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STRENGTHENING NATIONAL CAPACITIES OF PRODUCER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE NENA REGION
January 2020
Countries: Lebanon, Oman and Sudan
Project Codes:
FAO Contribution:
Duration:
TCP/RAB/3603
USD 400 000
1 April 2017 – 31 December 2019
Contact Info: FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa
SDGs:
©FAO RAB
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STRENGTHENING NATIONAL CAPACITIES OF PRODUCER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE NENA REGION
T C P /R AB /3603
Implementing Partners
Ministry of Agriculture (Lebanon), Ministry of Agriculture
and Fisheries (Oman), Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
(Sudan).
Beneficiaries
Producer organizations (POs) and their members,
decision-makers within the key ministry partners (such as
the Ministries of Social Welfare and Finance in Sudan),
actors and service providers involved along the value
chains and consumers.
Country Programming Framework
Strategic Objective 3: Reduce Rural Poverty.
Provision of infrastructure development to the rural poor
and, more specifically, contribution to Organizational
Output 30101, “Support to strengthen rural organizations
and institutions and facilitate empowerment of rural
poor”, and Output 30104, “Support to innovations in rural
services”.
Country Programming Framework Outcomes
Lebanon (2016-2019)
Country Outcome 2: Productivity and competitiveness of
Lebanese agricultural products increased, good
governance and sustainable use of natural resources
responding to climate change impacts improved (Ministry
of Agriculture Strategic Plan 2015-2019).
Output 2.3: Capacities of the Ministry of Agriculture and
other concerned institutions developed in data and
policy support (including social protection systems), with
special focus on gender to foster rural development.
1
Oman (Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development
Strategy 2040)
Outcome 1: Crop sector competitiveness increased.
Intermediate Outcome (IO) 1.1 – Technical and
organizational innovations promoted, high-value varieties
developed, crop yield and nutritional quality increased.
Outcome 2: Livestock sector competitiveness increased.
IO 2.2 – National poultry industry competitiveness and
sustainability enhanced.
IO 2.3 – Apiculture practices and technologies,
organization of producers, value addition and marketing
enhanced.
Outcome 3: Sustainable management of natural
resources in agriculture enhanced.
IO 3.2 – Capture, reuse and storage capacity of water
to agriculture increased.
Outcome 5: Rural communities empowered and rural
livelihood opportunities improved.
Outcome 6: Enabling institutional environment for
agriculture and rural development strengthened.
IO 6.1 – Institutional and regulatory framework enhanced
and enforced.
IO 6.3 – Provision of inclusive financial services improved.
IO 6.4 – Knowledge base for agriculture and rural
development strengthened.
IO 6.6 – Social support to agriculture and rural
development enhanced.
Sudan (2012-16):
FAO-CPF Priority Area 2: Capacity-building of agricultural
research, technology and knowledge development and
transfer for enhanced productivity, production and
competitive institutions, systems and mechanisms in
agriculture, forestry, and fisheries of Sudan.
Outcome 2.2: Productivity and production of agricultural,
livestock, fisheries and forest products significantly
increased, cost of production reduced and
competitiveness of products gained, livelihood of small
producers and pastoralists improved, efficiency of existing
irrigation system enhanced and, through water harvesting
and exploitation of underground and surface water,
additional ones developed and effect of weather changes
on production and producers’ income reduced.
Output 2.2.1 – Supporting more adequate and timely
supply of agricultural inputs and services to producers
through capacity-building.
Output 2.2.2 – Rural infrastructure improved and
expanded.
Output 2.2.3 – Marketing cost through improved road
and marketing facilities reduced through FAO technical
assistance.
©FAO RAB
©FAO RAB
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STRENGTHENING NATIONAL CAPACITIES OF PRODUCER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE NENA REGION
T C P /R AB /3603
2
IMPACT
The project was expected to improve food security and
livelihoods in rural areas in the NENA region through POs.
