"I started my business in agriculture because a big farmer from Orhei Region, Paciu Mihai, advised me to. He is member of NFFM since 1998 and leader of Vegetables Growers Association of NFFM. He helped me in the start up phase and I learned a lot at his model farm in greenhouses and at trainings of NFFM. I participated in several study visits to other specialized farmers in Moldova. With assistance of NFFM staff I extended my greenhouses from 500 sm in 2010 to 2700 in 2012. Consultants of NFFM helped me with the local public authorities to purchase the land for this extension and to find the location.

We purchase inputs together with other vegetable producers from our producer group, hence the prices are lower than if you buy it as individual. NFFM assisted us to find markets to sell our produce. We signed contracts with two markets, ome in Chisinau and one in Orhei.

My knowledge as well as my income has increased since I became member of NFFM. I am a professional farmer  now, with 2700 square meters for greenhouses and 4 ha in open field. My father and brother help me and I engage around 7 season workers. My capacity of production for this year is 40 tons of tomatoes, 30 tons of cucumbers, 30 tons of paprika and about 100 tons of cabbage. I also like being member of NFFM because it is interesting to participate in various activities organised by NFFM where I can communicate with other farmers and share our experiences."

Om Eman is a 45-year old mother with a daughter of 10 years old. Her husband died in 2004. With his second wife he had 13 children. Om Eman doesn't has her own house, she rents two rooms to live in.

Other members of the Specific union recommend Om Eman to become member. She joined the club hoping to raise her standard of living and to educate her daughter. Since she is a member (she climbed up till board member), her situation is a little bit better. As a board member she helps organising activities of the Specific Union for which she earns some money.

It is only through the Specific Union that she knows about women rights and laws concerning heritage. At the time her father died, she was not aware of her rights. After his death, he left a house and 52 donoms of land. Om Eman and her sister gave up their rights in favour of their brothers, so the land was distributed immediately after his death between her 4 brothers. Now that she knows about her rights, she regrets given them up and she informs her daughter almost every day not to give up her rights to her brothers (sons of the other wife of her husband). Her husband owned a house and a small piece of land. They decided to divide his goods once their children will be 18 years old.
According to Islamic rules, after a husband dies, the wife takes a limited amount of his goods, as well as his children.

Om Eman receives a small widow-pension from the government. But she wants to have a house of her own and enough income. Nor her family, neither the family of her husband can take care of her. During holidays when Om Eman is working for the Specific Union, her daughter is always with her. This way, her daughter learns a lot; also on women rights.

The case of Om Eman is not a exceptional case; most women and girls in Jordan give up their rights in favour of their brothers. Because it is custom, because they are forced to, because their mothers prefer to divide their husbands goods to their sons,…….In most cases women are not aware of their rights. If they stand for their rights, they have the law on their side and they will receive their part (although their part is smaller than the part divided to the brothers).

The Specific Union now organises trainings for women in which they raise awareness about women rights and inheritage laws, as well as laws related to divorce. The Specific Union also wants to lobby at political level to strive for a law that forbids the immediate division of the goods of a person after his death. If a certain minimum period has to be respected after the decease of a person, women can take decisions more thought over (after the period of grieve has been ended). The Specific Union uses publicity and media to raise awareness on national level.

The event was also meant to help in mobilising farmers to increase the crop produce to Mosoriot cooperative society. Around 400 farmers attended the launch. Besides the delegation of the County, there were guest from the Ministry of Agriculture, Representatives of financial institutions and other stakeholders like (potential) buyers of Mosoriot’s produce of passion fruit, tomatoes, avocados, bananas and pineapple.

by Wilfred Chepkwony, Junior Agribusiness Advisor Agriterra.

