Improving Institutional Capacity:
Strengthening Farmer Organizations in the OIC Member Countries
93
2. Does the government have a body with the specific mandate to work with farmer
organizations?
Group Country Y/N Source Comments
Arab Countries (cont’d)
Djibouti 
Official Website of
the Ministry of
Agriculture, Water,
Fisheries, Animal,
and Maritime
Resources
Direction de l'Agriculture et des Forets is a government body
that is under the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, Fisheries,
Animal, and Maritime Resources.
Egypt 
No specific agency was established to support FOs;
administrative authority is directly under the Ministry of
Agriculture.
Iraq 
The Green Mada'In Association for Agricultural Development.
This non-profit organization gathers more than 800 farmers
mainly from the region of East Baghdad. It was formed with
the financial and technical help of the United States in 2008 to
rebuild Iraq's agricultural sector after the war, specifically
through strengthening FOs.
Jordan 
The Jordan Cooperative Corporative (JCC) was created to
replace the JCO in promoting and strengthening cooperatives
(agricultural and non-agricultural). It is fully financed by the
government.
Kuwait 
The Public Authority of Agriculture Affairs and Fishing
Resources is the main body working to improve the conditions
of FOs in Kuwait. It is actually the equivalent of the country's
ministry of agriculture. However, due to the small size of the
sector and its small contribution to Kuwait's GDP added to
Kuwait's small population, it remains the only body directly in
charge of strengthening FOs.
Lebanon 
The National Cooperative Credit Union (established in 1968)
and The Lebanese Federation of Cooperative Societies
(established in 1969) play this role.
Libya 
Law # 375/1975 established a government agency under the
Ministry of Agriculture; however, the name of the agency is not
available.
Bahrain 
Actually, according to the co-operative law in Bahrain, the
Ministry of Agriculture & Marine Resources Affairs is not
legally and directly in charge of cooperatives. This is because
cooperatives in Bahrain are under the mandate of the Minister
of Labor and Social Affairs. However, the Ministry of
Agriculture and Marine Resources Affairs is broadly
responsible for co-operatives that operate in the agricultural
sector.
Mauritania 
The Service for the Support of Socio-Professional
Organizations
Morocco 
Development of Cooperation Office, or ODCO (Office du
Developpement de la Cooperation) was established in 1962
and is mandated to establish the legal and political framework
to help producers' organizations.
Oman 
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries deals with this
directly without any specific department.
Palestine 
The General Commission for Regulating Cooperatives was
established with the goal of creating and facilitating policies
that would make the environment for cooperatives smoother
and easier for even the smallest and poorest farmers.