ACHIEVEMENT OF RESULTS
In Lebanon, all three project outputs were successfully
delivered. FAO acquired resourceful insights about the
cooperatives’ environment and status in the country,
and shaped partnerships with the concerned
stakeholders, engaging in the improvement of the legal
and institutional contexts. Based on the needs identified
and in a highly participatory manner, FAO built the
capacities of a number of cooperatives by providing them
with knowledge, tools and information that, if used, might
improve performance and enable the SSFF to thrive. The
present project paved the way for FAO to prepare and
implement a Government Cooperative Programme (GCP)
project targeting female cooperatives and associations,
“Support to women cooperatives and associations in the
agrifood sector in Lebanon”, the objective of which is
to increase the contribution of women’s
cooperatives/associations to local economies.
In Oman, three pilots were implemented to support
collective forms of action in the country. The results of the
mapping, participatory profiling and of the three pilots
with the Omani farmer association, the Aflaj (traditional
water users) and coastal women’s associations suggested
that new commercially-oriented farmers’ associations are
evolving and aiming for good performance, despite the
legal limitations to functioning as profit-seeking
associations. There is a clear possibility to improve the
existing associations (including Aflaj and coastal women)
through the development of a national programme and
on the basis of lessons learned from better performing
associations in Oman, as well as by reshaping and
contextualizing international experiences. The
introduction of new legislation is a relevant need for the
country. A new law recognizing agricultural and fisheries
producer organizations as a distinct form of economic
enterprise would be needed, reflecting their specific
character with both social and economic features and
objectives and allowing them sufficient flexibility and
independence to act as autonomous institutions. The law
should also contain gender-sensitive measures that
ensure that women have equal access to such
organizations and are represented at leadership level. For
the project’s three target groups, FAO is engaging with
the relevant stakeholders in the country to develop
follow-up projects to address some of the important
needs that emerged during the project.
BACKGROUND
Small-scale family farming accounts for more than 80
percent of agricultural production in the Near East and
North Africa (NENA) region and plays an important role in
food security, poverty alleviation and sustainable
management of natural resources. The average land
holding size has decreased in the past decades, while at
the same time there has been an increase in the number
of SSFF and in total agricultural land. Small-scale family
farmers (SSFF) do not have the possibility of realizing
economies of scale or developing a market power
comparable to their trading partners. In addition, they
face high transaction costs and difficulties in accessing
productive services and resources and are therefore
generally unable to seize economic opportunities. Ageing
farmer populations and limited access to social protection
and productive assets such as financial services, water and
land and activity and input markets represent severe
constraints for the development of SSFF and their
organizations, thereby limiting opportunities for
employment in agriculture.
Strengthened producer organizations (POs) can help SSFF
to overcome the barriers they face and develop innovative
organizational arrangements that broaden their
capabilities. They also enable farmers to benefit from an
array of services, including access and management of
natural resources, markets, credits, inputs and
information, as well as influencing policy-making
processes. Crucially, POs are a vehicle for encouraging
rural populations to remain in their territories instead of
migrating to urban centres or to other countries.
The project took into account the challenges faced by SSFF
and put forward methodologies and tools to address the
root causes of economic and social exclusion. It aimed to
support the development of performing, inclusive and
equitable POs through programmes, policies and
strategies that reflect the need to empower SSFF, in
particular women and youth. This was achieved through
three main outputs, namely (i) an enhanced institutional
environment to facilitate the improvement and
strengthening of POs, (ii) creation of knowledge and
awareness on the state of POs in each of the target
countries and (iii) strengthening of POs to boost the
development of small-scale family farming organizations.
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STRENGTHENING NATIONAL CAPACITIES OF PRODUCER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE NENA REGION
T C P /R AB /3603
3
SUSTAINABILITY
1. Capacity development
The project helped to develop legally enforced entities by
registering the POs and mapping and profiling the
processes to be conducted in liaison with the respective
governments. This will enhance the sustainability factor
for POs.
In Sudan, the POs are now mostly registered and have
established an organizational set-up with a hierarchical
structure, in an attempt to support future sustainability.
In Lebanon, the project provided the opportunity
to revitalize the cooperative movement, to support a
self-evaluation of their performance and to compare
themselves with the global cooperative movement.