At each of the so far 25 cooperatives involved, 4 farmer groups were formed (total 100 groups). These are in three value chains: 40 groups (10 coops) in high quality rice chain, 40 groups (10 coops) in pig raising, and 20 groups (5 coops) in safe vegetables. The group leaders (50 heads and 50 vice-heads) were trained by consultants from the Department of Rural Development of the Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry on group organisation, leadership, group discussion, planning & monitoring the activities of the groups, and marketing methods. Also 25 staff from the board of coops joined in this training.

Qualified service providers were selected to design standardized training curriculum on extension services in the three value chains based on farmer’s needs. A group of consultants from the Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry was selected. They gave 6 Training of Trainer classes to 85 technical staff from the agricultural extension services. There were also 3 ToT classes on agricultural extension to selected farmers in communes and coops, with in total 90 participants.

In total 480 group members received several technical trainings: 12 technical training classes in rice production, 7 classes in pig raising and 4 classes in safe vegetable production. They not only learned how to improve productivity and quantity, but also about processing and how to minimise post-harvest losses.

QTCA organised 5 workshops for farmer groups and chain actors to start enhancing business linkages. They also conduct regular market price surveys which is published in the monthly newsletter of QTCA.

The Cooperative Development Fund is up and running to enable coops to get access to investment loans for agricultural machineries and other advanced technology. QTCA got helpful advisory support on this issue from two consultants (ex-Rabobank) of Agriterra. So far, of the 60 coops who applied for CDF loans, loans were issued to 43 coops with a total amount of VND 9.7 billion (EUR 350,000).

In 2009 they decided to move back home and started to grow rice as other farmers in the village. He has 1.2 ha of rice field, he grows rice in dry season for sale while in rainy season he grows rice for household consumption. Unfortunately, the rice price was too low and the production cost is high, thus he got a loss of about US$250.

In 2010, he registered as a member of CFAP through CFA-BS (Basac Commune Farmers’ Association). As a member of the CFA-Basac, he got technical training on vegetable growing and chicken rearing provided by CFAP staff. Then he decided not to grow rice again in dry season, but instead to grow vegetables. He started growing a row of cucumber in front of his house as a pilot activity. The cucumber grew very well and faster compared to rice. Thus he decided to grow the vegetables on his extended farm land of about 1,700m2. He is also member of a saving group within his farmers’ organisation (CFA-Basac). The organisation provided him with a loan in credit of US$ 225 to grow vegetables. He says that getting credit from his own orgaisation is easier than from the Banks or Micro Finance Institutions, and it is not complicated. With this money he started to grow vegetables, several types of crops such as cucumber, long bean, pumpkin, ride gourd and some other crops. Beside vegetables, he also raises chicken.

In average, he earns about 30,000 KHR to 50,000KHR (US$7 to US$10) per day from his vegetable production in the harvest season. He also earn from ckicken rearing about 100,000 KHR to 150,000KHR (US$25 to US$37). This makes his family’s living standard better than before and he does not migrate anymore in the future. He says that chicken could give mutual and beneficial interaction with vegetables because he uses chicken manure as organic fertilizer for his vegetables. His organic vegetable sell well with high prices in market compared to vegetable grown with chemicals.

He says he is happy now with his vegetable growing; not only for household consumption, but for sale to raise his household income. He runs his business together with his wife. She helps in  harvesting and sells the vegetable to clients. Mr Dara purchases the inputs from his organisation (CFA-Basac). “This really saves me time, as my organization is located in the area so I don’t need to travel long distance.” Moreover the CFA-Basac sells in credit to him as member if he cannot pay in cash. Because the income from his vegetables is good, he is always able to pay back in time.

In Uganda I conducted a 4-month internship at the “National Union of Coffee Agribusinesses and Farm Enterprises” (NUCAFE). NUCAFE is a Ugandan cooperative involved in coffee procurement and marketing. It has a membership of 160 Ugandan primary societies spread over 5 main coffee growing regions in Uganda representing more than 150.000 coffee farming households. NUCAFE’s system of operation is premised on the Farmer Ownership Model (FOM), which is designed to help small-scale coffee farmers to adopt a business view of farming and organise themselves to assume as many roles in the value chain as possible. 

