despite crisis in mali, p4p activities continue …...the bulk of p4p supported smallholders’...
TRANSCRIPT
ISSUE 7
PURCHASE FOR PROGRESS
MARCH 2013 NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 54
MARCH 2013
Despite crisis in Mali, P4P activities continue without interruption
Last year’s military coup in Mali and the ensuing conflict provided considerable challenges to farmers’ organisations (FOs), as
well as P4P activities. However, P4P was able to maintain its assistance and commodities delivered to WFP since the
beginning of the crisis have surpassed contracted quantities. What proved crucial in this time of political crisis was P4P’s
extensive network of partners with a strong field presence, as well as the support of the Government and the use of
innovative contract modalities.
Since the beginning of the pilot in 2009, P4P in Mali has focused on
establishing strong partnerships to provide comprehensive support in
capacity building to targeted farmers’ organisations. P4P works
together with three national and two international NGOs which have
a well-established field presence in P4P areas of operation. Following
the military coup in March 2012, movement of WFP staff was
hindered by security restrictions. However, local partners continued
to monitor and supervise the progress of the project, while at the
same time continuing to provide critical support services to the FOs,
including marketing their commodities to buyers beyond WFP.
With the support received, FOs which were affected by conflict (such
as four assisted groups which are based in the region of Mopti), were
able to aggregate crops and deliver them to WFP warehouses,
thereby honouring their contracts. By maintaining a P4P presence
through local partners, even in times of crisis, smallholder farmers and traders have come to trust WFP as a
trusted buyer and were thus encouraged to fulfil their contracts.
In addition to continued assistance by P4P’s local partners, the Government of Mali has also maintained its support
to enhancing agricultural production. In spite of the financial crisis following the suspension of bilateral and
multilateral aid, the Government subsidized fertilizer and seeds for the main agricultural commodities. To enable
smallholder farmers to access these subsidised inputs in this critical period, WFP signed forward delivery contracts
for about 2,000 metric tons with eleven FOs. This type of contract not only provides FOs with an assured market
and price, but also commits WFP to renegotiate the price in case market prices increase by more than 10%. In
addition, forward delivery contracts provide credibility and can be used as collateral with financial institutions,
helping FOs to secure loans. Through the use of this contract modality in Mali,
P4P was able to assist FOs to tackle some of their financial and other input
challenges that would otherwise have hampered their agricultural production.
As forward delivery contracts were signed before the planting season in June,
FOs were able to secure necessary loans and production inputs at the right
time. Following favourable seasonal rains, the harvest was good and FOs were
able to deliver higher quantities than originally contracted to WFP.
The combined efforts of P4P, the Government and local partners, as well as
the strong commitment of the farmers themselves, has helped P4P in Mali to
remain operational and successful throughout the on-going crisis. However,
the wider impact of the conflict on markets beyond WFP still needs to be
carefully observed. P4P is currently conducting a survey to assess availability
and readiness of financial institutions to provide loans to farmers’ organisations
during the coming season.
Inside this Issue:
Interview with Sheryl Schneider, P4P Guatemala Country Coordinator on page 2
P4P National Annual Reviews: DRC, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Nicaragua on pages 3-5
Howard G. Buffett and Eva Longoria visit P4P in Guatemala and Honduras on page 5
Other updates and information on page 6
20 P4P pilot countries Asia: Afghanistan Africa: DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda,
Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia Central America: El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua
The conflict in Mali has
triggered displacement within
Mali and into neighbouring
countries. It has uprooted
hundreds of thousands of
people and placed pressure on
vulnerable host communities
still recovering from last year’s
Sahel drought. The P4P
initiative currently works with
12 farmers’ organisations based
in four regions in the south of
the country.
Women farmers packaging cow peas.
Copyright: WFP/Romain Bouveau.
Interview with Sheryl Schneider, P4P Country Coordinator in Guatemala
Purchase for Progress Guatemala began in late 2008 in Guatemala and to date has supported over 13,000 smallholder
farmers from 72 cooperatives. These cooperatives have achieved sales of more than 19,500 metric tons of food to both
WFP and markets beyond WFP. Sheryl Schneider, P4P Country Coordinator in Guatemala, reflects on achievements and
future plans.
1) What has been the most interesting thing about P4P during
the last 4 years?