In Oman, the project enabled the assessment of the great
potential that exists in the country for a collective action
aiming to achieve good performance, despite the legal
limitations to functioning as profit-seeking associations.
Although the project failed to create regional alliances
between POs from the three countries, it succeeded in
establishing networking and partnerships between POs
inside Sudan and among POs from the three countries.
2. Gender equality
The project stakeholders were carefully selected to
include both men and women and were equally targeted
for the capacity-building workshops.
Female POs were carefully selected and included in all
training workshops and given equal chances in the
decision-making process. They were also given the
opportunity to carry out visits outside their respective
countries in order to gain exposure and exchange their
experiences.
3. Environmental sustainability
Environmental sustainability was treated as a cross-cutting
issue throughout all project activities, which succeeded
in instilling values for environmental preservation in PO
operations.
4. Human Rights-based Approach (HRBA) – in particular
Right to Food and Decent Work
The project upheld Human Rights-based Approach
(including Right to Food and Decent Work) by targeting
small-scale producers and empowering them with
tailor-made capacity-building workshops. The training
workshops envisaged human rights approaches to ensure
that POs could provide for themselves through
partnership-building, agribusiness management and
value chain addition to their produce.
In Sudan, the project contributed to improving the
capacities of POs in some areas, including organizational
management, decision-making, good agricultural
practices and the existing legal framework for producer
organizations. Crop and livestock producers and their
organizations were mobilized from the different states of
Sudan and engaged actively in the project activities to
improve the performance of their groups.
IMPLEMENTATION OF WORK PLAN
In Sudan, the project activities were not implemented on
time due to civil unrest and insecurity in the country. As a
result, the final regional workshop was not implemented.
In Lebanon, the implementation of the project
experienced some delays at the inception due to
administrative problems occurring at the Directorate
General of Cooperatives, Ministry of Agriculture.
However, it subsequently proceeded with great
collaboration with the institutions concerned.
In Oman, the implementation of the project followed a
prioritization process agreed with the government
counterparts. Despite the extreme weather conditions
experienced in the country from June to September, the
activities were carried out according to the agreed
schedule with the local teams.
FOLLOW-UP FOR GOVERNMENT ATTENTION
In Lebanon, follow-up actions will be taken through the
separate project GCP/LEB/030/CAN, specifically through
the use of key indicators of the cooperatives’ performance
analysis, up-scaling of the trainings provided and further
improvements to the enabling environment through
increased knowledge of cooperatives’ legislation and
development of the institutional capacity of the
Directorate General of Cooperatives.
In Oman, three important follow-up initiatives will be
implemented in 2020:
The capacities of the Omani farmer association POs
will be strengthened through a peer-to-peer farmer
partnership.
An action research project focusing on the Aflaj
to document their performance, develop
recommendations for improvement and develop the
capacities of one such organization in order to increase
their agro-touristic potential.
A capacity development initiative for Coastal Women
Associations on Small-Scale Invertebrate Fishery in
Al Wusta Governorate is also planned.
In Sudan, the instability of the situation makes it
difficult to envisage any follow-up activities at this
stage.
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5. Technological sustainability
Although the project did not introduce any new
technology, the different POs involved worked together
to help to build partnerships both among themselves and
between POs and respective governments, thereby
enhancing public-private partnership (PPP).
With the motivation and inspiration derived from their
exposure to experiences in different countries, POs are
now in a better position to carry forward the project’s
result.
6. Economic sustainability
In Sudan, through the establishment of a microfinance
system, the Ministry of Agriculture provided tractors to
support the POs. The project succeeded in increasing
financial opportunities for POs through national funding
institutions, such as the Agricultural Bank of Sudan, which
were included in the decision-making process in support
of the POs.
The aspect of economic sustainability was not properly
tackled by the project, as priority was given to the
organizational and group sustainability. The financial
aspect was only one of the components focused upon by
the project, depending on needs. This focus was not
based on direct support but more on how the
organization or group should strategize in order to
diversify funding sources.
