Joining Forces to support Farmer Entrepreneurship

Agri-ProFocus

Multi-stakeholder Workshop

18 – 20 November 2009

Entebbe, Uganda

Welcome!

Opening address

• SNV Uganda:

Mrs Jeanette de Regt – Director SNV Uganda

• Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Mrs Mariëlle Gerards – Head of Development Coorperation

• Government of Uganda

Hon. Bright Rwamirama – Minister of State for Livestock

Introduction

What does Agri-ProFocus stand for?

Country focus on Uganda

Hopes and objectives for our meeting in Entebbe

Agri-ProFocus: who are we?

Agri-ProFocus Strategy

Agricultural producer organisations

in developing countries are key to economic development and poverty reduction.

Promoting farmer entrepreneurship

through cooperation, exchange and learning is the goal

of our partnership.

Focus is on seven African countries

and four themes: value chains, financial services, sustainable food production and gender

Country Focus: the Why

Strategic objectives:

• Coordinating and harmonising existing efforts;

• Linking country programmes with learning and innovation.

• Identification and formulation of new joint activities;

Preconditions:

• Work from & within existing efforts

• combine networks

• No new funding

Agri-ProFocus Uganda: who are we?

Country Focus: the How

Programmatic Approach

Inception• Prep. country visit • Sourcing interest members / other

stakeholders

Programming • Overview matrix• Inviting local stakeholders• Synthesis paper• Interactive agenda setting• Multi-stakeholder workshop

Identification – Formulation• Defining Thematic / Sub-sector Plans• Agree on Strategy

Agri-ProFocus Uganda • Actively collaborating and networking• Synergy, building on existing work

Agri-ProFocus Uganda: who are we? continued

Country Focus: the What

Workshop objectives

1. Defined the critical issues for promoting farmer entrepreneurship that APF Uganda network should address;

2. Identified possibilities for coordinated action in the APF Uganda network on these issues;

3. Agreement on a way forward: roles and responsibilities and follow-up steps.

Engagement, energy and momentum on collaboration!

Programme

• Day 1

– Who is here?

– Explore and define the critical issues on farmer entrepreneurship in Uganda

• Day 2

– Explore private sector issues

– Explore principles of working together, build on positive experiences

– Explore the opportunities for collaboration on the critical issues

• Day 3:

– Develop action plans

– Agree on a way forward for collaboration: joint actions, linking, learning

Programme today

9.00 Opening addresses

9.30 Intro APF and workshop objectives

10.00 Who is here? – stakeholder mapping

10.45 Coffee break

11.00 Issues on Farmer Entrepreneurship in Uganda

12.00 Identifying critical issues for APF Uganda network

13.00 Lunch

14.00 Group work: exploring the critical issues

15.30 Tea break

16.00 Feedback and reflection on critical issues

17.30 Closing reflection

17.45 Drinks / information market

Principles of working together!

• Cell phones …

• Laptops …

• Interaction …

• Respect …

• Keeping focused …

• Time keeping …

• Reflection on process …

Presentations

• APF synthesis paper

Nelson Ofwono

• PELUM Uganda

Stella Lutalo

• UNFFE

Augustine Mwendya

Identifying the issues

What are the critical issues on farmer entrepreneurship that the Agri-Profocus Country focus should addres?

The 7 Topics

1.Financial services

2.Farming systems and the relationship between farmers and service providers

3.Cultural Issues

4.Marketing

5.Farmer’s organisation

6.Land access and tenure

7.Policy level

Deepening the Topics – Group Work

• Objective: to explore one specific topic that APF could address in future, and identify the key issues that we could focus on within that topic.

• Outputs: 1) a ‘rich picture’ of the topic; 2) a list of 3-5 concrete issues that APF could focus on within this topic

Rich picture - example

Rich Picture - Example

Rich picturing - why develop it ?

• A drawing of a situation that illustrates the main elements and relationships that need to be considered in trying to intervene to create some improvement.

• A rich picture helps us to understand the complexity of an entire situation. It is a way of thinking holistically. A rich picture helps us to see relationships and connections that we may otherwise miss.

• ‘A picture tells a thousand words’.

• Developing a rich picture is also a good group exercise as everyone can add to it and use it to explain their particular interests or perspectives.

Steps to make a rich picture

• Put topic in centre.

• Draw other related issues, problems, underlying causes around it

• Draw the stakeholders involved and how do they relate to the problem

• Draw the relations (e.g. with arrows)

• Use words (e.g. a legend) to explain

After the Rich picture

• Discuss: for this topic, what is it that the Agri-ProFocus network in Uganda should focus on? Mark these issues on the rich picture and list 3-5 concrete issues on a separate sheet.

