Hi all,
We received A LOT of input on topic #1 again, with thanks to everyone!
So I'm aggregating all input received for the four questions in this topic. — BUT PLEASE keep sending your feedback with only ONE question’s input per email (which makes it much easier for us, to process them) — Peter
Q1.1/4 - Input on "Question 1.1: What are different experiences of small farms’ cooperation in other regions? How has this changed over the past 10 years?"
1/ From: Janajeet Adhikari <[log in to unmask]> (Nepal)
I am Janjit Adhikari, agriculture student from Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Paklihawa Campus, Nepal.
Developing countries like Nepal are full of small farms. Nepal, a small country with small population as well, possesses plenty of small farms and people are highly dependent on them join their hand to mouth.
Due to modern enhancement in agriculture, the small farms are being kicked out from agriculture. The farmers are compelled to be involved in alternative works instead of farming.
Yes, the supply of inputs have become more easy to buy but the dependency on the supply corporation have also increased which have resulted more chances of their farms being fallow in times of shortage and delay in supply.
Back then, before 10 years, farmers were their boss but the situation has changed now. The then farmers are either been kicked out or compelled to become a slave.
I have to say, farming have been a difficult profession back then and now. Many things changed with the course of time but not the fate of the small farmers.
2. From: Denu L. Tsegaye <[log in to unmask]> (Ethiopia)
My name is Denu Lemma Tsegaye and I am a development economist. Currently I work as a lecturer at public university in Ethiopia and a consultant in various areas of development cooperation.
The small farms' cooperation started in Ethiopia through the “ illagization" program during the mid 1980’s when smallholder farmers were advocated to establish cooperatives. These farmers' cooperatives were mainly serving their members through provision of agricultural inputs (seeds, fertilizer, and chemicals among others) and purchase of outputs. Through this, the cooperatives have been playing a vital role in providing access to agricultural inputs to small and marginalized farmers. Various agricultural technologies were also introduced to smallholder farmers through this farmers cooperatives.
Furthermore, the cooperatives have benefited their members by stabilizing prices, both during surplus and deficit production periods. This is through purchase of outputs at a floor price when the market price falls below breakeven point.
However, the roles of cooperatives have been constrained with various factors. Among these factors: lack of capital and skills are the major ones, which have limited the cooperatives capacity to provide services to satisfy the multifaceted needs of their members.
Efforts have been made by government and non-government bodies during the past one two decades to tackle these containts and changes have been somehow realized. But, there is still gap in capacity and governance among these farmer’s cooperatives.
3. From: Loupa Pius <[log in to unmask]> (Uganda)
I am Loupa Pius, project officer and university student at Uganda Martyrs University. I do also work for pastoralists and small holder crop growers under the Dodoth Agropastoralist Development Organization in Kaabong District, Karamoja region (North Uganda).
How do the pastoralists and small crop growers cooperate? In Kaabong district, looking at my experience for three years of interaction, during the dry season the pastoralists or the crop farming pastoralists allow the livestock to graze over the cultivated field to allow crushing and manuring of the crop field with cow dung for a period of 3 months. Sometimes the crop residue is used to feed the small ruminants like goats and pigs, chicken etc.
During the wet season, the livestock keepers move further away from the crop farmers to mountain areas for grazing, as more land gets devoted for crop farming. However, the livestock keepers select good heifers for draught power. So normally the crop farmer provides cereals and some small resource support to the livestock keeper meanwhile the pastoralists or livestock keeper provides the draught power inform of oxens.
The pastoralists provides milk and meat to the crop farming households, the crop farmer provides cereals. In the time of droughts the crop farmer and pastoralists do perform barter trade. 100kgs of cereals for five goats, 100kg of maize or sorghum for 1 bull or a cow.
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Q1.2/3 - Input on “Question 1.2: Could you provide specific examples of the advantages and/or disadvantages of cooperation among small farms?
1/ from: Arbab Qadir <[log in to unmask]> (Pakistan)
I am against a cooperative system, based on its past performance in my country, but looking at things positively and assuming that things will perform as anticipated, then there are so many advantages of cooperation specially among small farms:
In an ideal situation
1. Small farm owners are free from taking inputs on credit and they have enough saving to purchase quality product on cash.