Members’ needs assessment and strategic planning carried out in 2003 showed that members’ needs extended beyond production and they wished to be involved in the downstream activities of the coffee value chain like coffee processing and marketing. In order to realise more added value for the farmers of its member societies, NUCAFE is currently in the phase of setting up a sustainable marketing organisation, which will be able to generate enough funds to internally meet its basic business development services and advocacy activities. In order to reach enough funds, NUCAFE aims to procure and market the coffee of its members itself.

In buying the coffee from the farmers of their member societies, NUCAFE needs to compete with private buyers active on the market, so called middlemen. NUCAFE’s biggest competitive disadvantage towards the middlemen is their lack of working capital to buy the coffee from the farmers. Due to various reasons the majority of Uganda coffee farmers are extremely reluctant to selling their coffee without receiving immediate payment. In order to tackle this challenge, NUCAFE has recently obtained credit facilities at two financial institutions for the procurement and marketing of the coffee of their member societies and their farmers.

NUCAFE’s member societies and their farmers are now becoming part of a more active and professional marketing organisation. This is different than being a member of a union, which focuses more on lobby and advocacy. Good planning in combination with a reliable supply is becoming increasingly important. In order to become a trustworthy supplier of high quality coffee, NUCAFE has to rely on the commitment from the farmers of their member societies. Not only commitment towards selling their coffee through NUCAFE, but also commitment related to applying the best agricultural practices resulting in high quality coffee.

The conducted research describes the current status of commitment from primary societies and their farmers towards NUCAFE and identifies the factors that influence this commitment. Special attention is given to the performance of the recently installed Hubs, which are a kind of regional mobilization and bulking stations from NUCAFE. The performance of these Hubs is expected to have influence on commitment.

After spending a couple of weeks at the head office in Kampala, I performed field visits to 5 different Hubs. At these Hubs I observed and participated in the daily practices. I furthermore conducted interviews with farmers and board members of primary member societies, non-members and middlemen in order to collect data. Based on the results of the research it can be concluded that member commitment at NUCAFE seems to be almost purely based on financial related motives, in particular the financial benefits of the own farm has high influence on commitment. This is different from Dutch agricultural cooperatives where more psychological factors such as ideology play an important role in the level of member commitment.

A second major factor that has a severe negative influence on commitment is the low level of trust. Historical developments in Uganda have resulted in a total collapse of the cooperative movement. The major consequence is that cooperatives have a very negative name and are known by farmers as untrustworthy. Farmers furthermore have very little knowledge on processes involved in coffee trading, caused by a lack of access to information, lack of transparency and little to no education. Building trust between NUCAFE, the primary societies and the farmers is very difficult. A factor that negatively influences this level of trust is the price of coffee, which is subjected to constant changes. Farmers do not understand these changes and board members of primary societies are often unable to explain these changes themselves to their farmers. Knowledge of farmers and board members on cooperative principles and values is low. Farmers do often not understand the benefits of cooperating and do not know who the owner of NUCAFE is. This has negative influence on commitment, since most farmers do not feel that they own the primary society and NUCAFE.

Willem Paulus

Before 2000, I worked as farm labourer and sharecropper. I bought seeds to grow rice and chemical fertilizer to cultivate it. In March 2000 I joined a group of farmers. We participated in trainings which improved our knowledge and practice of rice cultivation in an environmentally friendly manner: we learned to make our own seeds, to make our own bio-fertilizers and pesticides. 

Most of the farmers of my group produced rice for own consumption and for social activities such as celebrations. This changed in 2008 when the organisation invested in market studies and arranged contracts with buyers. In 2008 we sold 25 kg per month, by the end of 2009 orders increased to 150 kg - 300 kg per month. And in 2012 we sell 500 kg - 900 kg per month. 

Before I joined the group, rice production only cost me money: harvest was low, cultivation cost were high. Since I make fertilizers and pesticides myself, yields are better each year and the cultivation costs are low. I extended my farming activities by growing crops such as groundnuts and corn. 

