Professional Farmers Organizations (with AMEA, GAFSP) and Climate Finance (Green Climate Fund)

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PRESENTATIONS

• FAQ: IWO/IWA Global Definition for Professional Farmer Organizations
• Draft Definition for Professional Farmer Organizations
• AFA Growth Rating Tool – Lany Rebagay
• Setting a Global Definition for Professional Farmer Organization – Joanne Sonenshine
• Group Presentation: South Asia
• Group Presentation: Central and East Asia
• Quick Synthesis – Esther Penunia
• Climate Finance & Green Climate Fund – Beau Damen

BACKGROUND

The Agribusiness Market Ecosystem Alliance (AMEA) is an international alliance of international business organizations and development partners , envisioning a vibrant market system where farmers organizations are professional partners in supply chains. It aims to advance professional farmer organizations with a cost effective and integrated system of assessments, training materials and service providers. Among its members whom AFA members have had links in the past are Heifer International, FairTrade, EU, ICCO and ACDI VOCA.

AMEA initiated the development of the global definition for professional farmer organizations through the IWA (International Workshop Agreement) process. An IWA is an ISO document produced through a workshop meeting where market players and other stakeholders directly participate in developing the agreement. It is hoped that the global definition will improve capacity building efforts and will address the fragmented and duplicated attempts to build farmer organization capacity. One global credible definition will create a common understanding of the core professional capacities needed for farmer organizations to meet contract requirements, create reliable supply chains, and serve members – by which farmers can increase their income and improve their livelihoods and food security in a sustainable manner.

This process is not meant for certification purposes.

Part of the IWA process is the conduct of regional workshops aimed to build relationship with local interested stakeholders, gather support and get buy in for the process. For AMEA, the regional workshop will also be an opportunity to gather input and feedback from relevant stakeholders about the IWA process and its results.

AFA has learned about AMEA’s work through its participation in the GAFSP Steering Committee and SAFIN (Smallholder Agriculture Finance Investment Network) processes. One of AMEA’s members is SCOPE Insight, which is a partner of GAFSP under its Private Sector Window. AMEA and some of its members are also active in SAFIN.

AFA has been interested in developing indicators for strong and capable Farmers Organizations. In the past, AFA has worked with Agricord, under its Farmers Fighting Poverty Program, in defining indicators for strong effective organizations. These indicators have been used in FO Profiling activities, the results of which served as reference or bases of further intervention and capacity building. AFA has also developed an FO Growth Monitoring Tool which is currently being used in the MTCP2 project. It has also developed, together with CSA, some indicators for sustainable and viable economic enterprises of FOs.

It is this common interest of refining and systematizing indicators for professional (effective, efficient, relevant, competent) FOs and systematically/proactively   assisting FOs to advance their organizational development that prompted a partnership between AFA and AMEA to conduct a workshop on the global definition of professional farmers organization.

Objectives

1. inform participants about :

• the process and current thinking on the definition of professional farmers organization. The workshop will introduce the IWA process and present the current thinking on the core capacities and characteristics that define a professional farmers organization
• AFA and other partners’ initiatives in developing strong, capable, effective FOs that can deliver economic services to their members and engage in policy work

2. gather inputs and feedback from AFA members and partners on the IWA process as well as on the current indicators for professional farmers organizations that are being proposed
3. identify areas of work or concrete action points in furthering the engagement of stakeholders in the ongoing development of a global definition for professional farmer organizations.

PROGRAM

Facilitators : Joanne Sonenshine, IWA Chair

Mr. Jojo  Ebron, Manager, Cooperative Development Program, AFA

WATCH VIDEOS OF THE EVENT HERE