AgriCord and FAO join forces to enhance support to farmers’ organizations

27 February 2018, Rome – FAO and AgriCord, a global alliance of agri-agencies mandated by farmers’ organizations, are joining efforts to facilitate the engagement of family and smallholder farmers in decision making and policy dialogue, increase their institutional and organizational capacities and improve their access to markets and finance.

Doing so will unleash their potential in improving livelihoods and combatting climate change, FAO and AgriCord said.

Building on years of successful partnership, AgriCord and FAO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today to intensify joint efforts aimed at building the capacities of farmer’s organizations to increase their vital role in reducing rural poverty.

The new agreement signed by Daniel Gustafson, FAO Deputy Director-General, and Jean-François Isambert, President of AgriCord, lays out terms and conditions for joint projects over a five-year period.

The agreement focuses on supporting rural and producers’ organizations in providing access to markets and finance for family and smallholder farmers and developing relevant technical capacities to adapt to climate change.  

This will be realized through farmer-to-farmer learning and knowledge exchanges as well as South-South Cooperation, enabling the parties to expand the geographical focus of their collaboration.

“At FAO we place a high value on our partnerships with farmers’ organizations who are central to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Gustafson. “We are pleased to renew and expand the catalytic relationship with AgriCord which will link its many agri-agency partners to the work of FAO programmes. It will help rural and producer organizations improve their businesses, increase gender equality, access markets and value chains, engage in policy advocacy, sustainably manage farms and forests and improve information sharing, in the face of climate change and the many other pressures faced by farmers around the globe.”

“Farmers working on sustainable farms and farmers’ organizations act as catalysts to ensure the supply of quality food, environmental services and climate change response,” said Isambert. “Farmers are best placed to find the best solutions to these global challenges, and their organizations have the ability to implement them. At the global level, organized farmers can speak for themselves and collectively defend their common interests. This is what AgriCord promotes.”

“The renewed AgriCord-FAO partnership strengthens support for producer organizations to achieve immediate results in terms of global food security and economic, ecological and climate resilience. Innovative actions by organized farmers stimulate inclusive and sustainable rural development for everyone – women, young people and men,” he added.  

The agreement will leverage the strengths of the two organizations, including FAO’s strong role in developing policy dialogue and its presence in the field, and AgriCord’s ability in developing organizational and institutional capacities of farmers’ organizations, particularly related to business. This strategic partnership will also boost countries’ effectiveness in achieving the 2030 Agenda by providing needed knowledge and technical expertise. 

AgriCord and FAO have worked together since 2012 under the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) – a partnership between FAO, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and AgriCord. It aims at promoting sustainable forest and farm management by supporting local, national, regional and international organizations to meet the needs of local people in Asia, Africa and Latin America. AgriCord will continue as an implementing partner for FFF’s second phase from 2018-2022.  

AgriCord supports over 200 farmers’ organisations per year in more than 50 developing countries.