What the Programme Was

The Support to Farmers’ Organisations in Africa Programme (SFOAP) was a continental capacity-building initiative focused on strengthening the institutional and organizational capacities of farmers’ organizations (FOs) across Africa. Its main phase ran from 2013 to 2017 and aimed to help farmers’ organizations become more stable, accountable, and effective in representing and supporting their members.

Purpose and Objectives

The programme aimed to empower farmers’ organizations to:

• Evolve into stable, performing, and accountable institutions that effectively represent and advise their members
• Strengthen institutional capacity of farmers’ organizations at national, regional, and continental levels
• Enhance policy engagement, enabling FOs to influence agricultural policies and programmes
• Support the development of economic services that improve organizational sustainability and integration into value chains

Donors and Partners

SFOAP was co-financed by the European Union (EU), IFAD, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

Key implementing partners included:

• Regional Networks: EAFF, ROPPA, SACAU, PROPAC
• Pan-African Farmers’ Organization (PAFO)
• National Level in Kenya: Co-operative Alliance of Kenya (CAK) – implementing capacity-building, policy engagement, and organizational support for Kenyan FOs

Geographic and Institutional Coverage

SFOAP operated across 49 African countries, supporting 68 national farmers’ organizations, with CAK serving as the national partner in Kenya to coordinate activities, provide technical support, and facilitate linkages with regional networks via EAFF.

Key Components

• Institutional and Organizational Strengthening: Building governance, leadership, and management systems within farmers’ organizations
• Policy Engagement: Supporting FOs to articulate policy positions and participate in agricultural policy processes
• Provision of Economic Services: Helping FOs develop services and activities that improve market participation and economic performance
• Support to Pan-African Activities: Enhancing PAFO’s capacity to engage at continental and international levels
• Programme Coordination & M&E: Ensuring quality implementation, reporting, and learning across all levels

Activities and Achievements

• Improved management and governance capacities of farmers’ organizations, including strategic planning and organizational tools
• Enhanced participation in policy dialogues and development of policy positions
• Strengthened economic services, including market linkages and business planning
• Expanded outreach to tens of thousands of farmers through capacity-building interventions

Impact and Legacy

SFOAP helped consolidate the institutional strength of farmers’ organizations, promote policy influence, improve economic service delivery, and foster cooperation among national, regional, and continental networks. CAK’s involvement ensured Kenyan FOs benefited directly from capacity-building and regional integration.