Get documents about "Development of Co Operative Marketing in India
Description
Development of Co Operative Marketing in India document sample
Document Sample
International
Development Digest
Spring 2002 canadian co-operative association
Tipping the scales of economy
In This Issue...
Women’s Mentorship
Program:
The Class of 2002 2
Youth Interns:
The Next Wave 4
Best of Show 5
CDF goes on-line
wth e-giving 5
Tipping the scales of
economy: The Central
American Co-operative
Marketing Consortium 6
India: Co-operation
for Sustainable
Development 9
Commentary: Poor
Farmers Plowed
Under by U.S. Subsidies 12
See story page 6.
A New Look! Five-Year Funding Agreement Signed
After a decade as a hefty tabloid,
International Development Susan Whelan, the Federal Minister in charge of the Canadian International Development
Digest has lost weight. Our new Agency, has approved a five-year funding agreement between CIDA’s Canadian Partnership
look is part of a larger effort to Branch and the Canadian Co-operative Association.
coordinate design and distribution
with our sister publication, The agreement commits CIDA to approximately $4 million per year in support of CCA’s work using
InterSector. The two will arrive co-operatives and credit unions to fight poverty in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. For its part, CCA
together three times per year.
We have not changed our is committed to providing annual cash contributions, rasied through the Co-operative Development
commitment to bring you Foundation, of approximately $350,000. CCA must also supply in-kind contributions — primarily
interesting, thoughtful stories volunteer time — valued at approximately $800,000 per year. The process leading up to the agreement
about international co-operative which included preparation of a detailed proposal, an appearance before a CIDA committee, as well as
development accompanied by
compelling photographs. We ongoing negotiations, has been underway for more than a year. ■
hope you enjoy the new look. ■
International Development Digest 1
Women’s Mentorship Program
The Class of 2002
“This “I never expected such warmth from Canadi- “The rapport was instant,” recalls project officer
ans,” says Joan Garfield laughing heartily. “It Laurie Tennian, who managed the program.
program is was quite a culture shock, but the hospitality of “CCA created the right environment for us and
an innovative the Canadians I met was really first rate.” That’s we all just jelled together very, very well,” adds
how the General Manager of NCB Employees Ms. Garfield. “We are all dynamic women and
experiment Co-operative Credit Union in Kingston, each of us brought our own uniqueness to the
in human Jamaica, summed up her recent experience experience.”
learning about Canada’s credit union system. “The take-up among Canadian credit unions was
resource Ms. Garfield was one of sixteen senior women very impressive indeed,” says Ms. Tennian. “The
development, employees of credit unions from every corner call for help went out to credit unions in early
of the developing world who shared a unique January and we were overwhelmed by the
with benefits experience this winter improving their skills and response.”
for visitors experience in credit union management. They The women, who hailed from Jamaica, Philip-
also took in their first Canadian winter.
and hosts pines, Indonesia, South Africa, Ghana, Nepal,
Sponsored by the Canadian Co-operative India and Mongolia, were matched with Cana-
alike.” Association and funded by the Canadian dian credit unions according to organizational
Jo-Anne International Development Agency, the study size and their learning objectives. Joan Garfield
program involved two one-week postings at came to learn about mutual funds and RRSP
Ferguson credit unions across the country and two weeks products. She was so impressed she wants to
of classroom work in Ottawa. introduce these into her credit union. “This will
The women started with a week of briefings give us a great advantage in Jamaica,” she says.
and presentations in Ottawa. Topics covered Harriet Stewart hails from Cape Town in South
included: women in financial services, savings Africa where she is the General Manager of the
mobilization, legal framework and policy Cape Metropole Savings and Credit Co-opera-
environment. They also looked at issues in tive. “Our members are largely refugees from a
accounting and financial systems, human number of countries. We were the first commu-
resources and marketing and micro financing. nity based co-operative falling under the
umbrella of the Savings and
The class of 2002, pictured here while attending CS Co-op’s annual meeting in Ottawa. Co-operative Credit Union
League, and the first to serve
women.” Ms. Stewart spent
one week at Valley Credit
Union in Nova Scotia’s
Annapolis Valley, as well as
Heritage Credit Union in
Halifax.
While in Nova Scotia, Ms.
