB

PAFO Continental Briefing

On June 28th, 2012, a meeting was held in Brussels to outline the structure of the next Pan-African Farmers Organization (PAFO) Continental Briefing, which will focus on defining the future of African agriculture and the renewed role of farmers’ organizations with the support of CTA and the African Union Commission. 

The PAFO Continental Briefing will aim to expand knowledge on key areas; promote the exchange of expertise and experience; facilitate networking; provide a platform for policy dialogue and strengthen the PAFO as the continental farmers’ platform.

Around 150 participants representing the five African regions are expected to attend the Continental Briefing, one-third of which will be representing farmers’ organizations. Other stakeholders will include: decentralized local communities, policy makers, researchers, agri-business sector representatives, financial institutions and insurance providers, as well as international organizations and RECs. Updates will follow on the Continental Briefing to be held in January 2013.

The IFAD Farmers' Forum

20 - 21 February. Rome. About 95 delegates from farmers' and fishers' networks, and an equal number of observers, attended the Farmers' Forum. The forum discussed a.o. the importance to invest in strengthening the technical, managerial and organizational capacity of FOs, as well as their governance mechanisms and leadership skills. IFAD and other development organizations are playing a role in this area.

Various concrete solutions have been proposed as a way forward for FOs, in many cases by drawing on successful experiences that have potential for replication. It was suggested that IFAD and other development institutions provide a combination of loans and grants to financially support FOs. This could build their capacity while making FOs more responsible as owners of their own path towards sustainability.

Djibo Bagna of the West African producers' network ROPPA listed a series of specific policy questions that must be answered as a prerequisite for rural transformation. For example, how will smallholders gain access to credit and markets? And how can we empower rural women and youth, and build the capacities of producers' organizations? "The road ahead is still very long," said Bagna.

Background:

The Farmers' Forum is an emerging, bottom-up process of consultation and dialogue between small farmers and rural producers' organizations, IFAD and governments, focused on rural development and poverty reduction. Fully aligned with IFAD's strategic objectives, the Forum is rooted in concrete partnership and collaboration at the country and regional level. Engagement with rural organizations at the field level and dialogue at the international level are articulated as mutually reinforcing processes. Following consultations at the national and regional level, the Farmers' Forum meets every two years for a global consultation, in conjunction with the Governing Council of IFAD.

Sustainable smallholder agriculture: Feeding the world, protecting the planet

Centre-stage events

Wednesday 22 February

What promise will Rio herald for agriculture?” A conversation with Dr Lindiwe Majele Sibanda (FANRPAN)

Side events of the Farmers’ Forum

Thursday, 23 February 2012 (IFAD HQ)

14:00 - 16:00	“Organic farmers organizations: empowering farmers and promoting sustainable rural development” organised by IFOAM. – Oval Room A English | French | Spanish
14:00 - 16:00	“Linking research to advocacy in farmer organizations: building on country experiences”. organised by AgriNatura and the ESFIM project. – Oval Room B English | French | Spanish
14:00 - 16:00	“The role of livestock for farmers coping with environmental and social challenges of the future”. organised by Vétérinaires Sans Frontières  – Europa. - Room C 500 5th floor wing C English | French | Spanish
16:30 - 18:30	“Strengthening farmers' organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa– the Farmer Organization Support Centre in Africa” (FOSCA). organised by Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). – Oval Room A English | French | Spanish
16:30 - 18:30	“World Agricultures Watch”: FAO/CIRAD – organised by WAW secretariat at FAO. – Oval Room B English | French | Spanish
16:30 - 18:30	“International Year of Cooperatives”: jointly organised by IFAD, WFP and FAO. – Room C 500 5th floor wing C English | French | Spanish

Entretien avec Moussa Para Diallo, Président de la Confédération Nationale des Organisations des Paysans de Guinée (CNOPG), dans le cadre du Forum Paysan 2012, FIDA, Rome


4th global meeting of the Farmers' Forum . Opening session, part I