Rural Markets : Fert and MVIWATA’s Experience in Supporting the Marketing of Agricultural Products in Tanzania.
by Fert
Published on June 2009
Fert, French association for international cooperation, and MVIWATA, Tanzanian national network for smallholder farmers, have worked in partnership at the demand of Tanzanian producers to define and implement measures to promote the marketing of their agricultural commodities through the creation of rural markets.The objective of this action, implemented over 10 years (1999-2009), was to promote the creation of organizations that provide lasting solutions to market problems faced by farmers.
This capitalization work presents the steps taken to create six rural markets providing their users with relevant services such as price information and storage facilities, and offers a return of experiences during this process, through stories of people (farmers and technicians) who participated in the action.
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French farmers in cooperation : a long-term and continual commitment
by Henri de BENOIST
Published in AgroMag, April-June 2009
Over the past 30 years, French professionals have overcome multiple challenges to modernize their agriculture and have acquired a know-how, which can be useful to share with other countries. The international cooperation initiated by France to support the development of agriculture in developing countries has also changed, and the organizations involved in the cooperative work have had to adapt their approach to be more effective in their efforts. This article outlines the history of this cooperation.
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What if agricultural development was carried out by farmers?
by Michel MOLLARD
Published in Lettre Sol et Civilisation No. 40, April 2009
The food crisis that hit the world in 2007 opened a wide discussion on the management of agricultural resources. Institutions which were expected to provide answers to this question fail facing the challenges. What is the role of farmers in the exercise of their profession and which means do they have at their disposal to deal with the problems? Are they directly involved in solving these problems, or are they simply considered as object of multiple interventions? In this article, Michel Mollard, director of Fert Association from 1981 to 2007, explores the subject and tries to open minds, making efforts to show that farmer, as responsible manager, has an essential role to play in agricultural development.
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Strength of union stimulates production
by Edson Lemos
Published in Balde Branco, November 2008
Sharing of work and exchange of experiences are day-to-day tasks of a group of small producers. Such practices are indeed a good way to develop dairy production. In Parana, an associative experience in dairy industry has given some good results. The producers organization UNILEITE, in partnership with other organizations experienced in these matters (including Fert and IRCOD, two French associations), implements actions aiming at empowering farmers in their work and encouraging them to share their experiences in order to grow individually and collectively. The following article (in Portuguese) refers to the creation of UNILEITE, its management and evolution.
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Belarus - In the reconquest of irradiated farmlands
by Christophe LEDOUX
Published in L'Agriculture Drômoise, n°1850, 17th of July, 2008
Belarus is part of the most affected country by the Chernobyl disaster. For more than 5 years, the international program Core, in which Fert is involved, helps locals actors, including farmers, to set up the conditions for a sustainable rehabilitation in some contaminated districts. Among the 4 concerned areas, the economical development consists in favouring the emergence of new projects, while improving the radiological quality of farm products.
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FACES OF SOLIDARITY - The voluntary service for international solidarity
by Kerman WILDBERGER and Anne PANEL (Fert)
Published in Aventure, n°116 - June 2008
From its creation, the Guilde has been investing in the voluntary service through many programs, and mostly the one of international solidarity (VIS), which is one of the 14 status existing for volunteers. Today more than 300 VIS are engaged every year on its projects or those of members associations. Here are the testimonies of some of these volunteers, showing the diversity of profiles, projects and experiences under the status of VIS.
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INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN AGRICULTURE :
Which engagement in ten years for the professional agricultural organisations ?
Feedback from a strutural analysis
Pby Guillaume Dhérissard (Sol&Civilisation), Anne Panel (Fert), Bertrand Venet (AFDI), Jean-Claude Deveze (Inter-réseaux), Bernard Bachelier (FARM) and Truong-Gang Pham (Sol&Civilisation)
Published in « La Lettre de Sol et Civilisation » - n°34 - October 2007
Fert supported Sol et Civilisation in a prospective study, which involved many representative of professional agricultural organisations, farmers engaged in cooperation, representatives of French agri-agencies, of Ministries and public donors, of other NGOs for international cooperation.
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« NENAKO HO TANTSAHA », SCHOOLS IN AGRICULTURE IN MADAGASCAR
by Colette Ravelomanana, Fifata director, Laurence Tommasino, Fert Madagascar project manager
Published in « Grain de Sel » - n°38 - May 2007
To offer to their children the chance to receive professional education in agriculture: this was the will of farmers, starting point of the schools in agriculture in Madagascar. Fifata, with the support of Fert and CNEAP, has started a unique experience in this country, combining closeness with farmers and professionalism.
