24 May 2016. Brussels. DEVCO InfoPoint. Farmers’ organisations make agro-food chains work. Recent experiences of cooperation between farmers’ organisations. Presentation by Piet Vanthemsche, Chairman of AgriCord – Belgium

1. Farmers’ organisations make agro-food
chains work
Recent experiences of cooperation between farmers’
organisations
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2. Farmers’ organisations make agro-food chains work
• Jean- Pierre Halkin – Head of Unit, DEVCO C1- Rural
development, Food security, Nutrition
• Piet Vanthemsche, President of AgriCord
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3. Initiative of farmers’ organisations
What is AgriCord ?
• Initiative of professional farmers’ organisations and their cooperative
businesses from countries in Europe, Canada, Africa and Asia
• Bundling their efforts and mobilizing funds for strengthening their peers in
developing countries
• Increased participation of FO’s from developing countries
• The (12) agri-agencies are the development agencies of these farmers’
organisations
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Country FOs and cooperatives Agri-agency
France FNSEA, APCA, Jeunes Agriculteurs, CNMCCA Afdi
Netherlands LTO, SSVO, NCR and NAJK Agriterra
France Groupe Céréaliers de France (AGPB, AGPM, ARVALIS, UNIGRAINS) Fert
Belgium Boerenbond, Landelijke Gilden, KVLV and KLJ Trias
Canada Union Professionnelle Agricole (Québec) (UPA) UPA DI
Sweden Federation of Swedish Farmers (LRF) We Effect
Belgique Fédération Wallonne d’Agriculture (FWA) CSA
Asia Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) AsiaDHRRA
Sénégal Organisations agricoles du Sénégal membres d’Asprodeb Asprodeb
Finland MTK, SLC, the Association of ProAgria Centres and Pellervo-Seura FFD
Spain Unión de Pequeños Agricultores y Ganaderos (UPA),FADEMUR Acodea
Germany Deutscher Bauernverband (DBV) AHA

4. Stronger farmers’ organisations =
1. More democracy (better institutions, stability)
2. More economic services (better services for farmers, stronger
chains and food systems, more innovation)
3. More equal income distribution (balanced rural development)
AgriCord manages Farmers Fighting Poverty
Mandate

5. 5
Farmers Fighting Poverty
What is Farmers Fighting Poverty ?
• a delivery mechanism of support to farmers’ organisations
• focuses on the actor (farmers’ organisations)
Farmers Fighting Poverty respects 6 principles
1. Only membership based farmers’ organisations are eligible
2. Support on demand (of farmers’ organisations) only
3. Financial support ánd advisory services to FO’s
4. FO2FO – Farmers’ organisation to farmers’ organisation
5. Flexible, long term, beyond programme frames, implementation by FO’s
6. Comprehensive – all aspects of FO work can be considered (capacity development and
services of FO’s to their members)
Steered by an Advisory Committee with Regional FO’s (AFA, EAFF, PAFO, PROPAC,
ROPPA, SACAU, UMNAGRI, UNICAFES)
Funding by several donors in a multi-donor setting. 56% of support in Africa from
EU/IFAD

6. 6
Multi-donor setting – Financial partners 2016

7. • Partnerships with 200 FO’s, 10 mio euro in 2015, mainly FO’s at
subnational and local level
• 70% of FOs supported are from Africa, 46% from fragile states
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Farmers Fighting Poverty
Supported farmers’ organisations
deliver (on average) :
• 38% economic services
(collective input purchase,
collective marketing,…)
• 38% technical assistance
(training and extension,
research, agricultural
education,…)
• 22% representation and lobby

8. Farmers’ organisations achieve results
– Some results of FO’s activities supported in 2014 (FFP):
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Number of local farmers’ organisations involved 10,900
Farmers participating in extension services 30.713
Farmers with improved inputs 8.649
Farmers’ organisations with new market outlets 279
Local farmers’ organisations with trade contracts 870
‒ Gender – 73% of FO-projects included gender-related activities. FO’s efforts
for integration of young professionals are also increasing
‒ Environmental sustainability – 43% of FO- projects had specific activities, 62%
of them at farm level
‒ Towards sustainability:
• more than half (54%) of the FOs supported, cover part of cost of their
services by membership subscriptions (2014)
• between 15 and 20% of the investments of the supported
cooperatives originates from private loans or investments

9. Farmers’ organisations make value chains work
Union Régionale des Coopératives
des Producteurs d’Anacarde
URCPA- Benin – with Afdi
By Mr. Salaün – Unicoque
• Cashew nuts
• 1.500 members
• FO to FO exchange with Unicoque
from France
• Extension, access to finance for
collective commericalisation of nuts,
contracts with private traders
• Increase in yields, sales volumes
and prices to members
• Complementary to BTC and GIZ)
Uganda Crane Creamery
Cooperative Union
UCCCU- Uganda- with We Effect
By Mr. Arinanye- UCCCU
• Dairy
• 18.000 members
• FO to FO exchange with Friesland
Campina
• Improved extension systems,
access to finance for storage and
processing, cold-chain, new markets
• Increase in yields, price to members
and decrease of post harvest loss
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10. Presentations
 URCPA – Benin  UCCCU – Uganda
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11. Questions & Answers
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