Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Launch of the Support to Farmer Organizations of Africa Project (SFOAP) Africa

11 - 15 March, 2013. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Pan African Farmers Organization (PAFO) - a network comprising ALL farmers of Africa under their sub-regional umbrellas namely EAFF (Eastern Africa); PROPAC (Central Africa); ROPPA (West Africa); SACAU (Southern Africa) and UMAGRI (North Africa) convened a workshop to launch the SFOAP II program.

The SFOAP I has already been concluded which, was a pilot phase for 3 years and whose results tremendously provided organizational strengthening; enhanced cohesion and governance; capacity on policy process; advocacy and the necessary human resources needed to professionalize Farmer organizations at national and regional level. This five-year programme (2013-2017) supporting farmers' organisations in Africa is supported by the European Union (€15 million) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the French Agency for Development (AFD - Agence Française de Développement) to the tune of €19.9 million.

SFOAP II shall target the national; sub-regional and continental levels with a majority of the funding going to support national activities.

The head of delegation and special representative of the EU to the African Union, Gary Quince, noted on this occasion that "the pilot phase of the SFOAP had helped improve governance, leadership and financial management.

It has thus allowed regional farmers' organisations to become credible interlocutors in the eyes of public authorities and to start to be taken into account in the shaping of farming policy in Africa".

The main phase aims to strengthen the Pan-African Farmers Organisation, its five regional organisations and their 68 national organisations in 49 countries.

It aims to improve their institutional, organisational and influencing capacities, to develop their economic services in favour of small producers and to promote the sharing of knowledge and experience. SFOAP is part of the biggest EU support programme for farming organisations, Farmers Africa.
Sources: 
Africa-EU in Partnership 19/03/2013 : EU steps up its support for African farmers’ organisations

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