I frequently participate in trainings offered by APPOLI to improve my farming experience. I've attended trainings on how to do farming and rearing livestock in a natural way, assess the age of the seed, plant spacing, make your own fertilizer and medicinal plants, and others. In addition, I also learned about post-harvest management and good storage practices, to market produce as a group, not through middlemen. We often meet and discuss with those who assist us and the government, we receive visitors from the Department of Agriculture both from local, provincial and national representatives, universities. These contacts led to the initiation of our own LPMD (Lumbung Pangan Masyarakat Desa or Indonesian Food Barn for the Village Community). The LPMD functions as a market place of cheap rice in case of food shortage.

In the early days, we did our own marketing (individual). If a middleman passed our village, we called him and we sold rice from each house or brought it to the market for sale. Now we market our produce through a group, where the members sell the unhulled rice (gabah) together.

At times, when there was a period of food insecurity or we would like to borrow gabah, we did not know where to go. Now, through our group we can lend gabah at a warehouse of APPOLI with low interest rate of 10% to be paid in two instalments after the harvest. Deposits, interest and compulsory dues in the form of 5 kg we use for the development of joint working capital.

Until a few years ago, our economic situation did not show any significant progress. Our livelihood was limited and access to markets of agricultural produce was not yet as present. Our livelihood is still depending on the freshwater fishery sector, rubber tapping and jelutung (species of tree in the oleander subfamily, used for its wood). The situation of farmer families in earlier days was, so to speak, not good due to the uncertain economic situation.  Meanwhile, our social situation was disorganised because every person / individual farmer was focused on their livelihoods leaving little time for sharing experiences and mutual visits. My own situation now has improved economically and now I am able to meet my needs in terms of both clothing and food. The change I am experiencing right now is searching for a mindset or paradigm towards the future.

The most important change for me is the necessary mindset for the future I've been able to recognize which enables me to live independently without relying too much on others. The most important thing is that I can help change the mindset of people who weren't much targeted towards a better future. I also help open up new employment opportunities for them. Their lives have improved through getting better jobs as well in order to support and meet the needs of their lives.

This change is happening because I've been attending some forms of socialization and training. From the training I am acquiring tuition and knowledge. With the knowledge and tuition, I fulfill my life better. I managed to be myself and I can live independently without relying on others.

Bunduchi Sergiu gives us in insight in what being member of NFFM means  for him:  "I've heard about the Federation in 2009. At that moment I was growing tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers and radish, not in a very professional way. It was learning by doing. I joined NFFM at the beginning of 2010. Since then I had the occasion to participate in different events and trainings. In the same year I participated in exchange experience to Holland which convinced me to invest in agriculture more seriously. I have permanent access to knowledge and information and can always contact specialists of NFFM in case of questions. 

At the moment I intend to introduce something new - growing cucumbers and tomatoes not only in greenhouses but also in tunnels. I hope I can get some subsidies out of the NFFM-Innovation Fund for this. Another plan is to start paprika production in open field. And now I am working with support of NFFM in water source finding, because there is a pool near my land which I would like to use for irrigation. I want to continue my  work in the producers' group and hope to become an example for other farmers."

Through these activities Juana was able to repair her kitchen, to extend the house and also for the agricultural activities she does not need credit, she can use her own resources. She can sell the pigs, milk and cheese from her home and sometimes in her community, which is now cheaper when she had to sell it in El Viejo. They produce the food for the pigs and cows and have made special housing for the pigs. Together with women from two other cooperatives they have made an alliance for this project in order to increase production and save costs. They plan to have their own mill, to mill the maize and sorghum to feed the animals and sell the concentrate, because now for milling they all have to travel to El Viejo which is far away. There is a market study done and the women know now how much pork meat they can sell at which price. In stead of having all there own pig 'farm',  they now think about having one farm where women can work in shifts or pay a laborer to work for them.

