Triggering economic potential at payam level in South Sudan

General

In consultation with DGIS and the Netherlands Embassy in Juba it has been decided to start up Agriterra activities in South Sudan. At national level a national farmer’s organisation named SSAPU, South Sudan Agricultural Producers Union, has recently been created. At state, county and district (payam) level there is no presence of any umbrella organisations worth mentioning. At village (boma) level, a great variety of local groups exists, often with support from NGO’s. Although the farmers’ movement is progressing, there are a certain number of serious constraints that hamper their development. There is a low educational level of farmers and farming as a business is a totally new concept for them. As it can be expected internal governance practices within farmers’ organisations are still very weak. Services to (informal members) are not well defined yet. There is a clear need for support on the different levels. The proposed Agriterra strategy consists of the following two main elements: a. Supporting the national farmers’ organisation in its role (policy development, lobby and advocacy) and in the structuring and membership development of the farmers’ movement towards local level. b. Supporting the grassroots’ level in an upwards dynamic towards the top. The support will focus on the payam level, as the first level after the boma level, on which farmers need to be organised. For a start this will be implemented through SSAPU, as there are no local farmers organisations with which Agriterra can have direct collaboration for the moment. It is important to start with existing dynamic groups of semi-commercial farmers. Expertise will preferably be delivered base on specific demands of farmers and in the form of a trajectory. Agriterra can make largely use of their Agripool for regional (EAFF e.a.) and Dutch agricultural expertise. Agripool expertise should cover three main advisory fields: technical (marketing, specific commodities, mechanisation, policy and advocacy), institutional (organisation development, internal governance & leadership, internal capacity building) and financial management. Although it is Agriterra’s conviction that qualitative competences should be build in a FO, it is proposed that Agriterra will have local presence, at least in the starting phase. This local presence will indeed focus on strengthening the competences within the SSAPU in a sustainable way. Proposal first semester 2015 Goal: To increase farmers’ income through good organization of the farmers, improved agricultural production, processing and marketing, benefiting SSAPU farmer members. Objectives: - Lobby, network and advocate for a more conducive and enabling environment for economic activities by the members; - Increase farmers’ income from agriculture through capacity building services in collective entrepreneurship, marketing and promotion, linking with providers of other services and increase income through training and facilitating in 6 selected commodities; - Construct the organisation at different levels, establish the national secretariat office and the grassroots’ entrepreneurship team, promote good leadership and governance; - Membership development. Attracting and retaining members building the union from grassroots level upwards. Improve communication with members, develop and mobilise membership and promote linking & networking Activities • Define policy and lobby agenda. Policy issues include: o CAADP implementation; o Agricultural tax: agricultural inputs exempt from policy into law and its implementation o Feeder roads in the rural areas; o Access to finance o Land ownership and legislation o Land allocation for agricultural production o Regulation of local taxes and roadblocks, paying tax on produce only once • Using evidence to prepare policy positions; • Building alliances with other organizations where needed • Organizing or participating in meetings in the concerned institutions, customs Ministry of Finance (MOF), MOAFCOO (Agriculture, Fisheries, Cooperatives) • Training and follow-up of SSAPU leaders on FACT tools, how to generate policy proposals, how to prepare policy positions, how to lobby, how to follow up, etc. Services to members delivered to increase self-reliance and entrepreneurship. Training and facilitating of collective economic actions in response to service needs of members (associations, companies, cooperatives, and individual farmers).  • Value chain analysis on banana's, groundnuts, cassava and tomatoes. VC studies comprise investigate market opportunities, identifying value chain stakeholders, production capacities and constraints; processing possibilities; access to appropriate technology. • Exchange visits with commodity associations of EAFF members where appropriate • Linking with other partners: identify and link with other partners willing to support commodity approach/ value chain approach e.g. Dutch embassy, IFDC, EAGC, Farm project, Spark, GIZ;SNV • Link with other private sector commodity players at the national, regional and international levels; exchange with FOs who have developed successful partnerships; • Collaboration with IFDC 2 scale project and SSADP to share services provided by all and discuss SSAPU members to become champions or business oriented farmers. • Training of FF's in the selected commodities: banana's, poultry, onions, groundnuts, tomatoes and cassava. • Follow-up on poultry sector training, VC analysis and sector meeting: How to reduce the costs of feeds. Feasibility study for a feeds production plant. Local entrepreneurship: promotion of grassroots’ entrepreneurship in 5 counties and adding 2 more counties through an advisory system of field facilitators and farmer promoters. Capacity strengthening (knowledge, skills and attitudes) of farmer groups using field facilitators and farmer promoters in the fields of record keeping, production techniques, cooperative development, good governance practices, entrepreneurship, cost benefits analysis. Selection of farmers promoters by the groups and their coaching by Field facilitators. • promoting collective economic action around commodities or other common economic interests of farmer groups through small business plans • Promoting production and marketing by organising exhibitions, farmers day, competition at county level. • Introduce basic record keeping • promoting farmer saving groups for agricultural investment • local networking with private, public and NGO sector to optimise coordination, innovation and other opportunities • Accessing new farmers markets at all levels Institutional and organisational capacity building of SSAPU • Recruitment of staff: 1. Coordinator, acting as: Chief Executive Officer, overall management of SSAPU. She/he will be responsible for the daily management of SSAPU in line with the strategic plan 2015 -2020 and the orientations of the board and AGM. She/he is also secretary to the board, but not a member. 2. National Outreach Officer is already selected. Starting on the 1st of March 2015 3. Recruiting 4 new field facilitators (FF's) to start in 2 new counties • Leadership training: communication strategy and implementation, good governance practices, register database, conflict resolution, partnership development. • Strengthening of financial management: development of simplified manual of financial and administrative procedures including human resource and accounting management, financial health check Membership development • Improving membership registry: design of new membership register using the knowledge and experience of EAFF members. • Convening board meetings to validate the action plan for 2015 and the strategic plan 2015 - 2020. • Developing communication and publicity strategies: Developing radio programs at different administrative levels: mobilisation through the radio stations. Website, brochure, banner, flyers, others. Printing costs and support external communication expert Results 1 lobby trajectory worked out on Agricultural tax and budget allocation by using FACT approach 140 groups strengthened in 7 counties and around 6 commodities≥50% women involved Record keeping on retained commodities Increased membership: 2500 members Membership registration system Increased annual membership fees Operational secretariat Sound financial management: Financial health check = baseline 2014 Proposal will be further developed during the April mission. The mission report of the november 2012 inception mission is available. 1. Create a conducive and enabling environment for economic activities by the members; 2. Increase farmers’ income from agriculture through capacity building in collective entrepreneurship and bottom-up organisation of members 3. Construct the organisation at different levels, establish the national secretariat office and the grassroots’ entrepreneurship team, promote good leadership and governance 4. Improve communication with members, develop and mobilise membership and promote linking & networking