The most interesting thing, for me, has been the change in attitudes, the self
-appreciation of the participants as they transition from subsistence farmers
to agricultural entrepreneurs. Women in particular have shown significant
changes in their vision. A genuine interest in working the land and
commercializing the product of their labor has awakened in many of them.
They are much more open to adopt new technologies, to follow the advice
of technical experts and endorse the technical knowledge acquired, to such
a degree that many of them are already an important reference for the
whole community.
2) Working with partners is one of the pillars of P4P. How has this experience been in Guatemala?
P4P works together with partners that have provided lots of support in the area of capacity development. We
have achieved through P4P a synergy of cooperation efforts that allows organizations and communities to be
actively engaged in a real development process. As Keith Andrews, Representative of the Inter-American Institute
for Cooperation in Agriculture, said: “P4P is truly an innovative initiative, focused on rural development
throughout the value chain.”
3) What are the notable results from the P4P initiative?
The importance in the quality of the grains produced and commercialized is highlighted by many stakeholders as a
key result. In fact, the advisors of the Ministry of Agriculture have made numerous references to the “application of
the quality standards of the farmers and small traders in the field.” At the same time, the maize processing industry
for tortilla flour (Demagusa) has made a repeated reference “to the increase in the farmers’ production of quality
grains.” Another important result, we can cite that the smallholder farmers participating in P4P in Guatemala have
improved their food security. In addition the Government led initiative, “Triángulo de la Dignidad” (Triangle of
Dignity) was inspired by the P4P model, recognizing the importance of providing access to credit (see below).
4) What do you consider to be the lessons learned during this period?
One of P4P’s measures of success is the significant quantity of grains sold to WFP and other buyers. For me,
success must be measured by the change of mind that occurs when rural dwellers stop thinking in terms of
subsistence and open themselves to production and the marketing of surpluses. This leads to the partnership of
men and women, the access to inputs at competitive prices, good agricultural practices, and access to credit for
production and trade at reasonable interest rates. It also means that people can negotiate with buyers with their
heads held high, confident of the quality they produce.
5) What are the main challenges P4P faces in 2013?
For 2013, we face the challenge of analysing what has worked and what hasn’t, of presenting recommendations
regarding the implementation of this concept to the Government and other
partners. A first attempt in Guatemala has been the “Triángulo de la
Dignidad” (Triangle of Dignity), supported by the current government, which
provides technical assistance through the reactivation of agricultural extension
services, access to credit, and links with potential buyers, all directed to the
memberships of agricultural organizations. P4P is an initiative that explores
adapting working modalities to the realities of each participating country. In
Guatemala we have special challenges posed by the country’s cultural and
geographical diversity.
ISSUE 54 Page 2
P4P Guatemala Country Coordinator,
Sheryl Schneider.
Copyright: WFP/P4P Guatemala
Triángulo de la Dignidad
The “Triangle of Dignity” is an
initiative of the Ministry of
Agriculture, Livestock and Food
that seeks to help over 67,500
smallholder farmers by providing
credit for the production of
basic grains.
Page 3 ISSUE 54
P4P Democratic Republic of the Congo - 2013 National Annual Review
Introduction
The DRC P4P national Annual Review took place on March 12th – 13th, 2013 in Kinshasa and was attended by 22
participants from WFP, FAO and implementing partners (SNV, Oxfam, and BUCODED), as well as representatives of the two main P4P donors in DRC – Belgium and France. The objectives of the review were to share lessons on P4P
achievements, challenges, opportunities and risks in 2012 and plan for 2013. The review, facilitated by Martin Kabaluapa, Kenya P4P Country Coordinator, was co-chaired by Francis Bere, DRC P4P Country Coordinator and Michel Ngongo,
P4P’s counterpart at FAO.
DRC’s P4P model is unique among the 20 pilot countries, as WFP acts only as buyer of last resort. Smallholders have little incentive to invest in producing surpluses because trade is minimal and yields lag far behind those of other
countries in the region. WFP guarantees to buy a certain amount of their produce if they are unable to find a buyer. This role as buyer of last resort also helps to promote the development of local markets and supports local small traders.
The bulk of P4P supported smallholders’ marketable produce has been purchased by local traders. By the end of 2012, 264 metric tons of maize had been contracted in DRC by WFP since P4P began in 2010.
For more on how this model works, read the story of Mama Mbango Amba here.
