work area 01: Participatory Policy Formulation
This work area comprises participatory policy preparation within national farmers unions; and advocacy of these national as well as the regional (supranational) and international organizations. On the international level focus will be on the policy formulation within IFAP for approximately with a planned budget of € 4 million for the whole period. With these activities, we encourage the regionalization of IFAP, the strengthening of certain committees and working groups, such as the Working Group on Development Cooperation (DCC) and the committees on women, young people, and specific tropical crops. A large portion of the general support to regional associations, such as ROPPA and EAFF, also falls in this work area. Where there should be a clear link with the proposals coming from their members, the national farmers organisations. The activities with national farmers unions are basically along two lines: member consultations and support for increasing the capacity to do proposals on all levels of the farmers union, including proposals in the form of business plans. Typical projects in which they apply the Agriterra solution PIPGA (Participatory Research for Policy formulation). This solution was developed in Nicaragua at UNAG and later tested in 8 Latin-American countries with the support of the research programme of DGIS (Dutch government). It was then evaluated by Kees Biekart (TNI, Amsterdam) after which new projects were started in South America. These PIPGA projects combine in fact member consultations and a targeted systematization of members' opinions with argumentation provided by experts (depending on the subject of the policy consultation). For further reference please check specialisms 'Policy generation'. But, most agri-agencies have developed instruments and methods to support these processes. Hence, there will be exchange on the methodological aspects used by agri-agencies. In the 2007-2010 period three-year projects can be concluded with a total of 25 organizations. This time, we are especially looking for opportunities in Africa and Asia. Every year, each organization elaborates in participatory manner (including consultation at grass root level) approximately 3 policy proposals or business plans (subsidies or credit) in order to increase production, get a certain price stability, access to marketing, land, credit, education, extension. We are therefore talking about an output of almost 250 of such plans or proposals, of which we expect half also get support from authorities, donors, investors or banks during the programme period. AgriCord support will be in reinforcement of the capacities of the proposals from the farmers organisations at the different levels. In 2007 initial support is given to 8 farmers organizations with a planned output of 33 policy or programme proposals; at least 3 international organisations will be involved and there is an outreach (active involvement of 72.906 farmers.