From poverty to power - Oxfam-Québec
From poverty to power - Oxfam-Québec From poverty to power - Oxfam-Québec
3 POVERTY AND WEALTH LIVING OFF THE LAND• The National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi(NASFAM) was built from the bottom up and currentlyhas almost 5,000 clubs, with 96,000 farmer members. Theassociation markets members’ products, such as tobacco,cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), and rice, negotiates better dealsfor transport and fertiliser, and arranges loans for its memberswith major national banks. 62• In a remote rural area in south-western Uganda, one farmers’association successfully negotiated a contract to provide highqualityIrish potatoes to the Kampala outlet of Nandos, theSouth African-owned fast food chain. To meet the requiredvolumes, frequency of supply, and quality, the farmers investedin learning technical, organisational, and management skills;the contract provided them with the security to make theseinvestments. 63• In Bolivia, the National Association of Quinoa Producers(ANAPQUI) brings together about 5,000 growers of quinoa,a traditional, highly nutritious Andean grain, which enjoys asmall but growing export market. The association pays a fixedprice, agreed in advance, organises technical assistance, andruns a processing plant for its members. Many quinoa farmershave expanded their farms and some have mechanised theirproduction, thanks to the greater incomes and security theynow enjoy, which have also allowed more families to keeptheir children in school. 64Beyond these immediate benefits, the strength in numbers andexchange of experience within POs can build people’s self-confidence.POs often become engaged in political action, since their economicsuccess can depend on changing the rules or practices that governmarkets, which only states can enforce. These can be as sophisticatedas demanding legislation to establish floor prices or competition laws,or as simple as building roads. Where a government is committed toagriculture, POs play a vital role in ensuring that policies reflect theneeds of small farmers, and not just of the usually well-organised largefarm lobby.Oxfam’s experience suggests that POs work best when they focuson a single role, such as marketing or negotiating better prices, at least137
FROM POVERTY TO POWERto begin with. More ambitious plans, such as owning and operatingprocessing plants, often fail. Focusing on relatively high-value products,such as dried fruit or cotton, seems to work better than concentratingon staple foods. Building on small, pre-existing groups where mutualtrust is already established works better than creating large organisationsfrom scratch. Member-driven organisations last longer thantop-down ones, while keeping the group independent of political partiesand focused on its core business is essential. 65POs are not without difficulties. The costs of setting up the organisation,training members, and establishing an efficient administrationoften have to be raised from outside, either from sympathetic NGOsor the private sector. 66 Members have to invest time in group meetingsand activities on top of their daily toil in the fields. When groupsbecome larger, it takes considerable time and effort to managedecision-making in a way that respects all members’ interests.The focus on high-value cash crops frequently discriminatesagainst women, and reinforces male dominance of POs’ leadership. Italso means that POs tend not to address the needs of the poorest andmost vulnerable of small farmers, since high-value crops entail risksthat the poorest cannot afford. Women’s organisations, such as India’sSelf Employed Women’s Association or Nicaragua’s Rural Co-operativeWomen’s Federation, have stepped in, setting up women-only groupsamong milk producers, salt farmers, gum collectors, and livestock andfruit producers. 67Producer organisations frequently face violence at the hands ofthose with vested interests, be they landowners jealously guardingtheir property and privileges, or middlemen reluctant to surrendertheir control over buying or transport. Many governments are notneutral actors in pursuit of the public interest, but rather act on behalfof economically powerful elites. POs may be derailed by violence orparty politics, or stifled by red tape – typically, the complexities oflegal registration. 69 However, they are an important expression of activecitizenship, and can play a vital role in improving the effectiveness ofstate agricultural policies.138
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3 POVERTY AND WEALTH LIVING OFF THE LAND• The National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi(NASFAM) was built from the bot<strong>to</strong>m up and currentlyhas almost 5,000 clubs, with 96,000 farmer members. Theassociation markets members’ products, such as <strong>to</strong>bacco,cot<strong>to</strong>n, groundnuts (peanuts), and rice, negotiates better dealsfor transport and fertiliser, and arranges loans for its memberswith major national banks. 62• In a remote rural area in south-western Uganda, one farmers’association successfully negotiated a contract <strong>to</strong> provide highqualityIrish pota<strong>to</strong>es <strong>to</strong> the Kampala outlet of Nandos, theSouth African-owned fast food chain. To meet the requiredvolumes, frequency of supply, and quality, the farmers investedin learning technical, organisational, and management skills;the contract provided them with the security <strong>to</strong> make theseinvestments. 63• In Bolivia, the National Association of Quinoa Producers(ANAPQUI) brings <strong>to</strong>gether about 5,000 growers of quinoa,a traditional, highly nutritious Andean grain, which enjoys asmall but growing export market. The association pays a fixedprice, agreed in advance, organises technical assistance, andruns a processing plant for its members. Many quinoa farmershave expanded their farms and some have mechanised theirproduction, thanks <strong>to</strong> the greater incomes and security theynow enjoy, which have also allowed more families <strong>to</strong> keeptheir children in school. 64Beyond these immediate benefits, the strength in numbers andexchange of experience within POs can build people’s self-confidence.POs often become engaged in political action, since their economicsuccess can depend on changing the rules or practices that governmarkets, which only states can enforce. These can be as sophisticatedas demanding legislation <strong>to</strong> establish floor prices or competition laws,or as simple as building roads. Where a government is committed <strong>to</strong>agriculture, POs play a vital role in ensuring that policies reflect theneeds of small farmers, and not just of the usually well-organised largefarm lobby.<strong>Oxfam</strong>’s experience suggests that POs work best when they focuson a single role, such as marketing or negotiating better prices, at least137
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