Stewart attended a junior
hockey game where she and
her fellow guest, Andrea
Garay, from Santa Ana Multi-
Purpose Co-operative in Davao
City, in the Philippines,
received greetings on the
jumbo scoreboard at centre ice.
“What a thrill it was to see our
names up there in lights,”
recalls Ms. Stewart. “They
even gave us a hockey puck
after the game.”
2
Vilma Fernandez Llanes, who manages the Holy
Child Multi-Purpose Co-operative in the city of
Bato, Philippines, says women continue to face
a glass ceiling in credit unions. “In the Philip-
pines there are always women in management
positions,” commented Ms. Llanes, “but at the
higher decision-making levels it is always men.
That is a challenge for us women leaders.” Ms.
Llanes observed operations at Westoba Credit
Union and Gimli Credit Union in Manitoba.
Westoba Marketing Co-ordinator Valerie Parrott
enjoyed the experience. “I think by seeing what
kind of challenges they (the visiting women)
encounter, we can realize what we have here,
and how we can help somebody else develop Joan Garfield (centre) shares stories of her visits to Vancouver Island credit
their system.” unions with fellow classmates.
Wiwik Mudjiningsih, who manages Permata
Lestari Credit Union in East Java, Indonesia, put placements and their foray into traveling in “We are all
her self-taught English language skills to the test Canada in the winter time. “They were all so
at Bayview Credit Union in Saint John, NB. She excited to learn about each other’s adventures,” dynamic
says in her country, more and more women are says Ms. Tennian. “I know this event has women and
working in credit unions. Twelve years ago she changed their lives. They will continue to
began her own credit union career. “I convinced exchange information and stories with each each of us
my husband that women can work in credit other long after they return home.” brought
unions and still be good wives and mothers.”
Hosting this dynamic group of women clearly
Ghanaian credit union manager Monica Aidoo
our own
had a big impact on their Canadian hosts.
was impressed by her visits to credit unions in “What a great idea for exchanging ideas, talents uniqueness
Muenster and Estevan, Saskatchewan, particu- and knowledge,” remarked Jan Worrall, Branch
larly by their computer systems and the
to the
Manager at First Calgary Savings and Credit
member’s extensive use of credit cards. “We use Union Limited. “I saw this program as a great experience.”
computers but the software can’t handle much of opportunity to meet and interact with someone
the workload,” she remarked.
Joan Garfield
who has a similar career path as mine but comes
Estevan’s manager of marketing and human from a totally different background.”
resources Tami Scott says that part of the Before departing for home and family, the class
program for Monica was learning policies and of 2002 exchanged tearful hugs and email
procedures. “She addresses and then received certificates from
also talked to staff Jo-Anne Ferguson commemorating their
members about the accomplishment. “This program is an innovative
services they experiment in human resource development,
provide, and the with benefits for visitors and hosts alike,” says
needs of the Ms. Ferguson. “We hope to replicate it in other
membership, then co-op sectors.”
visited the smaller
Back home in Kingston, Joan Garfield is
Oxbow Credit
implementing many of the ideas she saw at work
Union.“
on Vancouver Island. “I’m an HR person and so
As the women I was particularly interested in their human
gathered again in resource policies such as their incentive program
Ottawa, it was clear and job weighting systems. I am revising my
that a strong bond policies to include some of those aspects. I made
had developed quite a few lasting connections and friends. We
among the group. email each other almost every day.” ■
The first day back,
they all shared For more information on this and future
stories and high- mentorship programs contact:
lights of their laurie@CoopsCanada.coop
Krishna Kumari (left) spent her second week-long placement with Ottawa
Women’s Credit Union General Manager Holly Hughes.
International Development Digest 3
Youth Interns: The next wave
Narish Maharaj just started his new job at It’s not for everyone, cautions Ms. Nelson. “The
“The work Capital City Savings Credit Union in Edmonton. work is very challenging and you need to have a
is very As demanding as the first few days can be, he flexible, open attitude to adapt to the rigours of
can be forgiven if his thoughts occasionally drift life and work in a developing country.”
challenging to far off places. Narish has just returned from At 21, armed with a bachelor degree in econom-
and you need six-months developing a co-operative on an ics from the University of Saskatchewan, Narish
island in the Philippines. Maharaj decided to take up that challenge. “I
to have a Over the past five years sixty-eight young thought it would be a good opportunity to work
flexible, open graduates like Narish have taken up the chal- abroad and get experience in my field,” he recalls.
