SMALL-FARMS-L Archives

Moderated e-mail conference on small farms and food security

SMALL-FARMS-L@LISTSERV.FAO.ORG

Options: Use Classic View

Use Monospaced Font
Show HTML Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Tue, 10 Apr 2018 12:30:09 +0000
text/plain (6 kB) , text/html (14 kB)
Dear all,

We're processing the last inputs we received before yesterday's deadline. -- Some of these inputs might be quite short, but I still want to distribute these to the group.  -- Peter

Here is the last aggregated input on topic #1 - "Cooperation among small farms"

Q1.1/15 - Question: "1.1.  What are different experiences of small farms’ cooperation in other regions? How has this changed over the past 10 years?"

From: Yoanna Ivanova <[log in to unmask]> (Bulgaria)
The process of co-operation of small farms in Bulgaria is extremely difficult, despite the EU's financial support, as the totalitarian regime still connects the cooperatives with the violent withdrawal of their lands after the 2nd world war.

From: Boyko Doychinov <[log in to unmask]> (Bulgaria)
90% of the farms in Bulgaria are small farms.
By 1990, there was a state coercive co-operation in Bulgaria, which led to a lack of economic initiative.
In recent years, there have been difficulties in co-operating between small producers since the country's changes.

From: Florence Egal <[log in to unmask]> (France/Italy)
I think there has been limited reference to the increasing role of, and opportunities for, small farmers in "social and solidarity economies" (Brazil, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, India, Philippines...), including Community Supported Agriculture. This should be an important dimension of the way forward.

From: Manuela Bucciarelli <[log in to unmask]> (Italy)
This is a follow-up of earlier input from Teresa Pinto Correia <[log in to unmask]> (Portugal) and Richard W.N. Yeboah <[log in to unmask]> (Nigeria) on the need of soft skills for farmers' cooperation

To which Manuela adds:
Regarding soft skills development, under the CDAIS project (Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation Systems<http://www.fao.org/in-action/tropical-agriculture-platform/cdais-project/en/>), value chain actors in small “innovation niches/ partnerships” are assisted and their soft capacities strengthened through participatory capacity needs assessments and coaching by a pool of national facilitators.
Through capacity development action plans, called coaching plans, their requirements in terms of capacity development (including collaboration skills) and specific interventions are identified. The project helps the innovation niches by linking them with local service providers of capacity development.  For example, in Bangladesh the project is helping the innovation partnerships with study tours to visit other farmers groups in neighboring countries to learn new techniques and to establish potential links.
In Angola the project linked the niche stakeholders with an external organization to provide training modules on collaboration/capacity to collaborate as the niche actors identified this as major capacity gap.
The project aims at institutionalizing this approach through the direct involvement of national facilitators (who are national institutions’ employees) and through the strenghtening of innovation coordination mechanisms at national level.
For more info, contact: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>

From: Sami Elhag <[log in to unmask]> (Sudan)
Gedaref State, Sudan, started with farmers cooperative associations , over the three past years a new law was enacted. We are working with a project called "Sudan Food Security Program", through this project we established 80 grass-root farmers' association (each association has 20-25 members) , and 7 high level farmers organization (which are networks, each has 11 grass-root associations ).
Before the new law, there had been over 1,000 almost non functioning cooperative associations.

__________________

Q1.2/10 - Question: "1.2.  Could you provide specific examples of the advantages and/or disadvantages of cooperation among small farms?"

From: Yoanna Ivanova <[log in to unmask]> (Bulgaria)
The advantages of co-operating amongst small farms can generally be summarized in the following groups:
1. Production - saving from labor and equipment
2. In the realization - the formation of larger volumes, the possibility of obtaining certificates, access to large commercial companies, easier access to the end user

From: Sami Elhag <[log in to unmask]> (Sudan)
Advantages of cooperative associations were have been pointed out. Disadvantages are: poor or no training, no monitoring from the headquarters of the cooperative.


___________________

Q1.3/10 - Question: "1.3.  Are there any forms of collaboration between small farms that work particularly well? Why? How does the size of the farm affect cooperation?"

From: Yoanna Ivanova <[log in to unmask]> (Bulgaria)
I believe that the form of cooperation between small farmers that works well in Bulgaria at the moment is related to their cooperation for direct deliveries to end-users - first point of sale, farm markets, direct deliveries

From: Boyko Doychinov <[log in to unmask]> (Bulgaria)
Since 2007 the positive form of cooperation between small farmers has been the "LAGs" and "FLAGs" which are supported by the EU.
Our organization is a member of regional LAG and FLAG and, thanks to our efforts, a number of small farmers in the region have become members of the cooperatives and show good economic results afterwards.

From: Sami Elhag <[log in to unmask]> (Sudan)
There were no clear collaboration between small farms, considering associations under the Cooperative Law (an old law). But after structuring farmers' association under the new law every 11 grass-root associations are linked together, and now preparing themselves to buy and sell collectively.

____________________


Q1.4/8 - Question: "1.4    In what way does gender influence cooperation among small farms? Please share experiences from your region."

From: Sami Elhag <[log in to unmask]> (Sudan)
Each grass-root association has a variable number of female farmers, but specifically we have three pure women associations. Moreover, with potential, there are 11 grass-root women associations ready to structure a network.




########################################################################

To unsubscribe from the SMALL-FARMS-L list, click the following link:
https://listserv.fao.org/scripts/wa-fao.exe?SUBED1=SMALL-FARMS-L&A=1


ATOM RSS1 RSS2