Improving Institutional Capacity:
Strengthening Farmer Organizations in the OIC Member Countries
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The pilot addressed limited cases and assessed its results, impact and scalability, intending to
develop good practices from both the successes and failures, which will be disseminated
through the regional networks. The main results of the pilot follow:
 Improved management capacity through the securing of staff for day-to-day
management and financial accounting, which in turn benefitted the national farmer
organizations
 Sharper corporate governance by developing more than 31 constitutional texts,
procedure manuals, strategic plans and institutional databases strengthened
 Policy position adoption, with both a national and regional lens, based on more than 40
evidence-based studies that consulted members and various stakeholders
 Broader recognition, better reputations and increased credibility with governments,
local authorities, and partners, stemming after local, regional and continental policy
forums
The final component and result of the programme was the capacitation of PAFO to actively
participate in policy dialogue at a pan-African and international level.
The Asian Farmers Association (AFA)
The AFA is a regional alliance of 17 national federations and organizations of small-scale male
and female farmers and producers in 13 countries in Asia. The organization was established in
2012 after a series of farmer exchange visits. AFA works with national FOs, as members, and
NGOs, which help form national apex farmers’ organisations and build their capabilities. The
AFA spans four programmatic areas:
 Advocacy. The AFA provides consultations among members, helps inform and analyse
policy, lobbies decision-makers and other influential individuals and organizations, and
campaigns and directs action.
 Knowledge Management and Sharing. The AFA develops the knowledge and skills of FO
leaders and members by capturing the members’ grassroots experiences and sharing them
with other farmers through on- and offline activities.
 Enterprise Development. The AFA also provides technical and managerial support to
members’ initiatives in agricultural production, marketing, and enterprise development at
a regional level.
 Governance. The AFA assists FOs in maintaining and upgrading transparent, democratic,
effective, efficient, and sustainable organizational systems and processes for decision-
making and organizational management.
SFOAP and AFA indicate that there is scope for collaborative efforts and institutions at the
regional level that can support national FOs’ efforts to support local farmers. These two
programmes make clear that regional efforts can unlock resources for capacity building and
policy advocacy. Moreover, these programmes also enable FOs to have a voice at important
regional and global decision-making fora. However, while there is the potential for
programmes like SFOAP and AFA to improve the bargaining position of smallholders in
increasingly transnational and global agriculture value chains, this opportunity has not yet
been met.