lenge of overseas development work as a means Narish organized a youth co-operative and
attitude to to ready themselves for employment opportuni- designed an environmental program to manage
ties. This month, the Canadian Co-operative the collection of household waste in Cordova, a
adapt to the Association is recruiting its sixth group of community of 30,000 people on Mactan Island
rigours of overseas interns through the Youth Experience in the central region of the Philippines. “The
International program. project had a social economics side to it,” Narish
life and “We’re sending out a group of young people explains. “Trying to increase the value of the
work in a again this year,” says project officer Erin environment and the value people place on it.”
Nelson, who manages CCA’s youth intern Narish worked with Cordova Multi-purpose Co-
developing program. “A number of placements in this wave operative, a community minded credit union that
country.” of interns involve working with co-operatives also owns a co-op lumber mill and a consumer
and credit unions with services and programs store. Narish says Cordova gave him a free hand
Erin Nelson related to HIV/AIDS.” in how he would spend his internship. “I sur-
The internships last for six months and are veyed about 400 young people asking them what
funded by the Canadian International Develop- would benefit their community. Environment
ment Agency as part of Canada’s Youth issues came up again and again so it made sense
Employment Strategy. CCA is one of eighty to start a youth co-op and organize a solid waste
organizations CIDA selects each year to help management system.”
manage some 450 youth interns. While on their “In the beginning I was quite unsure of myself,
overseas placements, interns develop profes- but with the help of the co-op youth officers I
sional and personal skills in areas such as came to understand the work environment in the
marketing, gender and development, youth Philippines and the expectations of the youth
programming, business administration, financial themselves,” recalls Narish. The latter part of his
services and project management. internship was spent establishing organizational
partnerships to ensure the sustainability of the
solid waste management project.
“Before the project, garbage was being burned
or thrown onto the roads and into the ocean,” he
explains. “Now it’s going to the local dump.
People’s mindsets have changed and they are
paying for collection.”
Narish says the biggest challenge for him was
coping with cultural differences. “Not all the
young people spoke English as well as I
thought,” he explains. “It just took a lot longer
to do things.”
Minor frustrations aside, Narish says the
experience was a great opportunity to develop
his managerial, networking and public relations
skills. “It has taught me the processes involved
in establishing and operating an organization,”
he says. “Ideally, the project is on a firm founda-
tion and will continue without me.”
This year’s wave of CCA interns will be placed
with co-op and credit union projects in Ghana,
Kenya, Uganda, Indonesia, India and the
Philippines. ■
Life offers few employment opportunities for young people in Cordova such
as these high school students.
4
Best of Show
New Brunswick Dairy farmer Dwayne Hicks
is back home from a recent mission providing
technical advice to dairy farmers in Indonesia.
“We visited eight dairy co-ops over 18 days,”
says Mr. Hicks. “The farmers wanted to know
how we did things over here, to see if they were
on the same track as we were.” Mr. Hicks and
fellow dairy farmer Bonar Morton, both members
of Northumberland Co-operative, signed on to
share their expertise as technical co-operants for
the Canadian Co-operative Association.
During their mission the members of Kuningan
Co-op organized a 4-H style Heifer calf show.
“This kind of event helps farmers learn to
recognize what characteristics will make better
cows among their herds,” explains Mr. Hicks.
This was Mr. Hicks’ first overseas assignment for
CCA. “You can’t believe how intensively cultivated A farmer poses with the trophy his calf won for “best of show” at the heifer
calf show sponsored by Kuningan Co-op. Dwayne Hicks (right) was in Indonesia
the land is in Indonesia,” he recalls. “There is no for his first technical co-operant mission for CCA.
land wasted, and that’s a lesson to Canadians.”
The Canadian Co-operative Association provides expert technical assistance to overseas co-operatives and credit unions.
In the past three years alone, more than 190 individuals from all across Canada provided support to projects abroad.
CCA is adding to its database of skilled credit union and co-operative professionals interested in furthering worldwide
co-operative development. There are also opportunities for paid consultants to work on short or long-term overseas
assignments. If you are interested in volunteering your knowledge and skills to assist with development projects in Africa,
the Americas, Asia, or Eastern Europe we would like to hear from you today. ■
For more information contact jo-anne@CoopsCanada.coop
CDF goes on-line with e-giving
Beginning July 1st, you can donate to CDF directly from your computer.
