Growth and Poverty Mailing List Archive

["Dick Tinsley" <<address removed>>]

I guess it would not be right for me to log off without getting back to my
biggest concern - cooperatives and farmer organizations.  I have enjoy the
commentary so far and hope that it is all taken with the ultimate desire to
provide the smallholders with the most effective assistance available.
Believe me I do not question the sincerity or integrity of the those working
with farmer
groups.  They are a dedicated group of development individuals.

I get a little concerned with some comments stating we have to organize
farmers in order to assist them.  That is a little to strong and implies, as
I state previously, that farmer organizations have been fully
institutionalized into the development effort and thus no need for an
innovative look at alternatives.  That is not good. I would agree that we
would prefer to work with farmer organizations, but it really would not take
much effort to look at other mechanisms.  Hopefully, this forum will
stimulate looking at alternatives.

My second thought is the long term administrative sustainability of such
organizations.  While I can full appreciate that there are many positive
experiences working with farmer groups, what happens when the donor funding
and facilitation ends.  Will they continue or collapse?  I expect 95% to
quickly
collapse.  What would you find say 2 years after the final dispersing date
for any project? If 2 years after the final dispersing date there is nothing
left, then effort has been more demonstration of the donors good intentions
along with some publicity opportunities to promote the short term intentions
and
accomplishments.  I think here is where DFID and make a major contribution
by
funding a study that looks at the long term sustainability of farmer
organizations.  Take any valid statistical sampling of donor initiative
farmer organizations regardless if they are DFID, EU, USAID, World Bank,
etc.  develop the minimum criteria as what would be considered a sustained
success, and return 2 years after final dispersing date and see what remains
or how the program has become.  If there is any thing left, what form has it
evolved into and then use that as the model for future programs.

This study could be done in conjunction with comparison of overhead cost
for supporting farmers via farmer organization vs. the family based village
enterprises that I contend are the most cost effective support services.

If DFID undertakes such a study itcould make major contributions by either
bring the skeptics like me aboard to encouraging the advocates to consider
other options.  Win! Win!

Perhaps we can enhance the criteria for long term success in this forum.

I actually do see a positive but limited role for farmer organizations.
That is as a regulator of the private dealers.  However, this only requires
a limited market share and not a domineering share.  Most likely this would
be a good lesson in how cost-effective the private sector is.  It may also
require some caution as if the farmers organizations overhead substantially
exceed private dealers profit margins, it would be an incentive for the
private dealer to increase their profit margins.

Finally I think when I stated the administrative environment was not
conducive to farmer organizations some people were jumping to the C word.
Actually I was thinking of the G word for gray areas.  The concern is the
lack of an service oriented administrative environment and instead one
looking for individual opportunities within projects.  This then diverts
project benefits toward supporting staff members personal needs such as
project land use for their private cultivation and project equipment
disproportionally being used for project staff.  Not really corruption but
definitely a gray area.  I will agree that the public sector and civil
services really set the administrative environment for a country and when
salaries are low to the extend most civil servants have to seek alternative
source of income to supplement their salaries and provide them the material
well being they feel entitled to.  This then spills over to the project
management and other public or semi-public management activities.

Enough for now.

Dick Tinsley


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