Agri-ProFocus (APF) is a partnership that promotes farmer entrepreneurship in developing countries.
Our founding members are Dutch organizations who promote farmer entrepreneurship. Each member has an extensive network in developing countries. Agri-ProFocus is the sum of all of these networks. By coordinating activities, exchanging information and ideas and undertaking joint action we aspire to improve existing linkages and provide a better service to farmer entrepreneurs in the South.
The network is supported by a team of dedicated facilitators, who are specialized in improving cooperation between organizations. The facilitators are based in the Netherlands and in 7 countries in Africa. The APF facilitators connect organizations and people who may not have worked with each other before. They are experts in exchanging information and in creating new projects that strengthen farmers’ organizations.
Concrete activities range from brokering between a processing company and maize producers in Rwanda, providing joint policy recommendations on agriculture and climate to the Dutch government and facilitating a business contest for cooperatives in Ethiopia.
Mission
"Effective cooperation between Agri-ProFocus members and partners which provides coherent and demand driven support to enhance the capacity of producer organizations in developing farmer entrepreneurship within the context of poverty reduction."
Essentially the mission of the Agri-ProFocus partnership can be summarized as follows: “to deliver more and better support to producer organizations for farmer entrepreneurship”. In essence Agri-ProFocus members mobilize and pool funds, knowledge, skills and expertise in areas relevant to POs such as value chain development, rural finance, and organizational and institutional capacity development. Jointly the network offers more comprehensive packages of support. Key actors of implementation are the professionals of the Agri-ProFocus member organizations and their partners, and the leaders of POs. At the same time cooperation is stimulated between POs and NGOs/private sector enterprises both in developing countries and at the international level.
Vision
The global food crisis, climate change and the fast growing population, remind us of the importance of the 500 million smallholders feeding the world. We envision a world in which a farmer is able to provide food for his family, increase his income and meet the growing demand for food in a sustainable manner. In order to meet this demand, an enabling environment should be created so that farmers can expand their business. Coordinated support in production and marketing will help farmers. On top of this, a strong focus on value addition and sustainable local market development is needed. Agri-hubs will play an important role in linking services, knowledge and markets to farmers and rural entrepreneurs.
Information provided by Agri-ProFocus.