CDF has joined charity.ca, a national on-line organization that assists
donors to direct their dollars to CDF using the Internet.
It’s efficient. It’s private and secure. And it’s easy to use.
The Charity of Choice for
➧ Go to CDF’s new website.
Canadian Co-operators ➧ Press the Donate button, select the donate now option and follow
the simple instructions.
www.cdfcanada.coop
International Development Digest 5
Tipping the sca
The Central American Co-ope
“A bridge was “Small farmer co-ops face many barriers to getting their Ten years ago, co-operatives in five Central
product to market, be it in neighbouring countries or
needed to help farther a field,” says Jonathan Wells, Americas project breaking alliance. Enticed by the potential o
small scale officer for the Canadian Co-operative Association. the Central American Co-operative Market
“Some barriers have to do with the quality and quantity
producers of product, and the capacity to market their product. member farm co-ops streamline their opera
improve their
Other obstacles are beyond their individual control, such into new markets. Along the way, CCMC h
as the need for credit to finance initial shipments, the
products and absence of trade guarantees and consistent regulations in the Americas, a common table where co-
across the region, and the deep-rooted domination of far beyond their individual means. This issu
to open market middlemen.”
examines how a small group of co-operativ
opportunities The idea for a marketing system was born in 1990 at
a gathering of primary and federation agricultural do business in the Americas.
for co-ops.” co-operatives in Antigua, Guatemala sponsored by the
Nestor Zamora International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) and the Comprised of 14 small scale producer co-operatives in
Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA). Representa- five countries, CCMC is the only co-operative market-
tives from five countries — Guatemala, El Salvador, ing network in Latin America.
Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica — approached
CCMC has an office and a manager called the Local
the two organizations to study farmer co-op issues and
Co-operative Marketing Agent (LCMA) in each of the
needs and to make recommendations. The idea for a
five participating countries. The agent represents the
trade alliance with local marketing agents in each
CCMC-member co-ops in that country and acts on trade
country arose from that study.
opportunities identified by CCMC. This decentralized
“A bridge was needed to help small scale producers approach builds capacity at the local level and maximizes
improve their products and to open market opportunities local knowledge. It also creates incredible economies of
for co-ops,” says CCMC General Manager scale. Equally important are the connections the agents
Nestor Zamora. “To succeed, the consor- create with local financial institutions in each country.
tium had to be member-driven and Lines of credit are negotiated and guaranteed with a
member-financed. CCMC was created to US$ term deposit financed with CCA support.
find business opportunities, but the
“LCMAs are paid on commission, and the headquarters
members themselves broker the deals.”
rotates from country to country,” explains Jonathan
The alliance evolved over two distinct Wells, Americas Project Officer for the Canadian Co-
phases, the first (1993-1996) concentrated operative Association. “Because CCMC has a product
on trade within the region, and the second ‘offer-and-demand’ approach, staff are highly motivated
(1996-1999) on trade beyond the region, to generate business among member co-ops.” The
principally with Canada. Initial trial Consortium has also developed an information system
transactions and technical assistance of continuously updated technical specifications on
proved successful and within the first three forty-five products produced by CCMC members. “No
years, 60 transactions worth $1.6 million single co-op could afford to pay for this kind of market
were carried out within the region on such intelligence,” says Mr. Wells.
products as beans, sorghum, sesame,
By the end of the first phase, the Consortium was
tamarind, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbages,
helping members develop their products and make
onions, and parsley. More importantly, the
larger purchases and sales. But new tools were needed if
alliance had identified some key commodi-
they were to trade beyond the region. Unlike North
ties that could play an important role in the
American exporters who can protect their investments
future growth of the co-op system. In 1995
and purchases through a host of trade guarantees and
the alliance was legally constituted as the
insurance schemes, small exporters in the Americas face
Central American Co-operative Marketing
all the same risks but have none of the safety nets when
Consortium with a rotating headquarters
things go wrong. In 1999 CCMC moved to help spread
hosted in turn by each elected president.
the risk to trading members by pooling capital to create
Cocafé quality assurance specialist in Costa
Rica pours samples of fair trade co-op coffee.