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FARMERS ORGANISATIONS : a tool for conservation agriculture development in Maghreb
By Bruno VADON, Lazhar LAMOUCHI and Sonia ELMAY, Abdjabbar MAGHFOUR, Saïd MAHNANE, Hassan BENAOUDA and Oussama ELGHARRAS
Published in « Options méditerranéennes - série A - n°69 : 3èmes Rencontres Méditerranéennes du Semis Direct à Zaragoza en mars 2006 » (3rd Mediterranean meetings of direct sowing in Saragossa in March 2006)
Since the end of the 90s, farmers in Maghreb have been interested in non-tillage production techniques. Three groups of farmers involved in direct sowing or any reduced agricultural practices in Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria are introduced here. Their example shows that acting in group, fellahs can break their isolation, share their know-how, and collectively get mechanized with cost reduction. With researchers and authorities support, these farmers organisations are the most efficient way to favour conservation agriculture spreading to most regions subjected to low rainfall, erosion and today world economy pressure.
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Farming organisations and land reassurance in Madagascar, which rationality?
By Olivier Jenn-Treyer (Doctor in Economy, World Bank, Madagascar) and Joseph Pouzoullic, (M.Sc. in Geography, project coordinator for Fert Association in Menabe region)- 2006
This contribution aims in fine at questioning the relation of supposed equality between land reassurance and the passage from a self subsistence economy to a market economy. This relation often bases the initial postulate of many actions for the promotion of land registration.
Through the experience lead by FIFATA in five Madagascar regions, we will try to see why land accessibility is a major concern for farmers, in a context of latent and historical social insecurity. The use of available data (registration cost, files number, surface areas subjected to procedures, operation length, faced problems), will allow to appreciate the seriousness of investment agreed by the participants.
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The mutualist microfinance for rurals : the CECAM example in Madagascar
par Michel MOLLARD (à partir d’un article de Jean-Hervé Fraslin, délégué d’ICAR à Madagascar, pour la revue « Horizons bancaires » octobre 2005)
By Michel MOLLARD - Director of the Fert Association (from an article by Jean-Hervé Fraslin, ICAR representative in Madagascar, for the review « Horizons bancaires » October 2005)
Agriculture and rural activities financing can usually not be ensured by classic banks, because of their little establishment in rural environment of developing countries. The CECAM example in Madagascar shows that microfinance and mutualism can answer to this problem and reveal themselves as a powerful instrument of development.
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Support to the development cooperative Khemisset Chaouia in Morocco
By Fert, INRA, Cooperative Khemisset Chaouia
Extract from « Expériences de développement local au Maroc » (Local Development Experiences in Morocco) (2005) ONLY IN FRENCH - to download from PCM website
Fert, a French association that supports agricultural development, takes part in this project. This one should allow Khemisset Chaouia Cooperative (Coop KhemCha), a new-born dairy cooperative in Settat province, to develop its managerial and operational abilities, especially by bringing a support to start its technical and economical activities.
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AGRICULTURAL PROFESSIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
by Michel MOLLARD - Director of the Fert Association
Published in «Agridoc» magazine n°6 (2003)
Rural development has long been one of the main components of Public Aid programmes for development. Rural lands indeed constitute a major political and strategic challenge at stake for Developing Countries, within which and despite an uninterrupted urban growth phenomenon, they still account for larger part of the population.
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ORGANISED FARMERS - THE CONDITION FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
by Michel MOLLARD - Director of the Fert Association
Published in «Aventure» magazine n°96 (2002)
The lasting improvement of the agricultural economy of Developing Countries still constitutes an indispensable condition for their economical and social development and in particular for the access to improved living conditions for a population who, for the larger part of people, is rural.
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WHAT FUTURE FOR MADAGASCAN FARMERS?
By Jean-Hervé FRASLIN (Doctor) - Agronomist and socio-economist, Regional Director of Fert for the Indian Ocean and Eastern Africa.
Published in «Afrique Contemporaine» magazine (Contemporary Africa) n°202-203 (2002) )
75% of Madagascar's population lives in rural habitat, i.e. about 12 million inhabitants. Agriculture and stockbreeding constitute the main economical activities, and often solely, for more than two million households, representing 60% of working population.
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