Q1.1/9 - Question "1.1. What are different experiences of small farms’ cooperation in other regions? How has this changed over the past 10 years?"
Thanks Manuela, for her response/inputs on soft skills and links on TAP & CDAIS (Q1.1/8). The
TAP and CDAIS look quite promising, wish India too becomes a part of it in future.
Apart from soft skills, another challenge is that youth are not attracted to agriculture, given the opportunity they would like to sell the land and enjoy their life till they are left with
no money. The older generations of small scale farmers in my place had some kind of attachment with land, livestock and farming, discouraging them to sell it off but now the young ones of farm families have no such attachment with farming which doesn't look
attractive to them.
Are there any connections the participants see, of youth with small scale farming sustainability?
This is a reply to Teresa’s earlier question: "Small farmers, as many other groups in society, do not have the soft skills which are needed for cooperation to be established with a larger group, in the long run. Is this an
issue in other contries and how is the issue tackled, to enhance the cooperation skills?”
Vivian elaborates: Well, you'll obtain cooperation in one minute if you give a salary. :-)
- "Cooperation" depends a lot on how you look at the group: If you only look at the way you look at benefits for you, and how to exploit the group,
you will fail .
- Think how you will benefit from the people outside the group: by selling, by going to markets, by advertising, promoting, designing projects… The way you do your work, will inspire other farmers: they will want/wish
to follow you
- Another idea: people on a farm have to farm what they know with great quality: when you introduce your idea, your crop, your recipe,… then show people the result… This approach
will inspire others, and enhance collaboration
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Q1.2/7 - Question "1.2. Could you provide specific examples of the advantages and/or disadvantages of cooperation among small farms?"
I wish to add that the value chain programme facilitated by IFAD in Nigeria has also enabled the development of a cooperative system that links farmers to the off-take mechanism using the cooperative scheme. This is currently
working as farmers are grouped or those already working together under maize or rice commodity are targeted and their cooperative groups cross-guarantee members for inputs and services provided by the produce offtaker under a contract scheme.
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Q1.4/6 - Question “1.4. In what way does gender influence cooperation among small farms? Please share experiences from your region.”
I have found gender influence on cooperation among small farms to vary from region to region. I have experienced successful women groups that doesn't want to work with men as members. Their main excuse has been that at
times men will want most leadership positions and dominate the whole process even when they are not as qualified to lead as the female members leading to failure of enterprises.
Other regions prefer gender balance and this also leads to successful enterprises.
From my analysis, gender influence on cooperation among small farms is dictated by cultural practices, religion, literacy levels of the players, among other factors