6
les of economy
erative Marketing Consortium
l American countries formed a ground-
of co-op-to-co-op business in the region,
ing Consortium charted a course to help
ations, develop better products, and break
has emerged as a unique business platform
-operatives can realize synergies that are
ue of International Development Digest
ve businesses are changing the way co-ops
a regional system of credit and guarantees. These
measures allow members to trade in a lower environ-
ment of risk. The result: over $1 million in trade with
North America in the next three years.
Profitable co-operatives mean better lives for their Nestor Zamora, Oscar Brown, a co-op farmer, and Cam Bjerkseth (Agricore Bean
members. Since its inception, CCMC has involved 34 Merchandiser) at a CCMC member co-op in Nueva Guinea, Nicaragua.
co-operatives with over 11,000 members. It has
developed an information system of continuously “The Nicaragua bean project shows how the CCMC
updated technical specifications on forty-five products network enables co-ops in different countries to trade
produced by Consortium members. The profits gener- among themselves in a manner that was previously
ated from trade create jobs and training for members, unthinkable.”
schooling for children, and improved health and Mr. Wells says opportunities for inter-regional trade
nutrition for families. abound, and cites numerous examples where supply can
CCA Americas Region Manager Oscar Brown says meet demand within the region — examples like Nicara-
CCMC is carving out a much needed role for co-ops gua and Honduras, both net exporters of grains and
trading in the Americas where supportive governments, plantain, and El Salvador and Costa Rica which are net
cross-sector alliances and co-operative apex bodies are importers of these same products. Through their mem- “The CCMC
not a consistent feature of national co-op sectors. bership in CCMC, poor farmers in Nicaragua are selling
He says the absence of such structures has frustrated products to markets in El Salvador. “This is a basic co-op network
co-ops and buyers alike. “Buyers who want a particular concept,” says Mr. Wells. “Retaining earnings and wealth
and capacity among people in the same area, pushing out
enables
scale and quality of product wouldn’t give individual
producer co-ops the time of day,” says Mr. Brown. “But the intermediaries, making co-op-to-co-op connections, co-ops in
those buyers will deal with the same small co-ops and increasing production and trade capacities.”
different
when they pool their product and meet their standard of Since its inception, CCMC has generated over 100 deals
quality and reliability.” worth an estimated $3.74 million. This figure does not countries to
Mr. Brown recalls one such buyer in Costa Rica that include all the one-off and ongoing deals that are being trade among
wanted beans for 12 months of the year. “Nicaraguan made among members on their own.
co-op bean growers could only supply for half that Aided by the Canadian Co-operative Association, with themselves in a
time. With the help of CCMC, Nicaragua bought beans funding from the Canadian International Development manner that
from Canada and with their own beans made a twelve- Agency (CIDA), CCMC has built a foundation for
month supply deal with the buyer in Costa Rica. So sustained growth that will continue to flourish long into was previously
here is a co-op that couldn’t even sell its 6-month the future. Mr. Wells says the push now for CCMC is to unthinkable.”
supply of beans were it not for the deal they made with expand its coordinating and trade initiatives to co-ops in
a Canadian supplier, in this case Agricore.” Colombia, Brazil, Panama and Dominican Republic. ■ Oscar Brown
(continued on page 8)
International Development Digest 7
Tipping the Scales of Economy (from page 7)
CCMC Snapshots
Bringing food to post-earthquake El Salvador
Perhaps no trade deal illustrates the power of It wasn’t long before FESACORA, a federation
co-op-to-co-op trade better than that which took representing agrarian reform co-ops in El
place following two horrific earthquakes that Salvador negotiated the purchase of much
rocked El Salvador in 2001. The quakes devas- needed fresh vegetables from Cuatro Pinos
tated much of the country’s productive land and Co-operative, the CCMC marketing agent in
infrastructure leaving many survivors without Guatemala. “This is a good instance where trade
food and other basic amenities. Co-ops were among CCMC members not only delivers
among the few organizations capable of commercial benefits, but can meet urgent social
facilitating relief efforts on the ground. needs as well,” says Mr. Wells. “The opportunity
Ultimately, it was co-operation with co-ops would never have arisen without CCMC.
outside the country that helped put food back FESACORA identified the need and knew that
onto local shelves. Cuatro Pinos could deliver.”
