The proposed project has as overall objective to assist and support small and medium farmers (members of NFFM) through advisory support, business, marketing and innovative capacities development in order to improve their income and welfare. NFFM aspires to improve the quality and quantity of services delivered to farmers. At the same time it is a continuous process of enhancement and improving efficiency of NFFM human resources (consultants) as result of organizational reform ran by NFFM. NFFM will focus more on small and medium farmers being active and paying members of NFFM and especially to those who are members of created producers groups. These producers groups are more compact and active and these will be assisted better in issues regarding: entrepreneurship, marketing and access to finance. Our global goal is to contribute to the increase of our members incomes. This will be achieved by transfer of knowledge (trainings), applicative consultancy, support in preparing production delivery contracts, assistance to preparation of business plans and other. Another very important component is the empowerment of young farmers in Moldova. Young people tend to leave the country side seraching for abetter life in the cities or abroad. However, many realise that city life is not bringing the expected prosperity and decide to go back to rural areas and to make a living out of agriculture. NFFM has started to organise young farmers, so they meet, exchange their experiences and support each other. Empowerment of the young farmers is needed. In order to stimulate some of the young entrepreneurial farmers, NFFM will manage an innovation fund for young farmers, criteria will be defined in the coming months how this fund can be used exactly. The objcetive of the fund is to motivate young farmers to apply innovative ideas, these will be awarded and stimulated to identify and implement these ideas in a better way and to be as an example for other (young) farmers in Moldova. In order to achieve the main goal of the project, the following sub objectives have been formulated: 1. Improvement of services providing capacities and technical assistance to our members (Agriterra component) 2. Development of business and marketing capacities of farmers (IFAD component) 3. Enhancement of lobby, advocacy and representing initiatives (Agriterra component) 4. Strengthening the internal organization such as: communication with farmers, membership database, management skills (Agriterra component) 5. Development of innovative trends in NFFM through promotion empower and sustain the young farmers (Agriterra component) Expected result areas are: • To develop the farmers business abilities and to sustain them in extension or starting of its businesses • To make farmers to understand as a first step and to get farmers in cooperatives or product associations, also to set the cooperative marketing strategies • To build and strenghten the trade capacity of farmers or groups of farmers • To enhance the organizational and management abilities of created Farmers associations or cooperatives • Involve farmers in decission making process by lobby and advocacy activities • To empower young farmers and create conditions for them to start new business in rural area • Enhancement of agricultural policies – subsidies, banking and credit in agriculture, import and export regulations NFFM reorganised its structure and from 11 regional offices only 5 regional offices will be continued since the beginning of 2012. This project is related to new structure in order to make more the work efficient and to reduce the institutional costs. Three Regional Organizations will be supported with this project: Orhei, Chisinau and South representing 65% of members of the total 27,000 active and non active members of NFFM. Specific beneficiaries: • 16 existent Producers groups (based on specific commodities and 3 value chains-vegetables, fruits and grapes) with potential with another 5 (at least) – 530 members of the groups; •Young farmers association – 100 members; •3 Professional associations (grape, vegetables producers and pig breeders) •Other members and potential members who are not yet active, estimation 700 -800 •NFFM Central (8 engaged personnel/ 3 women) and Regional staffs (3 Regional directors and ICC consultants). Total budget of the proposed project is around 198, 000 Euro. The requested contribution of Agriterra is 79,000 Euro; the requested budget from IFAD is 48,000 Euro and NFFM own contribution in this project will be 70,500 Euro which represents around 35 % of this project.

This Project Proposal of the NFFM for the period 2011 is elaborated on the basis of the actual and previous situation of the Federation according to the economical, political and social context of the Republic of Moldova and also in line with the Strategic Plan of NFFM 2011-2015 Behind the analysis of the Federation’s activity since the establishment of NFFM (1995) till now (2011) we can assign the followings: NFFM has been distinguished for farmers and in the society as a non-governmental, apolitical and non profit organization, which is able to represent and to defend the rights and interests of his members. NFFM had implemented a lot of projects in domain of technical assistance, which had enabled the Federation to develop an organising and institutional structure, which assures the transfer of information, acquaintances to farmers through technical assistance, trainings, schooling and experience exchanges. On this way, the Federation has contributed to the realisation of the main goal: raising of the welfare of the people from rural zone through increasing of the incomes realised by farmer’s households.

