Cooperating in Country Networks

Agriterra has co-founded AgriProFocus in 2005 and the two have been closely connected ever since. Agriterra hosted the AgriProFocus Support office in Arnhem between 2005 and 2013. All this time, being close facilitated the exchange of information and ideas between staff and between management of both organisations. Since 2009, Agriterra is a committed member organisation with an increasingly significant financial contribution for the country networks in Africa and Indonesia. The table below shows the financial commitment over the last few years (this is excluding the member contribution fee). The increase in amounts reflects the growing number of country networks where we have been working together. Over the last years, Agriterra build up its local presence in support of its partners. Today Agriterra has local representation present in 8 countries with an AgriProFocus network. The perspective for these contries is to connect Agriterra's focus on cooperatives with the network approach of AgriProFocus. In 2014 for the first time Agriterra's resources were earmarked to certain areas / activities per country. In 2015, the focus of the collaboration was on the following 9 countries: Benin, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Rwanda, RD Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia. It is noted that activities in Mali and South Sudan were mentioned in the 2015 request, but not included in the contract. In 2016, Agriterra no longer supports activities in Benin. The general objective for 2016 is to enhance visibility of Agriterra and its clients in 8 country networks and regionally. It is the intention of AgriProFocus to through this proposal offer services to Agriterra to enhance business linkages for its clients and increase their capacity and knowledge on key entrepreneurial topics and sectors. The proposed deliverables in Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, RD Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia are the result of interaction between AgriProFocus country teams and relevant Agriterra representatives. This bottom up planning approach was agreed on December 4, in a meeting with Agriterra management. It forms a departure from working subsidy driven to service driven. The deliveables identified per country can be grouped under three main service areas: 1. Business brokering: scouting and linking farmer organisations to new partners AgriProFocus network events (agribusiness finance fairs, sector events, business drinks) offer the opportunity for Agriterra staff to meet potential new clients. Agriterra's existing clients may benefit from these events by meeting input suppliers, service providers and financial institutions. 2. Expertise exchange: providing opportunitiues for capacity building and learning AgriProFocus has ongoing learning tracks on farm-firm relations, contract farming through coops, youth in agribusiness and specific subsectors like dairy, poultry, horticulture. Through participation in these activities, Agriterra's clients get involved and bring and get knowhow in a wider network. 3. Platform for debate: focus on horticulture Agriterra's campaign 'Small farmers, big deals' is a valuable input for the policy debate in general in the network and more in particular for advocacy in horticulture at East Africa level. AgriProFocus members and partners are organising a regional horticulture event in Arusha in november 2016. We aim to repeat and enlarge the succes of the 2015 event in Kigali.