“El Salvador is a net importer of food,” explains Within two weeks of the first earthquake,
CCA project officer Jonathan Wells, “importing monthly shipments of fresh vegetables were sent
more by far than it exports. Food stores dried up to buyers in El Salvador. The value of this trade
very quickly after the dust from the first earth- has since grown from $2,750 to over $40,000
quake settled.” each month. ■
Crossing new borders, breaking new ground
As CCMC expands its sphere of activity beyond had they sold through middlemen. More than the
the Americas region, member co-ops are now money, they had gained access to the coveted
gaining valuable experience trading with Canadian fair trade coffee market.
Canada. CCMC broke new ground — and Through its work over the years with the Cana-
crossed a new border when it brokered a deal dian Co-operative Association, CCMC has built
to sell fair traded coffee to Canadian buyers in relationships with co-op producers in Canada.
1995. Producers earn the fair trade designation Through CCMC, the Costa Rican co-op retail
by having exemplary labour and profit sharing sector is currently negotiating to bring IPCO-
processes in place. While scouting for interna- branded dry goods from Canada into the
tional fair trade Americas in a deal that Jonathan Wells says will
market opportuni- open up a new realm of economic opportunities
ties, CCMC and ventures for CCMC member co-operatives:
found three buying co-op products from Canada.
interested Cana-
dian buyers for Mr. Wells says a chain of factors combine to
coffee produced enable CCMC partners to conduct trade. “CCA
in Costa Rica. introduces CCMC members to Canadian co-ops,
They purchased CCMC identifies the need and opportunity,
7,425 sacks of Co-op Atlantic provides the product, the money
coffee worth comes from the Costa Rican retail co-op sector,
$985,700. Twelve and CCMC’s guarantee fund secures the deal.”
hundred farm He says future deals will benefit from the risk
families earned and the learning curve borne by CCMC. “The
$820 each on the lessons learned from each international deal
deal, far more accrue to every member of the Consortium, and
than would accrue that strengthens the entire network.” ■
Co-op black bean farmer in Nueva Guinea, Nicaragua.
8
India:
Co-operation for
Sustainable Development
For nearly three years, member organizations of the India Forum For Co-operative Development The program
(IFCOD) network have been engaged in an exciting and challenging experiment to tackle environ- touched
mental problems in their regions of India. With support from the Canadian Co-operative Association,
the Environment Education and Action Program applied a uniquely collaborative, profoundly partici- every corner
patory approach to engaging grassroots citizens in the environmental issues that threaten the lives and of the Indian
livelihoods of their families and communities. Whether introducing landless tribal people to cutting-
edge gardening techniques in Maharashtra, fomenting concern for the environment among school-age landscape,
children in Karnataka, challenging the belligerence of polluting distilleries in Uttar Pradesh, revitaliz- pooling the
ing a canal in Kerala, de-silting water bodies in Assam, encouraging villagers in Jharkhand to plant
trees and use smokeless stoves, or reclaiming agricultural land in Gujarat, IFCOD and its members resources,
mobilized thousands of people to become an indelible force in the battle to clean up and protect their skills and
environment.
experience
The program touched every corner of the Indian landscape, pooling the resources, skills and
experience of a diverse array of non-government organizations. For several of the participating of a diverse
organizations, organizing community action on environmental was a new realm of activity. array of non-
IFCOD concluded its Environment Education and Action Program (EEAP) with a press conference government
and seminar last fall in Delhi. IFCOD and seven participating organizations marked the occasion by
launching case studies of their achievements and reflections on the program. organizations.
This issue of International Development Digest spotlights the Environment Education and Action
Program and presents a sampling of images depicting its impact on village life.
Janodaya “People’s Awakening,” The Environment
Bangalore, Karnataka State Education and Action
Case Study: From Dust to Program
Green Retreat
The Environment Education and Action
Depletion of Program (EEAP) began in July 1998
ground water and as a partnership between CCA and IFCOD.
forest cover, and A budget of $340,000 was provided by the
popular apathy Canadian International Development
towards environ- Agency, the Co-operative Development
mental protection Foundation of Canada and the Manitoba
prompted Council for International Cooperation. Its
Janodaya to focus goal was to initiate a process of sustainable
on a campaign of community development through co-
raising awareness, operative action. Seven IFCOD member
planting trees, de- organizations signed on to deliver environ-
silting water mental programs, each following a four-step
reservoirs, install- process of generating community aware-
ing demonstration ness; establishing environmental resource
teams to help communities identify environ-
bio-gas units,
mental problems; mobilizing participatory
establishing a
environmental approaches to the supply,
model herbal
conservation and use of land, water and
medicine garden
energy resources; and, establishing co-
and initiating four operatives to sustain the economic and
co-operatives. social benefits of EEAP.