STRENGTHENING NATIONAL CAPACITIES OF PRODUCER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE NENA REGION
T C P /R AB /3603
Analytical report of the national legal consultant. G. El Alayli. Beirut, Lebanon. May 2018. 104 pp.
Literature review on ”Strengthening National Capacities of Producer Organizations in the Sultanate of Oman”, including mapping and profiling results of producers’ organizations in the Sultanate of Oman. S. Zekri, T. Gibreel, H. Kotagama. 24 May 2018. 57 pp.
Profiling agricultural cooperatives – case of Lebanon. P. R. Sfeir. Beirut, Lebanon. June 2018. 51 pp.
The Legal Framework governing producers’ organizations in Oman. B. Mubarak. June 2018. Muscat, Oman. 16 pp.
Report on study tour to Italy. June 2019. 16 pp.
Back-to-Office Report: Mission. M. G. Rocchigiani. 8-13 July 2018.
Workshop on Strengthening National Capacities of Coastal Women in Masirah Island – Report. F. Al Kindi. Masirah Island. September 2018. 14 pp.
Study tour to Lebanon. November 2018. 40 pp.
Round-table consultation reviewing legal frameworks. P. R. Sfeir. Beirut, Lebanon. February 2019. 5 pp.
National dialogue with fishers’ cooperatives. P. R. Sfeir. Beirut, Lebanon. 23-24 April 2019. 14 pp.
Back-to-Office Report: Mission. National workshop on POs. M. G. Rocchigiani. May 2019, Muscat, Oman. 6 pp.
Lessons learned, producers’ organizations in Lebanon and Italy. P. R. Sfeir. Beirut, Lebanon. October 2019, 13 pp (currently being finalized).
Synopsis of legal review. P. R. Sfeir. Beirut, Lebanon.
Aflaj workshop report. H. Al Jardali. 48 pp.
Strengthening producer organizations in Sudan: Literature review, mapping and profiling.
Workshop Report: Sudan. “Building a shared vision and an action plan for producers’ organizations in Sudan”.
Legal Report: Producers’ organization legal framework in Sudan.
Synthesis of literature review, mapping and profiling. 18-page report conducted in consultation with the international consultant and the project stakeholders – Sudan.
Participatory planning and visioning. 22-page report prepared by a national consultant – Sudan.
Legal workshop for participatory policy planning prepared by a national consultant – Sudan.
Outreach material
Project fact sheet – Lebanon (1 page in English, 1 page in Arabic).
Project fact sheet – Oman (1 page in English, 1 page in Arabic).
One-page brief on project progress and ways forward in Oman. (English and Arabic).
©FAO RAB
DOCUMENTS AND OUTREACH PRODUCTS
Documents produced
Inception Workshop Report. A. Pizarro. May 2017. Muscat, Oman. 23 pp.
Back-to-Office Report: Mission. National workshop on POs. M. G. Rocchigiani. February 2018. Muscat, Oman. 5 pp.
Back-to-Office Report: Mission. S. Yeshanew. 10-11 April 2018.
Back-to-office Report: Mission. M. G. Rocchigianiand E. McInerney. 16 April 2018.
Desk report for mapping producers’ organizations and cooperatives in Lebanon. P. R. Sfeir. Beirut, Lebanon. May 2018. 48 pp.
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ACHIEVEMENT OF RESULTS - LOGICAL FRAMEWORK
STRENGTHENING NATIONAL CAPACITIES OF PRODUCER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE NENA REGION
T C P /R AB /3603
Expected Impact
Food security and livelihoods improved in rural areas in the NENA region through producer organizations
Outcome
Producer organizations and stakeholders have the knowledge and skills to improve their efficiency and provide an enabling environment for small-scale family farmers to thrive
Indicator LSD is effectively prevented and controlled.
