Thomas Price, Senior Officer, Agricultural Innovation and Society, participated in the Steering Committee for the inception of the main phase of the SFOAP: Support to Farmers’ Organizations in Africa Programme in Addis Ababa.
SFOAP is an alliance of the continental farmers’ platform, PAFO-Pan African Farmers Organization, the five Regional Farmers’ Organizations in Africa (EAFF, PROPAC, ROPPA, SACAU and UMAGRI) and 68 National Farmers’ Organizations in 51 countries. IFAD is providing the principal support - in collaboration with AgriCord, CTA, Fert and others - through European Commission, SDC and AFD grants to the organizations.
Farmer leaders from across the continent shared their experiences with and expectations of the programme including for agricultural research for development, noting a substantive shift in researchers’ attitudes and practice towards farmers and their organizations at national and regional level. It was also clear that much remains to be done for AR4D to really assist farmers in facing many challenges ranging from improving seed varieties and post-harvest technologies to proposing the right combinations of policies and legislation necessary to build size and diversity in smallholder enterprises. Interest was particularly high to collaborate with GFAR in the immediate future on initiating collective actions devoted to seeds and genetic resources, farmer-driven research and empowering smallholders in markets.
Photo credit: ©FAO/Filipe Branquinho