2. Small farmers have better cropping skills to maximize their yield cost efficiently. Resultantly they have more production to sell
3. Cooperatives of small farms intervene in all cropping activities by resolving and sharing scarce irrigation water and other inputs that are purchased on collective and need basis
4. The cooperative will now negotiate price of the crop and will sell on fair price
5. Cooperative will also guide members to cultivate crops based on market research and price trends
6. This all need commitment of small farm owners and corruption free market and governance system that I don't see happening
2/ From: Walter Caesar Tumwesigye Owak <[log in to unmask]> (Uganda)
Walter replies to an earlier input from Ghulam Qadir Arbab <[log in to unmask]>
Ghulam said: "I am against a formal system of cooperatives that normally works in the form of cooperatives."
Walter’s reply is:
I would like to disagree with Ghulam's view that formal cooperatives are disadvantageous to small farmers with little surplus to sell.
In my experience as an extension agent, I have seen first hand the vulnerability of small farmers with their little surplus, the exploitation the suffer at the hand of traders has compounded their misery and left them in debt because of the absence of cooperatives in Uganda, the kind of poverty they experience today in unseen before especially since before the collapse of the cooperatives.
In peak harvest season for example, the price of whole maize grain per kilo is $0.16, and this rises to about $0.544. This happens about two months after peak season or thereafter. Now, all this difference go to the traders and no the farmers because individually they lack capacity to store grain securely for any duration of time, but in a formal cooperative, their combined little resources would afford them capacity to store grain long enough to benefit from these prices. This is a simple example.
The biggest challenge with cooperatives remains their management. Corruption of management is a threat to coops, which denies the smallholder farmers of their respective benefits of being members.
3/ From Mahesh Chander <[log in to unmask]> (India)
Where Mahesh replies to the same input from Ghulam (see higher)
While I agree with the response of Ghulam Qadir Arbab to Q1.2, that cooperatives are mostly failures being too idealistic probably.Yet, I had an opportunity to see last April, the successful agricultural cooperative- HANSALIM( http://eng.hansalim.or.kr/?page_id=13 ) engaged in organic or eco-friendly agricultural products for consumers' welfare in South Korea.
Similarly, Moshav and Kibbutizim in Israel are examples of cooperative farming.
Can we learn from the successful cooperative farming models, since it is important for small scale farmers to pool up resources and be strategic in production and marketing? Often traders and retailers are organized into associations and producers have no collective formations, so they miss the opportunity to broker better deal for them.
This link ( http://mrunal.org/2013/11/land-reforms-cooperative-farming-in-india-features-benefits-limitations.html ) gives some idea about cooperative farming in India, which mostly give a bleak scenario.
Still, I believe, small farmers have to join hands to face the challenges, may be they have to feel the need for it rather than being thrust upon by the government to form cooperatives!
4/ From: Scott E. Justice <[log in to unmask]> (Nepal)
From a agro-mechanization point of view and especially in South Asia cooperative business models for agri-machinery have had big problems. That's not to say that with strong leadership it cannot be managed. But maintenance and inevitable machinery breakage costs along with arguments about responsibility, leads to equipment grave yards .
Also members many times ask for discount pricing which may not be sustainable for maintenance and repairs . This lower pricing can also distort local market as non-members ask for below market prices for services that pvt entrepreneurs will not/cannot provide.
5/ From: George Madoda <[log in to unmask]> (Tanzania)
My name is George Madoda, I work for Aid for Trade logistics as a policy analyst under the department of International trade and agriculture development
There are more districts and wards where cooperation among small farms works it’s because they are aware of advantages of them being in organization, cooperatives and Union there examples of KNCU in the Northern Region of Tanzania, Coffee association, cashew nut producers in the southern part of Tanzania… .
These cooperatives work hard to improve their system of production and have the ambition to learn on how they can work together in improving their crop production and build a strong organization that help them and represent them to companies and enterprises. Every small holder farmer understand the essence of being in union and work together, training and other support such as subsidies on machines and pesticides is negotiated by cooperatives and organization through other government bodies and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, they are empower with various method farming including seed production, this has attracted them and led them to be much more involved in cooperatives.