Baseline
Agriculture is important to Sudan’s economy, in particular given the decline of agricultural growth over the past two decades and the secession of South Sudan. In this regard, the establishment and strengthening of forms of collective action, such as POs, is seen as a crucial opportunity for agricultural development in the country. Clear signs of a willingness to move towards this direction include the Agricultural and Livestock Professional Organization Act issued in 2011, as well as government programmes and policies in support of POs, family farming and small scale agriculture such as the Quarter Centennial Strategy (2007-2031) and the 5-year Economic Reform Programme (2015-2019). The contribution of the agricultural cooperatives to Lebanon’s agricultural sector is limited due to an unsuitable environment, limited access of cooperatives to infrastructure and services and limited knowledge of agribusiness development. The situation in Oman was marked by weaknesses in post-harvest operations, a lack of awareness of the benefits of collective action, weak organizational capacities among the various groups and associations and a limited enabling environment for the development of POs.
End Target
For Lebanon, the target was to improve the enabling institutional and legal environment for the cooperatives in a participatory manner and to develop the knowledge and capacity of a number of cooperatives. For Oman, three pilots were implemented to support collective action forms. One of these was with the Omani Farmer Association to analyse their performance, discuss their vision and their business model. The second was with the traditional water users associations (Aflaj) for self-analysis of their performance under conditions of major socio-economic change. From each pilot, a project will be developed and is due to be implemented in 2020. Pilot 1, “Strengthening the Capacities of Coastal Women in Masirah Island”, will lead to a developed project on strengthening the capacities of one group of coastal women.
Comments and follow-up action to be taken
In Sudan, the project contributed to improving the capacities of POs in multidimensional areas, including but not limited to the following: organizational management through a clear vision and mission to achieve desired objectives, decision-making to establish a conducive legal environment through policy formulation and entering the market through proper agribusiness and value chain management. In Lebanon, follow-up action will be taken through the GCP/LEB/030/CAN, with the use of key indicators of the cooperatives performance analysis, by up-scaling the trainings provided and by further improving the enabling environment through increased knowledge of cooperatives legislation and development of the institutional capacity of the Directorate General of Cooperatives. In Oman, the capacities of the Omani farmers’ association and POs will be strengthened through a peer-to-peer farmer partnership, which will be implemented in 2020. In addition, a pilot workshop will be held to enhance the capacity of the Aflaj stakeholders and an action research project focusing on Aflaj is to be implemented in 2020.
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STRENGTHENING NATIONAL CAPACITIES OF PRODUCER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE NENA REGION
T C P /R AB /3603
Output 1
Enhanced institutional environment to facilitate the improvement and strengthening of POs
Indicators Target Achieved
Methodology designed to conduct research and field work. Number of stakeholders attending and actively participating in the regional inception and national workshops.
At least 15 at regional level and 15 per country at national workshops.
Fully
Baseline 0
Comments
A methodology and a questionnaire were prepared in collaboration with the FAO Partnerships team and distributed. It includes sections on seven main variables that have a direct impact on activities of the POs, namely effectiveness, relevance, financial viability, motivation, human and material resources, governance and external environment. In order to facilitate the analysis, respondents were asked to express their point of view according to a scoring system numbered 4 (very good), 3 (good), 2 (weak), (1) very weak and 0 (absent). The data collected was analysed with an Excel tool prepared by FAO. Ten individuals, mainly heads of POs, were trained on how to conduct field work through research to identify strengths/weaknesses and areas for improvement, thereby enhancing the institutional environment of POs, which has been neglected for a number of years. Nine individuals from Sudan with different stakeholder backgrounds participated in the different regional workshops intended to bring together participants from the three member countries for the display of best practices, lessons learned and exchange of experiences. Participants will form a core group for future liaison with the other countries for sustainable exchange of information. The methodology adopted to conduct the mapping and profiling of the cooperatives in Lebanon yielded a situational overview of the cooperatives, providing useful insights into their organizational, economic and social contexts, complemented by a resourceful assessment of their performance. The methodology used was instrumental in shifting the concept of cooperative assessment to an improved level based on performance and grounded in relevance, efficiency and financial viability. In addition, the themes introduced in the capacity-building workshops that were provided to cooperatives were new and very helpful to beneficiaries. The knowledge provided by the project, if applied and properly followed up, has the potential to unlock real opportunities to boost the cooperatives and develop the sector. The inception workshop was held in Oman. 40 participants attended – two from Lebanon, two from Sudan and the remainder from the different regions of Oman. Discussions were interactive and led to the establishment of a strong network among the three countries and between the Omani stakeholders. A methodology for conducting research and field work was also developed. The national workshop was considered an important space for dialogue and networking among different producer associations, resources management associations (Aflaj associations), fisheries associations, women’s associations, government representatives, FAO, academic institutions (Sultan Qaboos University) and the private sector.