Opening Remarks, Presentations and Debates
In their opening remarks, WFP and FAO representatives highlighted the main achievements in 2012 and expressed their commitment to work together in the
implementation of P4P in DRC. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development stated that P4P aligns with the national strategic framework for
poverty alleviation and the five-year plan for the development of the agricultural sector. The Minister insisted on the need to work with local
communities in all aspects of the project to guarantee its sustainability.
Achievements
Following presentations on the first day, the second day was dedicated to
reviewing progress to date and planning for 2013. FAO and Oxfam have assisted smallholders to organize themselves into farmers’ organizations, which
P4P is now supporting. Through its partners, P4P has rehabilitated and constructed roads, markets and household granaries to enable smallholders to
access tools and seeds. A market information system has been put in place to disseminate prices through local radios stations or by SMS.
Warehouses have been built in Kabalo (Katanga province) and Bikoro (Equateur province) and mobile storage units and cleaning, drying and bagging equipment installed for smallholders to gather and prepare commodities for the market. Old
WFP vehicles, bicycles and trolleys were made available or distributed to allow smallholders to transport the yields from the field to the warehouses.
Suggested Way Forward
Stay the course: As P4P is a capacity development pilot, it requires time to have an impact.
Partners’ needs: Some local NGOs, many of which are essential for wider and deeper impact of P4P activities,
require organizational capacity development and funding.
Capture lessons: Identify the best strategy for the commercialization of farmers’ produce.
Ensure sustainability: Investments such as construction/rehabilitation of stores and provision of equipment should be provided on a cost-sharing basis.
Sustainable exit strategy needs to be defined.
Promote inclusion: Invite more stakeholders to participate in the pilot such as field staff from the Ministry of Agriculture, women producers and traders, seed companies, the private sector and state owned companies in
charge of river and railway transport.
Advocate for trade infrastructure: The main challenge for the marketing of farmers’ produce is the poor state of transport infrastructure.
Consultation and exchange with partners lies at the heart of P4P. Beyond the global Annual Consultation that gathers up to 200
stakeholders from around the world every year, each P4P pilot country holds its own national Annual Review. This is an opportunity for the P4P pilot countries to discuss past successes, challenges and the best way forward for implementing over the next project
year. The following pages offer country specific insights into the challenges, collaborations and successes of P4P in DRC, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Nicaragua.
Participants during the DRC Annual
Review
Copyright: WFP/P4P DRC
P4P Burkina Faso - 2013 National Annual Review
The P4P Burkina Faso team organized its 2013 national Annual Review in Leo, close to the border with Ghana,
from 5th to 7th March. Co-chaired by WFP and the Ministry of Agriculture’s Department for the Development of
Agricultural Product Markets (DDMPA), the review (i) reviewed P4P implementation in Burkina Faso from 2009 to
2012 to analyze the successes, challenges and lessons learned; (ii) strengthened the Government’s ownership of
P4P by devoting increased roles to DDMPA; and (iii) explored P4P and partners’ perspectives to design the 2013
work plan for all stakeholders.
Forty participants attended the review, including Government officials from the Ministries of Agriculture, Economy
and Finance, FCPB (a financial institution), NGOs (OXFAM, IFDC, AGRA, LWR) and other partner institutions
including FAO, ARC and CIC-B. The BMGF Regional Advisor, the incoming P4P BKF Country Coordinator, P4P
Country Coordinators from Mali and Rwanda, P4P’s Gender Consultant and M&E Officer were also present.
What has been achieved?
Participants reached consensus on P4P achievements:
farmers’ organisations (FOs) are now better prepared for collective sales, with increased participation of
women in their activities;
three procurement modalities have been tested by WFP (direct, forward delivery contracts and competitive
tenders with special provisions);
the P4P Burkina Faso approach of forward delivery contracts was highly successful, contracting 1,630 metric
tons by the end of 2012; FOs are now successfully selling to WFP through soft competitive tendering;
the consultative framework where P4P partners share their experiences has been strengthened;
above all a common culture of “commodity quality” has been embedded in Burkina Faso. Indeed, thanks to
P4P and its partners, the quality of commodities offered on markets has considerably improved.
Challenges
Apart from these accomplishments, the initiative faces challenges such as the shift in WFP Country strategy, which
now prioritizes the distribution of imported blended commodities to meet the nutritional requirements arising
from the Sahel Crisis. Oftentimes the demanded blended commodities are not available locally. WFP’s purchase of
maize, sorghum and beans has been a modest 4,100 metric
tons since 2009. As a result, FOs have had to actively seek
markets for quality beyond WFP, with many FOs now
linked to SONAGESS (the National Agency for Food
Security Stock), the largest food buyer at a national level.