There are cases where cooperation among small farms does not work due to unawareness of what cooperation is all about and what it can gives to each small holders(benefits) and how they will be involved or how each one will benefit from the cooperation, specific examples is that Eastern regions districts and wards ( Kigoma, Kibondo, Ngara among others ) they started cooperating but they were discouraged instead of being encouraged, government did not have much resources to support their cooperatives and leaders were not able to mobilize farmers to invest in their own cooperatives, so these cooperatives were introduced and later closed to date they are not operational. It’s noted that leaders had little knowledge to run them and government funding to empower them was limited for those areas.
There are much advantages when small farms cooperate, in the northern and southern Tanzania the cooperation is meaningful and organization speak on their behalf when they need subsidies from the government and incase there are issues that need government support the organization or head of the organization negotiate with government and markets on behalf of farm holders. India buys cashew nuts from Tanzania, it’s not that each farmer introduces it to the Indian company rather the government and the organization does it on behalf of farmers.
Farmers in the eastern part of Tanzania (Kigoma, Kibondo, Ngara…) find the cooperation disadvantageous because leaders abused the power they were entrusted with, leaders of the existed cooperatives were not working as required, they were not helping farmers when facing challenges and were not close to the government to seek for help when needed, they were not helping the organization grow, they were not providing any help rather expected farmers to support themselves while they were not capable to do so because of limited resources among them, farmers had to find it difficult to trust into organization and cooperatives and therefore closed and decided to be independent.
We can draw more specific examples in northern where they had put more efforts to make sure their organization grow and farmers benefit from them we have among them KCU in Kilimanjaro and cooperatives of small producers of coffee and farmers organization in Arusha, cashew nut producers in Mtwara among others, to date they work including Pwani Regions and they still work and they are enjoying all the advantage of cooperatives or being in organization. And the rest of places they failed to carry out their cooperatives and continue to organize farmers into cooperatives.
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Q1.3/3 - Input on “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?"
1/ From: Walter Caesar Tumwesigye Owak <[log in to unmask]> (Uganda)
Yes, I think these cooperatives would help farmers to acquire high cost inputs like acaricides, at a lower cost, and genuine products.
I worked with a livestock farmers' organisation previously as a program officer, because there are many challenges in acquisition and procurement of farm inputs, I negotiated with input suppliers and manufacturers to provide the inputs and at a lower price.
The collective bargain is good because you can place large orders at once, which are at more friendly prices to benefit farmers. There is strength is in their unity.
2/ From: Ruben, Ruerd <[log in to unmask]> (The Netherlands)
I work as professor and researcher at Wageningen University (the Netherlands) and did my PhD research in the 1990s on the economic performance of coöperaties in Honduras.
At that time, many agricultural coops were suffering losses and internally divided by political pressure. Recently, I had the pleasure to visit Again the same coöperatives. Much to my surprise, they were doning very well. Especially because they learned about sound entrepreneurial business management practices.
Cooperatives are important in agriculture to speed up innovation amongst smallholder farmers and to enable economies of scale and scope. They need some internal heterogeneity and should maintain strict political independence.
3/ From: George Madoda <[log in to unmask]> (Tanzania)
All small holder farmers do not possess same capacity to handle their challenges and carry their farming system properly some may depend on help from one season to another depending on the climate in the area, quality of soil and techniques.
There are different forms of collaboration between small farms that work but depending with the area, we can observe Tanzania, it has a variance of climate in different part of districts, villages and regions so here am going to show form of collaboration that can work well between small farms in the eastern part on Tanzania where cooperatives closed and reason why the form should work.
We should understand that the eastern part of Tanzania is bordering four countries and there are some of immigrants that comes over and become farmers, their capacity to talk and discuss about cooperation might fail since some do not want to be included in the formation because of their status on immigration, it’s important to note this, some may play a key role to discourage this formation but still those that are national can still decides to form and leave the rest behind.
The leader of the village or ward chairman is well placed to know the soil distribution and ownership for each farmer and farm, he/she is well placed to mobilize farmers for this collaboration and let them work together as cooperative, since he is the chairman or village leaders it’s much more easy to negotiate with government officials on the demand of cooperatives from subsidies to loan on faming materials or machines and capacity building. From this point this collaboration that is being introduced by ward chairmen, village leader can work well with a reason that the leader is close and is working with the government and the government can listen to him and act immediately.