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STRENGTHENING NATIONAL CAPACITIES OF PRODUCER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE NENA REGION
T C P /R AB /3603
Activity 1.1
Identify and analyse existing policies, programmes and enabling factors
Achieved Yes
Comments
The project succeeded in identifying the following trends in Sudan: (i) disseminating and spreading awareness among the participants about the laws and legislations governing the agricultural and livestock producers ' committees and organizations, (ii) highlighting the different forms of required dialogue between the PIs and the concerned government bodies, (iii) understanding the different forms of dialogue and discussion strategies. Accordingly, a number of participants, taking participatory action, succeeded in identifying policy impediments that constrained the progression of POs overtime and further proposed policy replacements in favour of POs. The action itself constituted a turning point in the policy-making process from a top-down to a bottom-up approach, whereby the POs and the Government put heads together. In a follow-up action, amended laws/by-laws were forwarded to the parliament for approval. For Lebanon, the project objectives and methods of implementation were discussed in the regional inception workshop. The methodology for conducting research and fieldwork on POs was defined, the current status and evolution of policies and programmes in Lebanon described and the institutional environment assessed. A review of the legal context was also conducted. A legal review was conducted on the laws governing the POs in Oman. Two workshops were conducted on analysis of existing policies and programmes, with the first focusing on institutional mapping and profiling and the other dealing with the policy environment for the POs. The discussion on the conducive legal framework for producer organizations was extremely important to creating a common understanding among participants on the existing challenges of current legislation in Oman.
Activity 1.2
Develop capacities of governments to formulate and implement policies to reform selected POs
Achieved Yes
Comments
A number of members of staff from Sudan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Justice were trained on policy formulation in support of selected POs for institutional policy reform. Government staff will follow up on the future scaling-up for other POs in the country. In Lebanon, a national workshop on the legal review and constructive dialogue and negotiation was organized and attended by 44 participants. In Oman, based on the outcome of the national dialogue during the legal workshop, there was a request from participants to submit recommendations to the Government for a legislative reform of POs with FAO’s technical support. The legal review included recommendations regarding the review of existing polices and ways forward to formulate and/or amend existing polices to create a conducive environment for POs in Oman. A high-level dialogue on policies and legislation that must encompass all concerned parties has begun in the country.
Activity 1.3
Encourage South-South exchanges among target countries
Achieved Yes
Comments A study tour was organized in Lebanon for four participants each from Lebanon, Oman and Sudan. Participants had the opportunity to visit women’s cooperatives and learned from their experiences, in particular in marketing and packaging.
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STRENGTHENING NATIONAL CAPACITIES OF PRODUCER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE NENA REGION
T C P /R AB /3603
Output 2
Knowledge and awareness created on the state of POs in each country
Indicators Target Achieved
Methodology designed to map and profile POs and field work is conducted effectively. Number of stakeholders attending and actively participating in the visioning exercise.