(continued on page 10)
International Development Digest 9
Youth For Unity &Voluntary
Action (YUVA), Konkan region,
Maharashtra State
Case Study: A Handful of
Water and Fistful of Land
YUVA worked with a network of organizations
called Vikas Sahyong Pratisthan to organize
numerous environmental projects, among them an
experiment enabling landless tribal people to use a
form of intensive, high yield organic gardening
called LEISA (Low External Input for Sustainable
Agriculture) on small 1/4-acre plots of land.
People’s Institute for Development &
Training (PIDT), Madhupur, Jharkhand
State
Case Study: Water for a better life
A nationally recognized training institute, PIDT focused its efforts
in two demonstration villages. Actions included constructing five
water harvesting structures and an artesian well (thus doubling
crops), planting saplings of herbal medicines and fruit trees,
demonstrating sustainable cultivation and bio-fertilizers, and
introducing a new type of smokeless “blue flame stove.”
India Forum For
Co-operative Development
Formed in 1993, the India Forum For Co-operative Development (IFCOD) is a
network of co-operative and non-governmental organizations from throughout India
dedicated to co-operative research, education, training, networking and promotion. It
is based in Delhi and governed by a 7-member council elected every three years.
Purvanchal Gramin Seva
Samiti (pGSS), Gorakhpur,
Uttar Pradesh State
Case Study: Crusade for a
Green Cause
PGSS works with Dalits (lower castes) to
improve health, education and economic liveli-
hoods. Its campaign focused on raising village
and school level awareness using puppetry,
street theatre and a bicycle rally; tree planting, a
campaign against plastics, and stopping pollu-
tion of rivers and wells by a local distillery.
10
Co-operatives “Light The Benefits
a Candle” ● 25,000 project beneficiaries (60% women)
In a message delivered to IFCOD at the semi- ● EEAP reached 470 villages in 9 states (1,500 In short, you
nar, Ray Robertson, chairman of CCA’s km2)
International Progam Committee remarked: ● 7 Environmental Resource Teams formed (79
have gained
“It is always a challenge `to light a candle,
persons trained) important
● 13,000 people attended environmental
rather than keep on cursing the darkness.’
education programs
ground in the
Thanks to your efforts, the flame of environ-
● 750 acres in 7 locations are newly available struggle to
mental awareness has been ignited in the hearts
for cultivation and water is available for
and minds of thousands of individuals in many
much of the year
protect the
dozens of villages across this country. Environ-
● 380 families in four states have smokeless environment.”
mental resource teams will carry this work
chullahs (stoves) and bio-gas sources of fuel
forward, important work that includes the
for cooking.
Ray Robertson
formation of people owned and managed co-
● 167,000 saplings planted in 170 villages. If
operative organizations through which the
half the trees survive, soil erosion in 650
activities and benefits of the Environmental
acres of land will be prevented
Education and Action Program may become
● 13 water harvesting structures built in three
sustainable. In fact, IFCOD has trained over 150
states providing better irrigation for 200
persons in the formation and management of
acres benefiting 300 marginal farmers. A
co-operatives. Over half of these are forming
number of Irrigation canals and tanks were
co-operatives aimed at bringing about positive
de-silted.
environmental change.
● Each of seven participating organizations
You have educated citizens, trained organizers, trained 30 persons and have initiated 2 to 3
engaged communities, mobilized youth, formed co-ops, and formed some 300 self-help groups.
co-operatives, attracted media attention, ● 5 of 7 participating organizations have
partnered with governments, challenged tapped into local government funding for
polluters, devised innovative solutions and environmental project costs
mounted popular campaigns. In short, you have ● Raised local contributions of cash and in-
gained important ground in the struggle to kind services worth 5 million Rupees
protect the environment.” ($34,000), over three times the planned target
Lessons Learned
CCA’s evaluation of the program
commends IFCOD for its management of
the EEAP initiative, and the participating
organizations for their dedication to
environmental action and programming.