Now the formation of the cooperatives should also consider the size of farms because some hold small sizes other hold medium size and others large size so when it come to benefits this must be treated according to the size of the farm and benefit should be divided unequally if this cannot be discussed during the formation of the cooperatives then there can be issues that might dissolve the organization or cooperatives. In this case the size of the firm will not affect cooperation, each one will be a member of the organization or cooperatives keeping in mind that when it come to a case of distribution of subsidies each one will get accordingly and based on the size of his firm.
4/ From: EMMurali, KFRI <[log in to unmask]> (India)
I am Dr. E.M.Muralidharan, a researcher in Biotechnology working with a forest research organization in Kerala State India.
I would like to address the 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? " with examples from India
Are there examples of collaboration between small farms that work well? Indeed there are many and enough to show that it is a model that should be encouraged. In India, as already indicated in an earlier message ( 1.3/2 Raja Rathinam 21 March ), the very successful example of the dairy cooperative movement in the state of Gujarat set the stage for similar cooperatives in the dairy sector in other parts of the country, with each promoting a brand name that became a force to reckon with. This was followed by similar ventures in oilseeds, vegetables and plantation produce.
Why does it work better? I think it is because of assured incomes, "ease of doing business", availability of technical support, financing and the absence of exploitation by middlemen.
As with milk production, the majority of participants in these ventures are very small farms and households. The size, therefore, does not matter in the least, I think. The profits and "ease of business" should encourage many of the farmers to extend the size of the farms and to make further investments which they otherwise would not have considered, since it was mainly a subsistence activity earlier.
The idea of agricultural cooperatives has clearly caught the imagination of farmers and policymakers all across India. While I am unaware of the weaknesses in the system if any, it appears that cooperative farming definitely solves many of the vexing problems faced by the small impoverished farmer.
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Q1.4/2 - Input on “Question 1.4 In what way does gender influence cooperation among small farms? Please share experiences from your region"
1/ from: Arbab Qadir <[log in to unmask]> (Pakistan)
Women are actively involved in agri and they have extended role in small farms as they work with their family's male members.
But unfortunately they are not given rights to be part of any form of cooperation. However they can play more effective role as compared to men.
Two examples of small farms projects:
I have evaluated one women economic empowerment project wherein rural agrarian women have played great role by learning sewing skills and started sending kids for education and also started having comparatively better food.
Women are more organized in fruitful utilization of money as compared to men
In another project I have studied role of women in water rights and found that there is no role given to them.
The project after making local village organizations started involving women to struggle for their water rights and play peace building role.
As I said earlier, women are better organized and determined, hence, project started generating results and now community welcome women as member of village Water committees.
Conclusion: I strongly suggest that all development projects may focus more on involving women in any form of cooperation whether it is formal or informal.
2/ From: Mayank Jain <[log in to unmask]> (India)
My name is Mayank Jain. I am from India. Manufacturing Engineer by degree with 6 years of experience working across technical research and social and solidarity economy. Cofounder of MicroX Foundation (a not-for-profit based out of Bihar and Delhi). I work with agrarian communities for economic value creation and poverty alleviation through sustainable recurring income model. I want to fix the broken food system. Fellow at Global Social Economy Forum. Exposure to Indian, Israeli & South Korean Ecosystem. Visit http://www.sumarth.org Reachable at http://www.linkedin.com/in/mysticmayank
I think I have few observations from the field on this question:
a. As I previously mentioned in my input to question 1.1: Where women farmers are running the show, I have seen more harmony and cooperation in the farm work. I have closely observed it in one of my field areas. Barter system for labor and informal cooperation is very effective this way.
b. Also, inclusiveness of women apart from being an 'invisible labor' on field and acknowledging her position in the house also makes the difference. This has given helping hand to farmers as well as women are assumed to be finance managers at home. I have seen accounting and financial literacy at better level where both halves are involved. So it leads to better cohesion at family farm level too
c. Even on facilitating trainings and upskilling the farmers, I have found it much easier to train women farmers (where their position and role as farmer is acknowledged). They are more confident and training sessions are more engaging.
d. Knowledge dissemination is also improved as peer-to-peer learning is better facilitated. Our working model is somewhat inspired from Women Extension Volunteer system in Ghana. My article on the same is accessible here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/agriculture-extension-peer-to-peer-learning-reaching-women-jain/
Adaptation rate to extension services get enhanced when there is peer-learning involved. Farmers are more likely to adopt a new intervention if the (program) officer helps in its introduction to farmers. The increased rate of adoption is possibly due to the high trust relationship that women officers have with other farmers, the fact that they themselves have adopted the interventions and their ability to communicate the information necessary for adoption in a way that is relevant to their peers. This aspect of (program) officers being peers is particularly important for female farmers. When implemented in a holistic way, peer-to-peer learning and officer can provide female farmers with much needed technology and information to implement improved agricultural practices, while spreading the benefits to a wider group of people.
