Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Bernard Membe (L) responds to questions from journalists during at a news press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday. Right is the director for Africa in the Ministry,
BY THE GUARDIAN REPORTER
A New baseline study on fresh fruits, vegetables and rice value chains will be conducted in two East African nations later this year, an organization dealing with agricultural chain development has said.
A statement from Veco East Africa availed to this paper on Monday said, the study to be conducted in Tanzania and Uganda is aimed at enabling organisations of smallholder family farmers to successfully participate in sustainable value chain.
The organization has invited consultants through media adverts to conduct the study in two countries to send application before September 14 this year. However it was not immediately known the total number of farmers or regions that will be involved in the study.
VECO East Africa is a regional programme of Vredeseilanden that is currently implementing sustainable agricultural chain development programmes in Tanzania and Uganda.
In line with its global vision and mission, VECO East Africa’s mission is to contribute to viable livelihoods and empowerment of organised family farmers, male and female in East Africa through sustainable Agriculture Chain Development (SACD) at local and regional levels.
In order to position VECO East Africa to be a leader in the area of development work with Organised Family Farmers in the African context, we recognise that organisational learning is core in implementing the country programmes.
“We invest in the capabilities of these organisations and their members to become strong collective business organisations, while linking up these organisations with other chains actors like processors, traders, retailers and consumers, the statement said.
According to the statement the organization also invests in connecting farmers’ organizations with higher level organizations and supports these in their advocacy work towards governments and private actors to create an institutional environment that sustains the position of smallholder family farmers within agricultural chains.
Through 8 regional Vredeseilanden Offices (VECOs) we support chain development programmes in Africa, Asia and Latin-America, it said.
In Tanzania, the organisation is working with some organisations namely Network of Farmers' Groups in Tanzania (Mviwata) with 21 regional branches, it said.
Id added that the network conducts policy analyses, lobbies and advocates for pro-small scale farmers’ policies, provides a range of tailored skills and knowledge development for its members to enable them to engage in socio-economic development, and participate and/or influence decision making at various levels.
Others are Inyuat E Moipo which is a Maasai local NGO based in Simanjiro District working with pastoralist family farmers along Pangani River Basin called Moipo in Maasai language.
The NGO is made up of members of pastoralist Maasais and has a board of directors.
The NGO plays the role of a process facilitator and forms a platform for dialogue between all partners in the value market chain (FOs, District Councils, Microfinance Institutions and SMEs), and builds producers’ entrepreneurship skills (pastoralists’ groups).
VECO Tanzania is also working with Commercial Family Farmer Organisations (CFFOs) in Simanjiro, Chunya and Mkuranga districts.
CFFOs are apexes of village level family farmer business groups organised at ward levels and they are commodity based organiaations which involve farmer groups involved in a common commodity.
According to the statement, recently the organisation started working with Moshi University College of Cooperative and Business Studies (MUCCoBS), whereby the institution has been involved in reviewing CFFOs’ organisational set up and management structures.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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