08ef-5113 - Strategic Plan of the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation
EAFF is a regional farmers’ federation that operates on behalf of its member organisations from the East African Region. It was formed on the basis of consultation and consensus between farmers´ organizations from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Eastern Congo. The role of EAFF is to voice the legitimate concerns and interests of the farmers in the region, with an aim of enhancing regional cohesiveness and socio-economic development of farmers. The federation also endeavours to promote regional integration through promotion of regional trade, improved information exchange between country producer organizations, as well as the promotion regional input and output market development. Agriterra has bilateral relations with all member organisations of EAFF (KENFAP, MVIWATA, UNFFE, IMBARAGA, INGABO, COOCENKI, SYDIP). EAFF supports the principles of sustainable agricultural development for food security and sovereignty, improved livelihoods of rural communities, environmental and biodiversity conservation. In voicing the concerns of the farmers, EAFF aims at improvement of their socio-economic status through promotion of regional integration, appropriate information exchange, enhancement of the role of women and youth in agriculture, promotion of sympathetic understanding and good neighborliness, and enactment of the states’ commitments in protocols and agreements. The Eastern Africa Farmers’ Federation (EAFF) was set up in 2001, has its own equipped and staffed office in Nairobi as well as an elected Board and Council that provided EAFF with a strategic orientation for the following years. EAFF’s Vision is: “A prosperous and cohesive farming community in Eastern Africa” EAFF’s Mission: “To represent, lobby and advocate for Eastern Africa farmers’ interests and build their capacities” To enable itself to better face its future EAFF and its main partners agreed to carry out a self-assessment over the past performances and to do a strategic planning for the four years to come. All this was done in a very participatory way to further develop ownership of the member organizations over their regional federation. The assessment confirmed EAFF important achievements in terms of well established relationships with both some of the regional entities and with several development partners. A newsletter is operational but not really utilized by the member organizations. Since mid 2006 EAFF has a well staffed secretariat (Chief Executive and two program officers) which has to be further organized. However the assessment also revealed some weaknesses to be dealt with urgently in order to establish a strong, efficient and democratic organization, serving its member organizations. Among others, the financial management needs to be improved and become more transparent, the constitution is to be reviewed in a participatory way in order to change the composition of the Board and Council and better define their roles and responsibilities, and better services for the member organizations need to be developed. There is now need for EAFF and its development partners to convene on the funding of the different strategic objectives and avoid that some of them lack resources as they are all important and that others get overfunded. EAFF and formulated 8 strategic objectives for the coming period 2008 – 2011; • EAFF is a well recognized and pro-active partner in policy formulation and implementation in agriculture and trade related issues in relevant forums • Member organizations have the capacity to fully understand and influence EAFF affairs • EAFF leadership and secretariat have developed the necessary managerial capacities to fulfill the responsibilities given by its members • EAFF progressively covers basic institutional running costs out of gradual increase of members’ contribution and other incomes • Key stakeholders have access to relevant and updated information in the appropriate language • EAFF is well known and appreciated by all relevant stakeholders • EAFF has diversified and mainstreamed membership • EAFF and member organizations have close, satisfactory and mutually supporting relations