National Farming Associations

Civil society is destined to play a more important role in a new political and economic context from now on. To play this role it needs to organize itself and build up its capacity, which was weakened by its being kept out of decision-making organs, and its political and economic marginalization during the past decades.

The professionalization of agriculture is one action that contributes toward privatization and the strengthening of civil society. This objective is to give farmers the place they deserve in civil society, in easing their access to the economic process, to markets from which they were excluded, and in integrating their activities into the general economy.

Professionalization of agriculture is the long-term process of structuring the agricultural profession, and comprises:

• On the one hand, the restructuring of agricultural organizations like cooperatives and pre-cooperative groups, to turn them into profitable and efficient, professional units, freely managed by farmers;
• On the other, the establishment of new types of organizations, whose mission would be to represent farmers and to participate on their behalf, in the formulation and implementation of rural development policies and programs.

Farmers' associations have been created or restructured within the framework of restructuring actions taken thus far. For farmers, these are an institutional model, a mouthpiece and a tool for participating in the new policies.

Principles that should Govern Farmers' Associations

Farmers' Associations should be governed by the following basic principles:

Professionalism: that is, only agricultural producers, such as livestock farmers, foresters, fishermen, etc. can be represented by these organizations

Universality: anyone or any organization with a legal status satisfying the criteria set forth by statutes on agricultural producers, is automatically a member of the association.

Representation of all categories of farmers: each category of farmers in the different production systems must be represented and can express its point of view, to be taken into account in analyzing problems and agricultural policy proposals. This principle leads to the establishment of colleges corresponding to categories of farmers. You might have a college for women for example, for shepherds or for any other category.

Autonomy: the freedom of farmers' associations to choose their development goals, their action programs, and the management of their resources, without external interference.

Decentralization: the whole system of representation and decision-making process must come from below. This decentralization is the necessary condition for the effective participation of farmers and for the consideration of local realities. The decentralization of farmers' associations does not mean they should be dispersed. The institutional set-up for representation should be conceived as a set of decentralized structures, a national network which facilitates exchanges and cooperation between them and reinforces the whole system of representation vis- à-vis public and private partners.

Incompatibility between representation mission and commercial activity: farmers' associations should in no circumstances carry out commercial transactions with member farmers.

Functions of Farmers' Associations

The basic mission of farmers' associations is to represent farmers, in order to ensure their participation in the formulation and implementation of policies and agricultural development actions. The accomplishment of this mission is based on three principal functions:

• Consultation
• Information and training of farmers
• Support for the professional organization of farmers

Although recognized by law as the official interlocutors of the government, farmers associations do not have a monopoly of this function; other actors can carry out these functions. The role of farmers' associations in this case is to facilitate dialogue between all those who exercise these functions on behalf of farmers.

Consultation Function

Consultation consists of, on the one hand, communicating farmers' view of their situation and that of the agricultural sector, and on the other, participating in the formulation of agricultural policy and the options to be considered in rural development.

This function is exercised first in relation to the state: it is to inform the government of the situation of different categories of farmers, of their assessment of economic measures taken by the government. It should give farmers' associations the right to sit in all decision-making bodies examining agricultural questions, from the local to the national level. It should also make it compulsory to consult them before making any decision on equipment, programs, land development, and industry location, in order to protect farming land and natural resources.

To properly exercise this function, farmers' associations should have the capacity to have:

• Obtain up-to-date information on production channels, the different categories of farmers, and to analyze the micro and macroeconomic factors which determine their activities;
• Formulate, with the participation of farmers, proposals to improve the condition of different categories of farmers, and production channels;
• Communicate and assert the point of view and proposals of farmers in all bodies and at all levels, to the government and its partners in other professions.

Information Function

The information function of farmers 'associations is directed to three types of public, the aim being to facilitate the integration of farmers into markets, the improvement of the quality of life of rural areas, and to ensure a better balance between towns and the countryside.

In this spirit, it is aimed first of all at farmers, to enable them to direct their activities according to the requirements of markets, and adapt them to the current economic and regulatory context. At the same time, it must be able to aid farmers to improve their managerial and organizational capacity (to make better product and investment choices), and to make them more competitive on the market. It must also improve the know-how of farmers beyond training provided by specialized institutions. To this end, farmers' associations should have data banks on agro-climatic, economic, technical, commercial, and regulatory conditions, constantly updated and easily accessible to farmers and technicians who advise them. Their contents must relate to local agricultural activity and must be widely disseminated, using all the verbal, written and audiovisual means currently available, and communicated in a way that responds to the requirements of each category of farmers.

On a broader level, the information function is aimed at rural populations, through the most accessible media for them. For example, rural radio stations, which farmers' associations should launch and manage with the participation of different groups, adapting programs to each group's specificity.

It is also aimed at the government, and economic partners of farmers in the public and private sectors, and especially professional organizations of other sectors, like the Chamber of Commerce, and Artisan Associations. The objective is to inform them about the condition of the rural sector, about its problems and priorities, on its wishes and proposals, so that they can take actions favourable to the agricultural sector. This type of information is meant to facilitate the integration of agricultural activities with those of other economic sectors, and a better balance between towns and rural areas. For this purpose, all existing media must be used, with priority given to inter-professional informational and consultation meetings, and to meetings devoted to the study of topical issues in agriculture.

Professional Organization of Farmers: Support Function

It is incumbent on farmers to create their organizations themselves and to contribute thus to the professionalization of agriculture, the basis for their participation in development and perfect integration into the market economy.

It is recognized that professional farmers' organizations are important civil society actors and that their development contributes toward its strengthening. On this basis, they acquire an important role in the privatization process by providing institutional formulae, which are decentralized and adapted to the specificity of the agricultural milieu, and which require the participation of farmers.

For farmers' associations, this function is carried out by following and analysing the situation of agricultural organizations and proposing political and legislative measures in favour of the development of their activities. It also gets them the advice they need by mobilizing the necessary support from existing public and private institutions. This function and the information and training function go hand in hand. Both functions seek to extend and reinforce structuring at all levels of the agricultural world, and to aid farmers, especially younger farmers and women to create a framework suitable for the improvement of their activities.

Institutional Organization of Farmers' Associations

The organization of farmers' associations comprises two types of structures:

• Elected organs which represent farmers, and which are solely entitled to speak on their behalf. They have responsibility for institutional type of activity that they assume with the support of technical and operational organs. They have all decision-making powers with regard to the management of associations, the choice of goals and action programs, use of funds, policy and agricultural development proposals to fight for, in dealing with the government and private partners. Elected organs are defined in the laws creating farmers' associations. Their characteristics, their powers, the rules governing their operations are the same for all associations. Their composition could depend on the composition of farmer populations in any region.
• The technical and operational organs are under the authority of the elected organs. Their mission is to assist the latter in the realization of their objectives, activity programs, in the management of their funds, and in preparing agricultural development policy proposals.
• The technical and operational organs are the technical-administrative structure of the associations. They might have similar structures for tasks that are the same among all associations, like financial management and making information available to farmers. They could have different structures, unequal means, depending on regional characteristics.

Click here to download a handout with examples of SA Associations in South Africa.