IFDC has a long-standing commitment to building agricultural linkages through the development of producer and dealer associations. Association development is a powerful tool to assist both agro-dealers and farmers in developing their businesses. Below are examples of organizations IFDC has supported in recent years in its effort to help build the professionalism and effectiveness of the organizations that serve smallholder farmers and agro-dealers.
Afghanistan Flour Mills Association (AFMA)
As a component of the Food for Agricultural Revitalization and Market Systems (FARMS) project in Afghanistan, IFDC organized the country’s flourmill businesses to form the Afghanistan Flour Mills Association. This was the country’s first association of commercial and public sector flourmills.
Association of Mozambican Agricultural Input Suppliers, or Associacao Mocambicana de Provedores de Insumos Agropecuarios (AMPIA)
Formed by IFDC in 2008 as a component of the Agricultural Input Markets Strengthening (AIMS) project, the AMPIA agro-dealer trade association supports, trains and advises dealers on the sale and use of proper inputs. The association also provides members a common voice in affecting change in Mozambique’s agricultural trade policy.
Association of Agribusinessmen of Kyrgyzstan (AAK)
The AAK is a non-profit organization established in 2002 with the assistance of IFDC’s Kyrgyz Agro-Input Enterprise Development (KAED) project. The AAK integrates, represents and coordinates the work of more than 140 producers, suppliers and agro-input dealers in the Kyrgyz Republic. The association focuses on three areas: protection of rights and interests, networking and training. Read more.
Association Business and Management Center in Albania (ABMC)
IFDC assisted Albania in nurturing private sector-led growth in agriculture and business by successfully establishing eight democratic and functioning agricultural trade associations that partnered to form the Association Business and Management Center (ABMC). The goal of ABMC is to leverage the collective purchasing and selling power of the associations and to build production self-sufficiency.
Cocoa Abrabopa Association (CAA)
CAA is a not-for-profit organization offering agro-inputs and crop protection products (CPPs) on credit to groups of Ghanaian cocoa farmers. CAA also offers training programs to improve farmer practices and business skills. CAA was launched in 2006 and is run by WIENCO, a Dutch-Ghanaian joint venture that imports and distributes fertilizer, CPPs and insecticides for use in cocoa farming.
Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG)
A long-standing research facility, the Central Cocoa Research Station was absorbed by the government of Ghana in 1962 and renamed the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana. The institute’s mission is to provide excellence in the development of sustainable, demand-driven, commercially oriented, cost-effective and environmentally acceptable technologies, enabling stakeholders to realize the cocoa industry’s vision.
Federation of Organizations of Agricultural Producers in D.R. Congo (FOPAC)
Created in 2002, FOPAC is a federation of agricultural producer organizations of the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. FOPAC has 60 member organizations and totals approximately 2,100 members (half being women) spread over the entire region, including the Masisi, Walikale/Rutshuru, Nyiragongo, Beni and Lubero territories. Its mission is to promote area trade for associated farmers.
Ghana Agricultural Associations Business and Information Center (GAABIC)
GAABIC was established in 2006 as a common resource center for members of the Apex Farmers Organization of Ghana (APFOG), Ghana Agri-Input Dealers Association (GAIDA) and CropLife Ghana. The center is a meeting place, a training center. Members also can register their phones to receive SMS alerts on offers to sell and to buy agricultural inputs and products.
Ghana Agri-Input Dealers Association (GAIDA)
Established in 2009 by IFDC, this association was formed to recognize and support agro-chemical dealers who have undergone extensive training programs in the proper marketing and use of quality inputs. Dealers represented by the association have vowed to adhere to established agricultural regulations and only supply inputs proven not to pose undue risk to human health or the environment.