Since the exchange visit with P4P Rwanda in 2012,
SONAGESS has modified its procurement strategy to
dedicate an increasing market to FOs only. Following a
market study to assess the bottlenecks to FOs’ access to
markets beyond WFP in 2012, DDMPA is integrating the
resulting recommendations into its national strategic plan. In
addition, the Country Office is exploring other quality
markets beyond structured demand platforms that FOs can
access.
Future WFP procurement from P4P-supported FOs will
depend on resource availability and the Country Office’s
needs. While the FOs were able to increase their capacity
over the last few years, they are still face challenges which include governance issues, weak record keeping and
membership management, and high costs for quality improvement of commodities.
Future Plans for P4P Burkina Faso
The P4P learning agenda and priorities for 2013/14 were shared and discussed with partners. All participants
agreed on the importance of capitalizing on the dynamics that P4P has created to improve and fine tune their
support to FOs, improving capacity to connect to higher value markets. Planning has started for increased synergy
of interventions. Several participants also emphasized the importance of the Ministry of Agriculture and its
decentralized bodies taking a lead role in the process to ensure a long lasting sustainability.
Page 4 ISSUE 54
Participants at the Burkina Faso Annual Review Copyright: WFP/P4P Burkina Faso
P4P Ghana – 2013 National Annual Review
The P4P Ghana national Annual Review took place in Ejisu in the Ashanti region of Ghana on February 21-22,
2013. Participants included 26 farmers’ organizations and small/medium traders, UNWomen, University of
Ghana, Kwame Nkumah University of Science & Technology, University of Development Studies, Adventist
Development Relief Agency (ADRA), Farm Radio International (FRI), International Fertilizer Development
Centre (IFDC), ADCI/VOCA, Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), Ministry of Food & Agriculture, Crop
Research Institute (CRI), Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems Ltd., Ghana Grains Council, and
WFP Procurement and Logistics representatives.
In the discussions and presentations, the participants discussed lessons and challenges and explored possible
solutions. Specifically the themes covered were as follows: Training of FOs, Empowering Women, Provision of
Agricultural Equipment, Provision of Ready Markets for farmers, and Partnerships with Government and other
institutions.
The general challenges faced by P4P in Ghana included: most of the FOs in the Northern region expressed an
unwillingness to sell their produce to school caterers on credit. The main reason cited was the Government’s
cumbersome and lengthy payment process. Also the high price of some local commodities including rice and
beans, compared to international prices, posed a challenge in procuring from P4P-supported FOs.
Way forward
Discussions and agreements regarding P4P implementation in the coming year were focused on joint field
missions with partners, capacity building activities, planned procurement from WFP, plans for monitoring,
reporting and evaluation, and possible study tours to other P4P countries.
ISSUE 54 Page 5
P4P Nicaragua – 2013 National Annual Plan of Operations
On February 5-7, the P4P Nicaragua team organized the P4P Annual Review, with key stakeholders including
Instituto Nicaraguense de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), the Ministry of Family, Community, Cooperative and
Associative Economy, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Forestry (MAGFOR), agencies such as FAO and
our partner FOs.
During the three day meeting an internal reflection session was held, along with two full days of looking forward.
The intensive meeting encouraged participants to reach a consensus on the Annual Plan of Operations. In addition
to making contributions to the Plan, the presentations by WFP, FAO, Ministry of Family, Community, Cooperative
and Associative Economy provided a variety of perspectives. These organizations were at the center of most of the
dialogue regarding operational planning into next year.
Since P4P implementation began in Nicaragua, over 2,200 metric tons have been delivered to WFP. Furthermore,
an additional 2,200 metric tons have been sold by participating FOs to markets beyond WFP.
Howard G. Buffett and actress Eva Longoria visit P4P in Guatemala and Honduras
Howard G. Buffett and Eva Longoria visited the Farmers’ Association of Nueva Concepcion in the Department of
Escuintla, Guatemala, located 156 km from Guatemala City. Nueva Concepcion was the first organization to
participate in P4P in Guatemala. The group also visited P4P in Honduras.
Photos of the trip are available here. A video of Eva’s time in Honduras can be found here.
Copyright: WFP/Francisco Fion.