At least 15 per event in each country. Yes
Baseline 0
Comments
A literature review, mapping and profiling in Sudan revealed that PO law in Sudan is characterized by clustering producers into voluntary organizations that are capable of achieving their economic and social goals through an independent technical, financial and administrative structure to attain high production and productivity. The role of POs can be identified as follows: (i) implement national policies and programmes that target development in agriculture and animal production, (ii) conserve the producers’ rights and empower them to manage their production activities in an efficient and rational manner, (iii) provide technical support to farmers in terms of technical and commercial services such as capacity-building, training, research, studies and collection of information, (iv) contribute to sustainable rural development and poverty reduction, (v) sustain food security at national level, (vi) develop market outlets and facilitate the export of agricultural and animal production and (vii) promote agroprocessing and agro-industry. There are 21 200 registered organizations as per the PO law endorsed in. 3 000 of them are animal producers, while the other 18 200 are crop producers. The project organized a training workshop that brought together over 40 participants from different regions of Sudan to help to build a shared vision and an action plan for POs in the country, which had previously been lacking. A number of carefully selected/promising POs were trained on the development of a common vision and of an action plan for their strengthening, a fact that had not been considered in the past. The PO Department of the Ministry of Agriculture is tasked with scaling up the practice to the rest of the POs in Sudan. In Oman, the methodology to map and profile POs was successfully adapted and implemented by the Sultan Qaboos University as the national consultant of the project, with the support of the international consultant. The performance assessment framework was used to analyse the performance of existing POs (relevance, effectiveness and financial viability). The methodology adopted was the performance assessment questionnaire, which includes agricultural associations, Aflaj and coastal women’s associations. During the national workshop, the preliminary results highlighted the performance of the Omani Farmer Association (OFA) and the performance of the Aflaj. The visioning and participatory analysis highlighted a number of issues and areas of action. These included weaknesses in post-harvest operations, a lack of motivation and awareness of the benefits of collective action, limited capacities in accessing financial support, limited technologies, weak organizational capacities among the different groups and associations and the lack of an enabling environment for PO development. Further awareness-raising should be carried out on the benefits of joining associations.
Activity 2.1
Map of POs using organizational development methodologies
Achieved Yes
Comments
The major conclusion from the desk review and the participatory profiling is that the smallholder production system in Sudan is exposed to many technical, managerial, organizational and social constraints. Low production, the lack of information, the lack of production facilities and good infrastructure, the absence of technology and mechanization, the low professionalization of farmers and limited access to credit are all contributing factors that make the PO ecosystem very fragile. However, the existence of political commitment for PO development through the different government schemes and programmes, as well as the range of donor programmes, underline the relevance and importance of supporting this type of organizations as a tool for development. In Lebanon, mapping was carried out according to the adapted methodology. 112 cooperatives were subject to mapping and three were subject to profiling. In Oman, mapping was carried out according to the adapted methodology. Four farmers’ associations were subject to mapping, one of which was subject to profiling. Six Aflaj associations and one women’s association were subject to mapping.
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STRENGTHENING NATIONAL CAPACITIES OF PRODUCER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE NENA REGION
T C P /R AB /3603
Activity 2.2
Develop a common vision and action plan for the reform of POs
Achieved Yes
Comments
The following vision was developed through the workshop in Sudan: “In 10 years’ time, the agriculture sector should be developed through effective producer organizations supported by improved financial policies, procedures, regulations and laws (administrative, technical and marketing), including funds for training and capacity building”. This is to be followed up through the PO Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and reviewed annually. A common vision and an action plan for Lebanon were successfully developed in a workshop attended by 39 participants (nine of them women). In Oman, a common vision and action plan were successfully developed in a profiling exercise with each of the following associations: the OFA (30 participants, including members of the OFA and independent farmers), Aflaj associations (30 managers of falaj, this event was first of its kind to gather falaj mangers from different regions to discuss and agree on one vision and one action plan) and the Masirah women’s association (20 female fish producers).
Activity 2.3
Disseminate the results of successful PO experiences
Achieved Yes
Comments This was achieved through the organization of a regional workshop and a study tour in Lebanon.
Output 3
Strengthened POs to boost the development of small-scale family farming organizations
Indicators Target Achieved
Number of POs and members (and stakeholders) that have benefited from the project (disaggregated by gender and age). Proposal for a national programme designed in support of POs. Action plan designed and implemented in a pilot case.
At least five POs in each country. One per country. One per country.
Yes
Baseline 0
Comments
At least 10 POs spread across Sudan benefited from the project, in addition to staff from different institutions that were capacitated through the project’s capacity-building programme. However, the project was not successful in writing a national proposal in support of selected POs for further development in a pilot phase, as initially planned in the project document, mainly as a result of financial constraints. In Lebanon, 44 PO representatives, including 11 women, benefited from project activities. The proposal for a national programme was made through a GCP project. A pilot was implemented to support the fishers’ cooperatives to be organized in an apex organization. The proposal for a national programme in Oman was made through a TCP project. Three pilots were implemented to support collective action forms in the country.
