Joining Forces to support Farmer Entrepreneurship

1. Joining Forces to support Farmer Entrepreneurship Agri-ProFocus Uganda Coordination meeting 24 January 2011

2. Objectives • Discuss and find joint answers to: • How we are doing as APF-Uganda • Neccesaryimprovements • Plans for 2011 • How we can support eachother

3. Programme

4. Agri-ProFocus 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

5. How did we start? • Multi-stakeholder workshop in Entebbe (Nov 2009) - Dutch and their Ugandan partners - Definition of areas where the Network can add a value for farmer entrepreneurship in Uganda • 5 topics (5 working groups) - Financial services - Market information and Market access - Policy - Farmer services - Farmer Organisations • Food security (integration in the different topics) • Gender in Value Chains • Online platform: http://apf-uganda.ning.com

6. “All Topics Are Linked”

7. Overview 2010 Policy (PELUM): • Stakeholder and policies mapping • Information sharing on related issues • Draft National Standards and Quality policy • A review and analysis of agriculture related policies that support sustainable agriculture • Towards enhancing small- scale farmers livelihoods and food security through indigenous climate change adaptation • Conduct policy research; linking with ESFIM research consultant for policy research on Action Research to Audit the Effectiveness of NAADS and proposals for Reform: The NAADS that farmers want • Financial services group request: a need for advocacy about; importance of agri-financing, increasing agriculture budget by government and establishment of more agri-development oriented banks

8. Overview 2010 Financial services (VECO): • Priority setting for the group (inventory?) after new start with leadership of Veco/Cordaid • Group merging together with Veco/Cordaid group • Draft TOR for study demand and supply analysis for agriculture finance • Sharing of APF-Zambia approach • Farming services (BRAC): • Identify gap in rice VC, topics for improvement of farming services • Possible taking up other commodity/VC (staple food) • Draft TOR finished • KIT follow up

9. Overview 2010 Farming as a business (farming organisations) NUCAFE/Send A Cow/AGRITERRA • Call for cases; good practices on farming organisations for business and their support systems ( 18 cases submitted) • Linking with Makarere University (Business Minds) and WUR, 2 students) • Assessments end 2010 • Sharing in workshop early 2011 Market access and information (FIT Uganda) • Working group with “external members”; Grameen, EAGC, AB Trust, Ssemwanga) • MI symposium with over 200 participants with outcomes; • Mandate for broader forum (incl. government) • Mandate for broader working group broader (MSP?) working on validation/standards of MI (public/private good), directory (who and how’s) • Importance to linking with financial services • Importance of linking with ICT (final mile to the end-user) • Plan of working on standardisation of MI (policy/advocacy)

10. Overview 2010 Gender and Value Chain (SNV/Oxfam-Novib) • In collaboration with Oxfam-Novib; Gender and VC event (sharing experiences and how to incorporate it within network) • Draft agenda for Gender and VC within APF Uganda Food security (ICCO) • ZOA, ICCO, Oxfam took initiative to reflect on how to incorporate Food Securty within the network, which partners? Which themes, which activities? • Draft TOR (linked with climate adaptation a.o.) Country strategy agreement 2010-2012 for Dutch coalition • Ultimate revision of agreement and budget

11. Overview 2010 Important linkage Makarere University through Business Minds Africa Members (over 325 members on-line platform Ning) exchanging information Exchange visit from APF Rwanda Theory of Change and PME system applied (progress report)

12. Agri-ProFocus Uganda: Online Platform (NING)

13. Joint Reflection on Performance APF-Uganda • Theory of Change • Diffferent entry points to farmer entrepreneurship • Different actions and players • What is it that we are actually doing and producing as a network? • Are we doing the right things in the right way? • How do we contribute to Change? • How to measure our results and at what levels?

15. Combining models • Use of 5 C model: Capacities of networks • Coordination and harmonization (are we relevant and coherent?) • External linkages (are we connected?) • Joint action (are we contributing to efficiency?) • Learning and Innovation (are we making sustainable improvements?) • Development results (are the participating organisations becoming more effective?) • Outcome mapping • What do we expect, what do we like, what do we love

16. Assessment Matrix

17. Joint exercise to assess results • 5 Sheets, 5 Groups • Each Sheet Containsoneortwoquestions • Take 10 minutesforeach Sheet • Think of the thingsyou have been involved in: what was achieved / outputs in 2010 • Write down on a card with a marker in Capital Letters (Legibly) • Makeit as concrete as possible! • Note: Youcanuse the guideline in your map to seewhat type of indicators we have used. These mightinspireyou!

18. Conclusions and recommendations What did we think of this exercise? • Was it difficult / easy? • Does it help in getting an overview of where we are going with APF-Uganda? • Are we thinking along similar or different lines? Per topic • What are we proud of and do we keep? • What are our challenges and how do we tackle them?

19. Programme

20. APF-Uganda 2011 ....... • Plans per group(10 minutes max. per presentation) • What are the issues to tackle? • Who is involved / shouldbeinvolved more? • What are the PlannedActivities? • What is the Change? • Reactions and suggestions (beconstructive!) max 10 minutes

21. Agri-ProFocus Uganda: Online Platform (NING)

22. Conclusions • Coordination and harmonization (are we relevant and coherent?) • Proud • Continuity through an accepted and budgeted joint strategy • A local structure growing in quality and numbers of stakeholders involved • Commitment of Dutch APF-members in helping to move things forward • Well functioning coordination triangle willing to make APF network work • Challenges • Making sure the APF themes are well embedded in wider developments • Linking the different themes / groups to work effective and efficiently • Further deepening of exchange with and linking of existing programmes of Dutch APF members • Building relationships beyond individual professionals towards management • External linkages (are we connected?) • Proud • Getting wider recognition for the network by new stakeholders linking up • Moving beyond the initial agenda towards brokering ‘deals’ with new actors • Challenges • Involvement of government and private sector • Getting a good overview of external stakeholders and pro-actively engage with them

23. Conclusions Joint action (are we efficient?) Proud • Various groups getting things done making the network grow and attractive • Different events that have been (co-) organized by APF, like MIS, Gender and the PELUM event Challenges • jump starting activities in access to finance, food security and gender • Fostering continued development in already active groups • Organizing sufficient human and financial resources (and priorities) to keep the energy Learning and Innovation (are sustainably improving?) Proud • Emerging culture of knowledge and experience sharing both online and in F2F events • Effective linkages to Ugandan institutes of higher learning Challenges • Developing innovative learning products together (both in content and usability) • Coordinating knowledge agendas and roles of Dutch and Ugandan institutes • Effective use of good examples from other APF countries • Move beyond sharing and stimulate peer to peer dialogue (on NING) and reflection

24. Conclusions Development results (are we effective?) This maybe too early to tell? We are looking for an answer to three questions: • What has motivated actors to participate in APF Uganda? • How are the action and learning outputs translated to better services / interventions for farmer entrepreneurs? • What are the lessons learned by the actors to use for improving the functioning of the network?