Agriterra
E-zine International
nr. 4

march 2010             

About Agriterra
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Our projects
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News
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Dear reader,

We were hoping to start this first newsletter in 2010 with some good news about our financial situation. However, we have not found any new funds yet.

We are doing our utmost to continue our work and are still campaigning to convince governments and other potential donors about the importance of our mission.

Nice words and motives must lead to action, enabling our partners and farmers all over the world to keep up the good work supporting their members. How is it possible that not even two per mill of the $ 20 billion president Obama promised at the G-8 is available for farmers’ organisations? Have you and everyone in your organisation already signed the petition on www.farmersfightingpoverty.org?

Nevertheless, four organisations in the Philippines have obtained financial support from the European Union for the amount of € 1.4 million. Together with Agriterra, they gained access to a special EU-fund for projects, which contributes to food security worldwide.

In this E-zine International you can read more about economic activities of farmers, like a modern coffee plant in Peru, a personal story of Marline from Madagascar and an update about the 1000+ project in Western Africa.

Should you have any questions, suggestions, remarks, or interesting articles for future editions, please do not hesitate to contact our communications department by phone: +3126-4455445 or e-mail communications@agriterra.org. The full articles can also be viewed on our website: www.agriterra.org.

We hope you enjoy this E-zine International!

Micro Insurance Solution
We all live in risky environments and are potentially vulnerable to events that are unpredictable. Think about illness, accidental death, disability, and other disasters ... When these events occur, individuals and often the whole family involved, have to cope with huge expenses. Especially for low-income households in rural areas these costs can be too much to bear.

Around the world, insurance companies can provide cover against such unforeseen events. However, insurance products offered by these companies are not always accessible for everybody: too remote, too expensive. Setting up an insurance business is complicated. It requires much specialised expertise that is not always directly available in your organisation. It is therefore important to consider what kind of role you could play.

If you are interested in possibilities for offering insurance services to your members, then Agriterra can support you. Together with you we will identify the possible roles for your organisation and start a development trajectory. Whether you intend to develop your own insurance scheme or work through an existing insurance company, we will always start a trajectory with a market survey and business planning.

In case you have a liaison officer at Agriterra, you can contact him or her for this Solution. Otherwise you can contact our advisory department by phone: +31-26-3542078, by fax: +31-26-4455978 or by email: advisering@agriterra.org.

Farmers in business
With a special focus on economic activities and farmers’ business, Agriterra is trying to expand her list of clients. The business plan competition for agricultural cooperatives and farmers associations, fits perfectly in this approach. The main goal of this contest is to collect business plans and to facilitate contacts between cooperatives and banks and investors who are interested in supporting these projects.
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Women take their responsability
The unequal balance of power between men and women in most developing countries obstruct sustainable poverty reduction. It is therefore important that women stand up for their rights, needs, and wishes. Improvement of the position of women and participation in decision-making is invaluable for a fairer and better society. > read more

Cooperatives of Puno invest 900.000 euro on a modern coffee plant
The Central of Agrarian Coffee Cooperatives at the Sandia Valleys (CECOVASA) inaugurated a modern coffee processing plant with an investment of 3 million and 500 thousand soles (900.000 euro). The purpose is to improve its export competitiveness guaranteeing the high quality of its special coffees. > read more

From thousands to millions: an update
Two representatives of the West-African farmers organisation ROPPA (Réseau des organisations paysannes et des producteurs agricoles de l'Afrique de l'Ouest), Samba Gueye and Ousseini Ouédraogo, recently came to Arnhem to discuss the progress of the ‘From thousands to millions’ project.

From thousands to millions (or 1000S+, as the project is called in French-speaking West African countries). In 2006 the IFDC (International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development) and ROPPA started the project 1000S+. Agriterra became involved in 2008. The motivating principle of 1000S+ is to support small food producers in West-Africa and help them improve their profits, in the expectation that the living standard of the producers and their families will also improve. To achieve this effect 1000S+ organises training sessions where people are taught on a base level and given instruments to realise production increase, quality improvement and business trade. > read more

EU contributes to food security in the Philippines
The European Union has established a special fund for projects that contribute to food security worldwide. Agriterra, together with four farmers’ organisations in the Philippines, has delivered a project with this purpose. This proposal has been approved by the EU. With a fund of 1.4 million euro from the EU the four organisations will work on improving food production with the aim of making the food prices more stable in the Philippines.
> read more

P.O. Box . 158 / 6800 AD Arnhem / Netherlands  /  T (0)264455445 / F  (0)264455978  /  E communicatie@agriterra.org