Development is not made by governments, NGOs or private companies. They all play a role, yet the stage is set by ordinary people, mostly farmers. They initiate a transition from an agrarian society to a modern economy based on manufacture and service provision.

There is a need for this transition to go fast, but without social disruption caused by disequilibria in the labour market or food shortage, by the expulsion of farmers out of agriculture or by production falling short of population growth. And there is nothing wrong with people leaving agriculture. The more and sooner the bigger part finds employment in manufacture or services, the more developed the country will be. Developed countries hardly have farmers.

But somewhat paradoxically, to make this transition to go fast, a country needs investment in agriculture, to be even more precise: in rural areas. This is something not understood by modernists (in the sense of advocates of industrial investments as development engine) and has led to many painful transitions, like in Russia in the 20th century. Investment in rural areas will spur a commodity based and job-creating industrialisation, like it happened in Korea and nowadays is happening in China. It means employment and income for ordinary people, who will spend it on basic needs for their families. It enhances the development of the internal market. This type of industrialisation will go faster if nascent cooperative initiatives are included in the economic growth strategy. Proposals of farmers organisations and initiatives of farmers all go in the direction of a farmer-controlled rural industrialisation that combines labour intensity with high return on capital investments. Foreign companies are, or should be, looking for the connection with these local initiatives in order to improve their returns on investment and guarantee socio-political acceptance.

Africa's development is still hindered by governments that do not understand the importance of the civil society. They hardly take into account the organisations of farmers and workers as the voices and hands of ordinary people shaping their progress. Once the African governments go and live up to the Maputo declaration and invest over 10% of their budgets in agriculture, once they understand the importance of including farmers' organisations in policy-making, things may take a turn for the better in Africa.

Development cooperation turns out to be the easiest thing on earth. Go and look at the poor again. Go and seek the entrepreneurs amongst them, those farmers that with a given 10,000 euro invest the bigger part of it on their farm or in their cooperative. Go and look again at the organisations and cooperatives that those small scale entrepreneurs have formed. No multi-stakeholder meetings, but just go back to the villages, meet organised farmers and join in to their endeavours. Forget about the NGOs.

Strengthening farmers organisations is the reason to be for Agriterra. Strong farmers' organisations will make economic development go faster, reduce the gap between the rich and poor and democratize the economy and society. We have a growing body of evidence to support our tenet and will publish again on it, in the context of the upcoming International Year of family Farming.

We have promoted the emergence of Agri-Profocus for that very same reason. To get more support from the academia, companies, consultancy firms and banks to support farmers' organisations. Yet it is in this network that we hear more and more the voice of multi-stakeholder processes and references to complex processes. Let's turn things back to basic. Back to the farmers, the entrepreneurs amongst them and the basics of development and the advantages of being organised.

Kees Blokland, managing director Agriterra

The following leaflet gives you more information on how to find the information you're looking for on agro-info.net: AIN for Dummies

Check the impression of the highlights, challenges and the way the agripool advisor works here: www.seeourstory.org

It is thus logical that farmers' organisations strongly desire to influence the political decisions taken by governments and other institutions. In order to do this, they must not only enumerate the problems, but also contribute with solutions that can be implemented. They will therefore constantly improve their position and be regarded by the farmers as their true representatives. The organisations that want to improve this characteristic can count on Agriterra.
 
Using FACT, the ‘farmers advocacy consultation tool’, Agriterra’s advocacy team supports farmers' organisations in the development of their own lobbying efforts. FACT is based on the active input of the members and is guided by the problems, ideas, and expectations of the farmers. Well-aimed consultations, participatory research, and thorough documentation lead to solid proposals that can then be discussed. Governments, the private sector, and external policymakers will then take these proposals seriously because the farmers' organisations have come forth with facts and solutions. They are farmers' organisations that are respected as serious and strong negotiators. In this way only winners emerge.

Contact: belangenbehartiging@agriterra.org
Formation team: advocacy