The comprehensive and flexible design of
the program allowed for local decision-
making, priority setting and participation
throughout the program — from planning
to evaluation. Future endeavours of this
nature should be for longer periods of time
and plan for more sustainable results.
To learn more about the Environment Education and
Action Program, contact david@CoopsCanada.coop or
write to IFCOD directly at:
The India Forum for Cooperative Development,
Ms Iqbal Malik, Founder Director of ‘Vatavaran’, a well known
144 – C, Green Flats, Rajouri Garden, environmental NGO in Delhi, releases the Case Studies and Ms Santosh
New Delhi – 110 027. India Vas, Janodaya, claps.
International Development Digest 11
Commentary
Poor Farmers Plowed Under
by U.S. Subsidies
By Jonathan Wells
Motivated by domestic political pressures, the U.S. represents by far the largest employer, and contributes up
government has recently approved a massive farm to half of GDP, compared with only 3% in the developed
subsidy bill. The new package showers American farmers world.
with $180 billion over the next ten years, a 70% increase The new support package encourages overproduction in
from its already generous support. This vaults U.S. farm the U.S. by guaranteeing a minimum payment for com-
support up to the same wacky levels enjoyed by European modities such as corn, cotton, wheat, and soybeans. In
and Japanese farmers. addition, the U.S. will also be in a position to export
Branded a “ridiculous policy” by Canada’s agriculture millions of tons of critical staples such as peas, beans,
Minister Lyle Vanclief, this measure adds to the $350 lentils and rice. By reducing the prevailing global price,
billion the World Bank estimates is already provided as U.S. exports will be so cheap that farmers in the develop-
annual farm support in the industrialized world. ing world will be unable to compete in their own markets,
According to my algebra, that will put the total subsidy let alone those of Europe and North America.
figure at approximately a billion (with a “B”) dollars a The shameless double standard in all of this is that these
day for rich country farmers. In a perverse parallel, the market-distorting subsidies come at the same time as the
United Nations estimates that there are over a billion drive toward free trade accelerates. Typical of this
people struggling on less than a dollar a day. And unfor- inexorable liberalization is the recent pledge by the
tunately for those folks, many of them are... or used to Central American Integration System (SICA) that all
be... farmers. trade barriers between Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador
Canada is by no means a poor country and yet our federal and Nicaragua will be eliminated by January 2004.
government is nowhere near capable of matching the Haroldo Rodas, the secretary-general of SICA, cited that
deep pockets of Washington. But for countries not the eradication of tariffs was necessary in order to
blessed with Canada’s technology, credit systems, implement free trade agreements with Canada and the
transport infrastructure, and sophisticated marketing U.S. and to prepare for the forthcoming implementation
network, the task of keeping pace in the high-stakes game of the Free Trade Area of the Americas.
of global agriculture is hopeless. The combined impact of rich country farm subsidies —
Furthermore, these subsidies are not aimed at just any more than seven times the total value of the world’s official
industry; they are supporting agriculture — the most development assistance — and the reduction of tariff
important and often the only income source for the barriers will devastate the world’s small-scale farmers.
world’s poor. In the developed world, subsistence farming The empty rhetoric of free trade championed by the U.S.
has long since been replaced by large-scale heavily should be dropped until deeds match words. Until then
mechanized commercial agriculture. However, in Africa, farmers throughout the world will continue to suffer, not
Asia and Latin America, small-scale agriculture still because of free trade, but from the lack thereof. ■
Jonathan Wells is the Americas Program Officer at CCA.
275 Bank Street, Suite 400, Ottawa, ON K2P 2L6 275 Bank Street, Suite 400, Ottawa, ON K2P 2L6
Website: www.coopscanada.coop Website: www.cdfcanada.coop
E-mail: communications@coopscanada.coop E-mail: cdf@coopscanada.coop
Tel: 613 238-6711 • Toll Free: 1 866 266-7677 • Fax: 613 567-0658 Tel: 613 238-6711 • Toll Free: 1 866 266-7677 • Fax: 613 567-0658
International Development Digest is published three times a year by the Canadian Co-operative Association.
Correspondence should be addressed to David Shanks, Editor.
PROMOTING THE GROWTH
& DEVELOPMENT OF CO -OPERATIVES
12
Related docs
Other docs by zju20190
