Improving Institutional Capacity:
Strengthening Farmer Organizations in the OIC Member Countries
45
The CCPA’s governance structure is a key factor in its success. Originally founded and managed
by the producers, its organizational structure has adapted to an expanding membership while
staying true to its democratic principles. The CCPA has a General Assembly that is the
deliberative body of the organization, a Board of Directors of 11 members for which the
quarter is female, an office of four members that are the executive organ of the board, a
Supervisory Committee; and various ad hoc commissions. It is one of the only – if not the only –
FO in Senegal to hold regular meetings of its members; these include a monthly office meeting,
a quarterly GIPA meeting, and an annual general assembly.
These meetings are largely responsible for the CCPA’s high score in communication, as well, as
they ensure members’ voices are heard, knowledge is disseminated, and advocacy avenues are
open. Members interviewed also noted the organization’s advanced communication
infrastructure: Internal communication with members is usually conducted via phone, while
external communication with partners occurs via the CCPA’s website, email and social
networks.
The CCPA’s performs highly in a number of other business fundamentals. Its system of annual
budgeting and accounting is regular and transparent; an accountant conducts a yearly audit
and issues an annual financial statement. However, this system remains somewhat flawed, as it
is initiated at the request of technical partners; the CCPA has no internal mechanism to prompt
it. Additionally, CCPA has multiple sources of revenue, which helps ensure its sustainability.
Chief among these are services fees, which include of a charge of XOF 3 (USD 0.006) on each
kilo of groundnut sold in the CCPA circuit.66
Challenges of the CCPA
From interviews, the CCPA’s weaknesses lie mainly in its strategic potential. The organization
does not provide training for its staff members; rather, staff are trained ad hoc by technical
partners’ volunteers, sometimes resulting in an unfocused vision. In addition, CCPA faces a lack
of support from local partners and the government. The CCPA partners are mainly the National
Council for Dialogue and Cooperation of Rural, ActionAid, and the Uniterra programme of the
Canadian Study Center and International Cooperation67.
3.2.2. Policy environment
The CCPA has managed to thrive in spite of a relatively weak policy environment. In 2004, the
Government of Senegal legislated the institutional and financial legal framework (LOASP) for
agricultural policies to be implemented over the next twenty years. LOASP is a far-reaching
law designed to affect many aspects of agriculture, including land reform and market
regulation68. But one of its strategic areas elevates Senegalese FOs, granting them a protected
status and technical and financial support from the government. Furthermore, close
consultation between the government and FOs was expected at the highest level during the
law’s implementation.
66 CCPA members can sell their products outside the CCPA circuit, but the fee is outweighed by the benefits of selling in the
CCPA circuit: (i) producers are assured of timely payment at the price indicated by the CNIA (Interprofessional Committee
on National Groundnut), (ii) producers’ GIPAs receive a ~70% cut of the 11 XOF / kg tax on groundnut sales, and (iii)
producers are assured of quality seed and fertilizer for the next season.
67 UNITERRA volunteers provide training and support to the CCPA, to enable it to diversify into processed products (such as
soap and peanut butter, etc.), improve the quality of groundnut oil, prepare and conduct advocacy campaigns, and
strengthen its organizational structure.
68 Senegalese law Agro-forestry pastoral