Agri-ProFocus (APF) held its annual membership council meeting in Wageningen on Thursday 8 April. At the meeting the members reflected on how the Dutch network of partners is now well consolidated, enabling the shift to be made in 2009 to country focus programmes in six African countries.
What role does CDI play in APF’s activities?
According to Christel Schiphorst, who works in the support office in Arnhem, CDI has been a linking pin throughout the process of APF’s development. “CDI has put great effort into the teambuilding in Niger, for example. The successes achieved are to a great extent due to CDI’s involvement in two aspects: it has not only facilitated the process of teambuilding, but is also involved in the content of the work, in this case with onion producers.”
Hosting the second part of the meeting, Bram Huijsman of Wageningen International described how important APF is for Wageningen UR’s Science for Impact approach: “APF unites knowledge with practice in a way that leads farmers and producer organisations to innovate and improve their economic wellbeing.”
Cooperation, exchange and learning in action
At the end of the meeting, participants were invited to give their view of the past and a glimpse into the future. Ted Schrader of CDI works in Rwanda, where access to rural finance is a problem: “Before the country focus started, farmers and banks didn’t meet. In 2009 clusters were identified through a bottom-up process of encouraging farmers to recognise business opportunities.” Initially, Schrader recounted, there was confusion about APF as it does not offer financing, but services. “It’s a question of convincing people of their economic objectives: that they can earn money through their own economic activities. Once the clusters had been identified it became possible to exchange and match the Rwandans’ demand with the Dutch partners’ supply of services. A real example of innovation in agriculture through development work.”
More information on CDI’s work for Agri-ProFocus
For more information on Agri-ProFocus: www.agri-profocus.nl