Page 6 ISSUE 54
P4P Country Coordinators/Focal Points
Asia
Afghanistan: Djordje Vdovic <[email protected]>
Regional Bureau Focal Point: Francois Buratto
Eastern, Southern & Central Africa
Democratic Republic of Congo: Francis Bere
Ethiopia: Enrico Pausilli <[email protected]>
Kenya: Martin Kabaluapa <[email protected]>
Malawi: Irene Del Rio <Irene.Del-Rio@wfp,org>
Mozambique: Ana Touza <[email protected]>
Rwanda: Emmanuela Mashayo <[email protected]>
South Sudan: Marc Sauveur <[email protected]>
Tanzania: Marina Negroponte <[email protected]>
Uganda: Germain Akoubia <[email protected]>
Zambia: Aurore Rusiga <[email protected]>
Regional Bureau Focal Point: Simon Denhere
West Africa
Burkina Faso: Veronique Sainte-Luce <Veronique.Sainte-
Ghana: Hassan Abdelrazig <[email protected]>
Liberia: James Legg <[email protected]>
Mali: Isabelle Mballa <[email protected]>
Sierra Leone: Miyuki Yamashita <[email protected]>
Regional Bureau Focal Point: Isabelle Mballa
Latin American & Caribbean
El Salvador: Hebert Lopez <[email protected]>
Guatemala: Sheryl Schneider <[email protected]>
Honduras: Lenin Gradiz <[email protected]>
Nicaragua: Francisco Alvarado <[email protected]>
Regional Bureau Focal Point: Marta Ortiz <[email protected]>
The update is published by the P4P Coordination Unit in Rome, Italy.
External: www.wfp.org/p4p Internal: http://go.wfp.org/web/purchaseforprogress
KEY P4P CONTACTS IN ROME
P4P COORDINATION UNIT
Ken Davies, Global P4P Coordinator:
Catherine Feeney, Snr Programme Adviser,
Partnerships: [email protected]
Edouard Nizeyimana, Snr Programme Advisor for
Eastern and Southern Africa:
Clare Mbizule, Programme Adviser, M&E:, Learning and
Sharing: [email protected]
Batamaka Some, Gender Consultant:
Tobias Bauer, Communications and Advocacy Officer:
Bhai Thapa, Finance Officer:
Barbara Pfister, Reports Officer:
Judy Gicharu, Snr. Admin Assistant::
PROCUREMENT DIVISION
Shane Prigge, Food Technologist:
Brigitte Labbe, Procurement Officer:
LEGAL OFFICE
Ariona Aubrey, Legal Officer:
Calendar
LAC P4P data validation Workshop: El Salvador, April 16-
18
PAA Workshop: Dakar, Senegal, April 23-25
P4P Impact Pathways: April 29-30
Global Child Nutrition Forum: Bahia, Brazil, May 20-24
A new edition of the distance learning course on
“MY.COOP - Managing your agricultural
cooperative”
Course dates: 20 May 2013 - 09 August 2013
Deadline for registration for May group: 03 May 2013
Course dates: 14 October 2013 - 10 January 2014
Deadline for registration October
course: 27 September 2013
For more information contact: [email protected]
In the News
School meals - as good for farmers as they are for children? The Guardian, 15 March 2013
How an African-led initiative to provide local food for school children is building a new market for smallholder farmers
Bill Gates sees how school meals scheme benefits Ghanaian farmers, Imperial College London, 5 April 2013
During a recent visit to Ghana, Bill Gates joined Imperial College London’s Partnership for Child Development (PCD) to spend
a day with smallholder farmers, teachers and caterers.
INSIGHT: How school lunches are making farmers in rural Tanzania wealthy, The Citizen, 5 April 2013
In Tanzania, 85 per cent of maize produced is by low income farmers. (Specific mention of P4P)
P4P says goodbye to Jorge Fanlo
Jorge Fanlo has been a member of the P4P team since its inception. He
has now taken up a new post as Country Director in the Dominican
Republic. Jorge will be missed by all P4P team members and
stakeholders across the 20 pilot countries. The madridista has been a
fundamental player in the development of much that we have learned in
P4P - be it the P4P formula, the Primer or the progression strategy for
FOs participating in P4P. Seldom the most vocal in meetings and
workshops, Jorge’s precise and investigative comments would always
focus everybody’s attention on the key questions that P4P encountered.
Jorge’s replacement, Romain Sirois, will join the P4P team in May.