Project context During the last years in agricultural sector of Moldova were made some significant and positive changes which marked the raising of Global Agricultural Product, were appeared a lot of advanced agricultural farms but the real potential of this sector still remains to be used at low level. A lot of hectares of land are not worked on thre on the other hand we have a huge quantity of imported agro-products. Also as result of created situation in rural area – people migrates from rural area to urban. So, starting with 2011 NFFM proposed to itself to implement a pragmatical approachment of initiation and development of agri-business in rural area, involving in this process the NFFM’s capacities, State institutions – decission makers. We will put the accent in finding concrete groups of farmers where the Federation will focus our technical assistance to provide to them not only the advisory services but to help them to develop businesses in better way using the modern technologies, applying efficient methods, elaborating the business-plans, obtaining subsidies from Govern and financial support from Govern and donor organizations. One of the most important problems that farmers face on is poor capacities to sell thier production. NFFM will pay a lot of attention in order to create at least minimal conditions to facilitate access of farmers to local market and maybe to create some oportunities to export its production. Also we will work in order to make farmers to understand that the cooperation or assciation will lead them to develop its professional, production and commercialization capacities, that is the reason of these objectives. In order to sustain the initiation and development of farmers agri-businesses propose to continue the Program of Rural and Economical Development through financing the investment projects, providing technical assistence, sustain women and young farmers to start or develop economical initiatives in rural area, to promote ecological agro-production and agri-tourism. For the next 2 years of this project NFFM set 4 major objectives or strategic goals which will be in the frame with NFFM’s Strategic Plan 2011-2015, farmers demands Agriterra’s new requirements and existent realities. NFFM will focus in the next years according to new lines established by Agriterra: a)farmer led agri-business b)local economic initiatives c)specific looby and advocacy directed towards the former to themes. As a result of these proposals and consultations with National and Regional Boards of NFFM, we set the following 4 strategic goals of this project Project objectives 1. Development of private sector through sustaining and promoting farmers in the initiation and development of their agri-businesses in rural area; 2. Raising the competitivity of farmer’s private households through promotion and sustaining of its cooperation and diversifying the businesses 3. Lobby and advocacy initiatives to Central and Local Public Authorities and other interested actors in order to sustain and develop the project’s activities; 4. Institutional and organizational development of NFFM; 5.Development and strengthen the self-financing capacities of NFFM Target group of the project As a result of reorientation on NFFM’s stretegic goals, the target group of this projects will be: • All members of NFFM – farmers who are able to maintain and expand its agri-business and to provide qualitative products to the markets; • Farmers who would like to cooperate in product associations or cooperatives also farmers who already done this; • Cooperative and Product associations created by NFFM during the previous years; • Potential young farmers and women who wish to initiate and develop business in rural area, also moldovans who come from abroad to started agribusiness in native country. • Farmers – members who pay regular its memberships fees and are willing to pay for provided services; • Finally, all members and potential members who would like to develop its agri-business (private households, cooperatives, product associations and other) The components of this target group will be the final beneficiaries of the proposed project and they are selected according to project’s demands and necessities. Expected results Results for each activity is described in Logical Frame Matrix So, by the reaching the proposed objectives of the project through mentioned actvities directed to obtain the expected results, NFFM expects as tagible results and impact the following results: • To develop the farmers business abilities and to sustain them in extension or starting of its businesses •To make farmers to understand as a first step and to get farmers in cooperatives or product associations, also to set the cooperative marketing strategies • To build and strenghten the trade capacity of farmers or groups of farmers • To enhance the organizational and management abilities of created Farmers associations or cooperatives • Increase market power for farmers and also to simplify the access of farmers to internal or maybe external markets • Involve farmers in decission making process by lobby and advocacy activities • To empower women and young farmers and create conditions for them to start new business in rural area •Diversification in agriculture, to promote biological agriculture and agro-tourism in Moldova • Enhancement of agricultural policies – subsidies, banking and credit in agriculture, import and export regulations and other This results since will be reach will ensure the sustainability of National Farmers Federation of Moldova and in the same time will lead to farmer’s business development and finally to welfare of agricultural producers and development of Agricultura sector in Republic of Moldova.

The National Farmers Federation of Moldova is a non-governmental, non-profit organization established on December 8, 1995 at the decision of its General Assembly, in which representatives of farmer's associations, cooperatives and peasant farms from 29 locations of the country participate. At present, NFFM numbers 27,000 dues-paying members and about 30,000 passive members and sympathizers. Agriterra and the Dutch farmers' organisation LTO Noord have a partnership relation with NFFM since 2006. The Strategic Plan of the NFFM’s activity for the period 2008 – 2010 is elaborated on the basis of the actual and previous situation of the Federation according to economical, political and social context of the Republic of Moldova. The strategic objectives of this Plan are: I. The extension of the organizing structure and strengthening of the institutional capacities of the Federation. II. The rise of the volume and the quality of the services providing to the farmers. III. The improvement of the representing level and lobby. IV. The rise of the incomes in the farmer’s households through The Program of the Rural and Economical Development. The main activities are: Trainings and workshops, Collection membership fees, communication and publication, establishing new groups, establishing model farms, provision technical support, and advocacy and lobby. A special challenge is the improvement of auto finance of the Federation, which at present depends to much on foreign donors. Also NFFM planned specific activities to improve the position of women and youths, by the creation of women clubs and young farmers clubs.

