From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

3 POVERTY AND WEALTH LIVING OFF THE LAND• The National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi(NASFAM) was built from the bottom up and currentlyhas almost 5,000 clubs, with 96,000 farmer members. Theassociation markets members’ products, such as tobacco,cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), and rice, negotiates better dealsfor transport and fertiliser, and arranges loans for its memberswith major national banks. 62• In a remote rural area in south-western Uganda, one farmers’association successfully negotiated a contract to provide highqualityIrish potatoes to the Kampala outlet of Nandos, theSouth African-owned fast food chain. To meet the requiredvolumes, frequency of supply, and quality, the farmers investedin learning technical, organisational, and management skills;the contract provided them with the security to make theseinvestments. 63• In Bolivia, the National Association of Quinoa Producers(ANAPQUI) brings together about 5,000 growers of quinoa,a traditional, highly nutritious Andean grain, which enjoys asmall but growing export market. The association pays a fixedprice, agreed in advance, organises technical assistance, andruns a processing plant for its members. Many quinoa farmershave expanded their farms and some have mechanised theirproduction, thanks to the greater incomes and security theynow enjoy, which have also allowed more families to keeptheir children in school. 64Beyond these immediate benefits, the strength in numbers andexchange of experience within POs can build people’s self-confidence.POs often become engaged in political action, since their economicsuccess can depend on changing the rules or practices that governmarkets, which only states can enforce. These can be as sophisticatedas demanding legislation to establish floor prices or competition laws,or as simple as building roads. Where a government is committed toagriculture, POs play a vital role in ensuring that policies reflect theneeds of small farmers, and not just of the usually well-organised largefarm lobby.Oxfam’s experience suggests that POs work best when they focuson a single role, such as marketing or negotiating better prices, at least137