IFAP Participation in the Seminar Regoverning Markets:

Small-Scale Producers in Modern Agrifood Markets

Beijing, March 5-6, 2008

 

World food leaders meet to bridge divide with small-scale farmers
Over 130 world leaders representing farming, policy, agri-food business, research and civil society met in China to assess how modernization of the food system can include and benefit small-scale farmers, based on research results over the last five years under the Regoverning Markets program. The conference attempted to answer the following questions:

• Can the new food giants, including supermarkets - which have increased in China from one supermarket in 1990 to over 53,000 today - and food companies be partners in the economic growth of rural areas?
• Can small-scale farmers meet the high expectations for food quality, safety, and quantity?
• Can policy help to make successful market linkages between business and small-scale farming?

The Regoverning Markets programme represents a global consortium of 15 institutions worldwide and is coordinated by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). IFAP is part of the international advisory group for this initiative.

Raul Montemayor, IFAP Vice President and National Business Manager of the Federation of Free Farmers Cooperatives, Inc. in the Philippines presented on the major determinants of small-scale farmer inclusion in emerging modern agrifood markets and also led a panel discussion on taking action to bring small-scale producers into sustainable partnerships with agribusiness.

Several IFAP representatives gave presentations in the panel 'The challenge of collective action by small-scale producers – Evidence of change in a dynamic environment'. Gaston Rico Menge, Manager, Federation of Agrarian Cooperatives, Uruguay, presented Innovation in the livestock sector in Uruguay and Innovation in the pastoral sector: the case of Heavy Lamb. Motsepe Matlala, President, National African Farmers' Union (NAFU), South Africa, presented Adapting to change in South Africa - Facing the challenge, and Ajay Vashee, President, Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Producers, Zambia spoke to How networks of farmer organisations can foster change . Christian Gouet, IFAP's Development Program Manager, served as a rapporteur for this event.

It is now important that the conclusions reached as a result of this long-term research are implemented on the ground so that small farmers can benefit from the growth of global markets through the inclusion of small-scale farmers in modern supply chains. In particular:

• Actions to have a more inclusive business model, especially procurement systems which buy from small scale farmers;
• Actions to help subsistence farmers become small-scale entrepreneurs;
• Actions by governments to give a higher priority to agriculture and programs to help small-scale farmers organise themselves in the market; and
• Actions by researchers to transform research results into tangible policies and programs to strengthen the participation of small-scale farmers in markets.

 

Ajay Vashee, President, Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Producers, Zambia.	Christian Gouët, IFAP Development Program Manager, together with the IFAP team.
Gaston Rico Menge, Manager, Federation of Agrarian Cooperatives, Uruguay	Gaston Rico Menge, Ajay Vashee and Enrique Dominguez, DG, Confederacion de Porcicultores Mexicanos, Mexico
IFAP Delegation	IFAP-ECART poster with David King, IFAP Secretary General on the left