The project focusses on consolidation of processes for strengthening NFFM’s and farmers’ by giving a more attention to rural women activities, 30% of all leadership positions are occupied by women. Another issue is improvement of land cultivation and animal attendance technologies with the support of experts from the Netherlands (Agripool), aiming to improve quality and quantity of products. In 2006 several trainings and exchange of experiences with Dutch farmers’ organizations LTO North (International co-operation group) and Zij Actief, farmer to farmer exchange. In the same context NFFM will also exchange experiences with farmers’ organizations from Romania. Next to this NFFM is training its staff on all levels in order to improve leadership, the workers elected by Federation’s leading body, and their branches. On this foundation, NFFM will be better equipped on all levels, for lobby and advocacy activities but also for realizing some Public Relation (PR) actions by means of reporting and mass-media.

The main project consist of strengthening and development of the capacities of the NFFM. There are some small more specific projects: * specific focus on gender, * an education program on television, * assistance for producers associations (3) * participation in different exhibitions

Activities: The proposal does consist out of 8 different sub-projects. 1. Training of 26 farmers at Helicon, Nijmegen (horticulture, 16 persons) and IPC Horst (animal husbandry, 8 persons) 2. Participation in IFAP Congress and IFAP membership. 3. Exchange visit with GLTO 4. Combined practical period (on Dutch farm) cum training (Helicon) period for 6 farmers (in total 2 months/farmer) 5. English training for participants exchange and cadre NFFM. 6. 3 missions of Dutch experts to advise on farm management for animal husbandry, horticulture and agricultural crops. 7. Training of administrative bodies of 10 Territorial organizations of NFFM in management and administration by Dutch expert. 8. Experience exchange visit between Moldovan farmers and Rumanian (APA) farmers. Project No. 3, 6 and 7 will be implemented within the partnership with the GLTO and with assistance (technical advise) of the GLTO. The experiences gained through the different activities will be framed by embedding of gained knowledge and skills using the 9 established information and advisory Centers of the NFFM and an approach using demonstration / model farms and farmer-to-farmer extension.

De National Farmers Federation of Moldova (NFFM) is een nieuwe partner voor Agriterra. NFFM wordt sinds haar oprichting (1997) financieel ondersteund door Cordaid. Cordaid heeft haar financieele ondersteuning voor de periode 2004-2006 sterk gereduceerd. Technische en administratieve ondersteuning bij de uitvoer van het programma 2004-2006 is via een MOU uitbesteed aan Agriterra. Door beperking financieele bijdrage Agriterra zijn met name de uitwisselingen en trainingen voor leden NFFM in Nederland komen te vervalen. Het voorstel van NFFM richting Agriterra is om juist deze activiteiten te ondersteunen additioneel aan het door Cordaid gefinancierde programma. GLTO heeft aangegeven een relatie met NFFM op te wilen bouwen. Begin juli 2004 zal er een orienterende missie plaats vinden. Bedoeling is om te kijken of, en in welke vorm de GLTO een bijdrage kan leveren aan de door NFFM geformuleerde activiteiten op het gebied van uitwisseling en training op producenten-niveau en voor NFFM kader. NFFM heeft 45.000 geregistreerde leden, verdeeld in 10 afdelingen (territorial chapters). NFFM heefdt een verzoek tot lidmaatschap IFAP ingediend. Project draagt bij aan dienstverlening leden voornamelijk op het gebied van kennisopbouw. Activities The proposal does consist out of 8 different sub-projects. 1. Training of 26 farmers at Helicon, Nijmehen (horticulture, 16 persons) and IPC Horst (animal husbandry, 8 persons) 2. Participation in IFAP Congress and IFAP membership. 3. Exchange visit with GLTO 4. Combined practical period (on Dutch farm) cum training (Helicon) period for 6 farmers (in total 2 months/farmer) 5. English training for participants exchange and cadre NFFM. 6. 3 missions of Dutch experts to advise on farm management for animal husbandry, horticulture and agricultural crops. 7. Training of administrative bodies of 10 Territorial organisations of NFFM in management and administration by Dutch expert. 8. Experience exchange visit between Moldovan farmers and Rumenian (APA) farmers. Project No. 3, 6 and 7 will be implemented within the partnership with the GLTO and with expected assistance (technical advise) of the GLTO. The experiences gained through the different activities will be framed by embedding of gained knwledge and skills using the 9 established information and advisory Centers of the NFFM and an approach using demonstration / model farms and farmer-to-farmer extension.