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STRENGTHENING NATIONAL CAPACITIES OF PRODUCER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE NENA REGION
T C P /R AB /3603
Activity 3.1
Strengthen technical and organizational capacities of pilot POs to perform more efficiently
Achieved Yes
Comments
The pilot phase did not take place in Sudan. In Lebanon, this was achieved through the self-assessment carried out and through the capacity-building Pilot one, the “My Coop” training workshop attended by 21 participants (including four women). In Oman, this was achieved through the development of a capacity development plan during the three pilot initiatives. These are described in detail below. Pilot 1: Strengthening the Capacities of Coastal Women in Masirah Island. 20 coastal women attended the workshop, with their understanding of the importance of collective action increased. During the workshop, the women developed a common vision in order to enhance their productivity and ensure sustainable future growth and livelihoods. The main recommendations to emerge from the pilot were as follows: (i) under the women’s association, a coastal women’s committee is needed, (ii) a system that responds to coastal women’s needs and the nature of their work (i.e. working hours and income) is needed, (iii) financial support is needed to strengthen coastal women’s organizational and technical capacities (governance, management, finance, production, processing, packaging and marketing). This pilot resulted in the development of a project proposal on strengthening the capacities of one group of coastal women. This proposal will be implemented soon as the budget is available, thanks to the resource mobilization efforts of the FAO country office in Oman. Pilot 2: Strengthening the National Capacities of Producer Associations. 30 participants attended the workshop. It is important to note that around a third of participants were women. The latter actively participated in discussions, and were highly interested in developing cooperatives, especially with regard to investment in agrifood production units, with the aim of increasing their income. The capacity development plan focused on the following themes: cooperatives’ principles and value chain management, organic farming and vision, leadership and equity and action planning. Pilot 3: Pilot workshop to enhance the capacity of the Aflaj stakeholders in Oman. This event was the first of its kind to gather 30 falaj managers from different regions to discuss and agree on one vision and one action plan. Participants expressed their interest in a future project focused on improving collective action around Aflaj. FAO Oman has developed a project proposal to be presented to the private sector for funding. In addition, an action research project focusing on Aflaj is due to be implemented in 2020.
Activity 3.2
Develop a common vision and action plan for the reform of POs
Achieved Yes
Comments
This was carried out through the study tour to Italy, which featured the participation of four individuals from each country, including two women (a farmer and a ministry officer) from Oman. The study tour aimed to present the governance and business models of a selected group of Italian small and medium-sized enterprises and agricultural cooperatives, offering an opportunity for participants to reflect on the needs and barriers related to market access and business development of the cooperatives in their respective countries. The study tour was characterized by a very high level of participation and interaction, not only with the hosts but also among the participants.
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STRENGTHENING NATIONAL CAPACITIES OF PRODUCER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE NENA REGION
T C P /R AB /3603
Activity 3.3
Develop a proposal for large national programmes in targeted NENA countries, in support of the POs
Achieved Yes
Comments
In Lebanon, this was achieved, outside of the framework of the present project, through a GCP project targeting women POs in Lebanon. This project was funded by Canada and launched in March 2019. The project contributed significantly to FAO’s comparative advantage with regard to the cooperative sector in Lebanon and in building partnership with the General Directorate of Cooperatives at the Ministry of Agriculture, which was supportive in conducting the GCP project. In Oman, there are efforts to build upon the findings of the project relating to the three forms of collective action (Aflaj, OFA and coastal women’s groups). FAO Oman has mobilized resources to fund projects aimed at (i) strengthening the capacities of the OFA POs in through a peer-to-peer farmer partnership, (ii) developing an action research project focusing on Aflaj and (iii) strengthening the capacities of one group of coastal women. All three projects are due to be implemented in 2020.
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Outreach, Marketing and Reporting Unit (PSRR)
Business Development and Resource Mobilization Division (PSR)
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