3/ From: George Madoda <[log in to unmask]> (Tanzania)
My name is George Madoda, I work for Aid for Trade logistics as a policy analyst under the department of International trade and agriculture development.
Among the cooperatives that have existed (here), there are none that did not include gender participation.
Those cooperatives that exists in northern, southern and western Tanzania gender was almost to be balanced. The reason why I am saying this is that there are tribes in all those parts that consider women to be part of those that should work hard to find food for the family, so farms have quite a number of women while men sometimes are less than women.
Farmers understand the efforts that women (provide) to feed their families. Women in these regions that have succeeded to organize (themselves) into cooperatives, received knowledge on how cooperatives and organization operates and their advantages after that they decided to form cooperatives which has not become useful and is helpful to them.
For this case of "in what way that gender influence cooperation among small farmers or farmers”, we first realize that women are so much involved in finding food to feed their family and they are hard working in farms, for example in the Northern, southern and western regions (in Tanzania), we have balanced male/female and gender has influenced cooperation among small farms.
Gender can encourage and can discourage the influence of cooperation if all are discouraged of the protocols for the cooperation, cooperatives and organization. Both men and women can always discuss and share about the advantage and disadvantages (of some things), while they both decide whether to influence the cooperation among them as small holder farmers or not.
((From the moderator while slightly less on the issue of “gender in relation to cooperation", I still want to publish the following input, which partially show the role of women within the farm (internal cooperation), and in general, the importance of women in small farms/as small holder farmers themselves.
4/ From: Loupa Pius <[log in to unmask]> (Uganda)
Gender sensitivity in agropastoral, pastoral and agricultural ecologies of Karamoja is influencing in the whole local production chain of the rural people.
I work with farmer groups and pastoralist on conservation agriculture and also on pasture seed multiplication with pastoralists.
The gender roles in pastoral society of Karamoja are placed in away that women, girls and boys are to do milking, boys herd and graze the animals, the women and young boys and girls make sales of milk. Women also participate in poultry sales and small ruminants like goats
The men make decision on sales of cattle and women make decision on sales of goats, sheep etc.
On crop farming men participate in land preparation, equally as women do the planting and general garden management. Harvest and sales also managed by women.
5/ From E.S. Njieassam <[log in to unmask]> (Cameroon)
Women are very patient and work long hours. Most of the farm activities requires the different genders and in the case of my village community in manyu-upper bayang sub division (Cameroon), the role of gender in cooperation is possible in different domains. T
he women play a vital role along the value chain. In cocoa production farm, men do the clearing and slatching while women are engaged in breaking and sorting cocoa from the pods. Most a times when sun drying women are left home to always spread and turn the cocoa seeds for sun to reach on them. During sales, the man and head of family is the one that measures and sells the cash crop for money. In livestock animal systems here, women do most of the job, they used waste corn and agricultural products to feed the chicks, since they are patient and always available at home, the clean the pen and provide water and on market days women and kids carry the chickens to the market for sale and after sales the head of house who is the man is handed the money.
6/ From: Chimwemwe R. Mwage <[log in to unmask]> (Malawi)
A lot has been said about women's involvement in trading activities in Malawi and beyond. Statistics do show that women play a vital role in the economy of any country, but their opportunities are limited by a wide range of barriers. Africa Human Development Report from UNDP, 2016 highlights that economic and social discrimination against women is costing Africa USD 105 billion a year or 6% of the continents gross domestic product.
Furthermore, it should be noted that women produce roughly 50% of global food products and they do comprise, on average 43% of the agricultural labor force in developing countries according to FAO, 2011. When it comes to wages, women earn on average only 60-75% of their male counterpart’s wages. A report from the ITC, 2017 shows that only 15% of exporting firms are led by women and that close to 43% of SMEs worldwide are women-owned.
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