• To decide what issues to choose, use criteria such as: is it about pro-poor farmer entrepreneurship? Does it require synergies and collaboration in the network?

Go to Work

• Sign up for a group

• Get to your group

• Choose a facilitator and time keeper (instructions are provided)

• Participation: all can draw!

• Work until 16.00h (including tea)

NEW DAY

NEW SEAT

NEW NEIGHBOUR

Day 1 - Feedback

Some Liked:

• Interactive, participatory methods

• Presentations

• Group work

• Time mgt

Some Wanted to Improve:

• Expectations about and from Agri-ProFocus

• Time mgt: stricter / more time for discussions

• Do not loose emerging issues

Reflect On Day 1

Discuss in pairs

• Anything else you liked / did not like about yesterday

• What did you learn or gain from day 1?

• What implications start to emerge for your organisation, if any?

Just discuss – no cards are needed

The 7 Topics

1.Financial services

2.Farming systems and the relationship farmers - service providers

3.Cultural Issues

4.Marketing

5.Farmer’s organisations

6.Land access and tenure (not done)

7.Policy level

“All Topics Are Linked”

Farmers orgs

Culture (farmers entrepreneurship

Financial Services

Policy Level (e.g.

land)

Farming systems &Services

Market Access

Value Chains Food Security

Reflection on Topics: Linkages

Examples:

• Value addition

• Organisation of farmer’s groups, get voices heard

• Effective extension

• Collective marketing

• Market information and market requirements

• Capacity building

• Private sector as provider of services

Reflection on Topics: Things we missed

Examples given:

• Exchange and learning

• Food security

• Certification

• Young Farmers

• Linking with government agencies

Programme Day 2

8.30 Reflection day 1, programme of today

9.30 Private Sector Engagement

10.45 Tea break

11.00 Expectations about Agri-ProFocus

12.30 Implications on topics: prioritisation (start groups)

13.00 Lunch

14.00 Continuing group work: prioritisation

15.30 Tea break

15.45 Plenary presentations on priorities

17.30 Closing reflection

Presentations Private Sector engagement

• Competiteness and Investment Climate Secretariat (CICS)

Mark Amumpaire

• Ssemwanga Group

James Ssemwanga

What are key constraints in the private sector that we could consider when we address the issues on

farmer entrepreneurship as an APF network?

Expectations on the Agri-ProFocus Network

• Work from the perspective of the organisational category you are in (farmer org, research-learning, development org/donor etc).

• What is it you expect to gain from the network?

• What is it you intend to bring to the network?

Steps:

1. Make 3-4 cards per organisation for your gains/things to bring

2. Put cards on the relevant sheet and organise cards with others from your category (take out duplications, group some cards)

Prof. Dr Otim

• Senior Presidential Advisor

• Head of Prosperity for All Coordination Unit

Topics Prioritisation

Continue working on the 6 topics:

Redefine the priority areas in the topic based on

– The expectations about APF

– Consideration for private sector concerns

– Complementarity and synergy

– Realistic and doable actions

– Potential for impact and sustainability

– Creating momentum for the network

– Tangible: where

Competition: which group takes the different critearia best into account?

Go to Work

• Sign up for a group (same or different)

• Get to your group

• Choose a facilitator, time keeper and presenter (instructions are provided)

• Participation!

• Work until 16.30 (incl. tea breaks)

• Plenary presentation of priorities at 16.30h

Programme Day 3

8.30 Reflection day 2,

9.00 Developing Action Plans (continues until 10.45)

10.00 Information sharing in APF (online platform)

10.30 Group Picture & Tea break

11.00 Presenting Action plans

12.00 Way forward: APF Uganda country focus

13.00 Official closing

13.15 Lunch

14.00 Coordination group meeting

Action Plans: The Topics

1. Develop effective financial services

2. Adoption of production enhancing technologies & Farmer-led research and documentation for effective value chains

3. Making existing market information more accessible

4. Facilitate an impact-orientated policy advocacy process

5. Strengthen viable economically active Farmer Groups to integrate in value chains

Action Plan:

• Focus: where will this action be ‘located’? Define the specific sector(s), region(s), value chain(s), etc

• Long term vision: achievement in after 2-3 years?

• 1-year Victory: concrete indicator after 1 year?

• Steps: define the actions for the first 3-12 months.

• Kick-off activity: the very first thing the group must

• Team: Appoint a ‘lead organisation’ (+ person) and support organizations.

– Think about energy and capacity (competency and time)

Go to Work

• Sign up for a group: your commitment

• Get to your group

• Choose a facilitator, time keeper and presenter (instructions are provided)

• Work until 10.30

• Plenary presentation of actions at 11.00h (after group picture and tea)