Improving Institutional Capacity:
Strengthening Farmer Organizations in the OIC Member Countries
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 Organizational challenges: FOs face technical challenges, including lack of access to
extension, research and post-harvest management, and limited ability to access markets.
They also face low institutional capacity from an organizational, legal, financial and human
capital (management skill) perspective. Finally, they suffer from a weak ability to advocate
for change, in terms of their ability to inform key policy issues and to act as champions for
smallholder perspectives and preferences.
This study parses these challenges into two key areas critical to fostering strong FOs in
the OIC, providing an overview of member countries’ (1) Enabling Environment and
Current Farmer Organization Penetration (government policies and structures that make it
easy for strong farmer organizations to form and grow), and (2) Market Structure (the
presence or absence of market actors and arrangements that make it easier for farmer
organizations to have power, with a specific focus on government control of important actors).
The enabling environment is found to be generally strong. Across the OIC, many member
countries have national-level institutional arrangements in place to support FOs and a fair
amount of pro-FO policy experimentation. Based on the research covering 90% of OIC member
countries, findings include:
 90% of OIC member countries have a recognized co-operative law that gives legal
standing to farmer organizations and other co-operatives, likely making the OIC similar to
the world as a whole (though exact data is not available) on this metric
 73% of countries have a body within the government (usually within Ministry of
Agriculture) with an identifiable mandate to strengthen and work with farmer
organizations (this is true for 68% of Arab countries and 76-77% of Asian and African
countries)
The market structure is also generally positive. Across the OIC, apex FOs exist largely
independent of governments (an important trait according to the International Labour
Organization and other FO-strengthening bodies), though comparatively more government
involvement was noted in Arab and Asian Group member countries than in African members.
81% of countries have some sort of identifiable apex body for farmer organizations or a
national-level farmers’ union. Perhaps more importantly, more than three-quarters of these
are independent, as only 19% of countries have a government-linked apex body and 19%
have no identifiable apex body.
Yet FO membership still averages only one-quarter of the OIC’s total farming population,
albeit with very wide variation across member countries. In general, 30% of farmers are
estimated to belong to FOs. It seems likely that OIC member countries are within global norms
on this metric. Also, based on a limited comparison set, they may even be above average, as
low membership rates are a global problem. However, lack of data is a significant issue in
determining FO penetration: No data is available for 43% of countries researched and in
19% of countries, only the number of farmer organizations (not total membership) is found.
This combination of significant numbers of unorganized farmers and generally strong enabling
environments (at least at a national level) suggests opportunities for FO growth in the
coming years.
But it is important to note the context of these findings. Numerous countries across the OIC
have implemented policies or programs aimed at strengthening FOs, with a renewed
focus on rural organization promotion across the region, as well as a focus on FOs as an
economic diversification and environmental protection effort in Gulf states. African nations