Organizing and managing farmers’ groups

 

 

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Organizing and managing farmers’ groups

A SMART SKILLS MANUAL

Getting organized is vital for small-scale farmers in developing
countries. On their own, individual farm families can do
little to improve their livelihoods: they lack the capital, skills,
experience and scale to solve problems, invest, market or
innovate.

But if they work together, they become strong. Together they
can save enough to invest in their enterprises; they can identify
and exploit opportunities; they can learn from each other and
build their skills; they can analyse problems and find solutions.

This manual shows how field agents, extension workers and
program managers can help farmers get organized. The 17
lessons cover the following topics:

• Why work with groups, and the role of the group promoter
• How to start working with farmers in communities and help

them get organized

• How to help them plan and implement activities
• How to deal with communication and networking issues.

Each lesson includes guidelines, field exercises to do with a
group of farmers and quizzes to test your understanding.

This is one manual in a series on SMART Skills – the skills that
field agents need to help farmers in developing countries
improve their livelihoods.

http://www.crsprogramquality.org/smart-skills-for-farmers/

Catholic Relief Services 228 W. Lexington Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
For more information, contact pqpublications@crs.org.

Organizing and managing
farmers’ groups

A SMART SKILLS MANUAL

Organizing and managing
farmers’ groups

A SMART SKILLS MANUAL

ORGANIZING AND MANAGING FARMERS’ GROUPS i

This publication was made possible by the generous support of the American people
through the United States Agency of International Development (USAID) Office of
Acquisition and Assistance under the terms of Leader with Associates Cooperative
Agreement No. AID-OAA-L-10-00003 with the University of Illinois at Urbana
Champaign for the Modernizing Extension and Advisory Services (MEAS) Project.

MEAS aims at promoting and assisting in the modernization of rural extension and
advisory services worldwide through various outputs and services. The services
benefit a wide audience of users, including developing country policymakers and
technical specialists, development practitioners from NGOs, other donors, and
consultants, and USAID staff and projects.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) serves the poor and disadvantaged overseas.
Without regard to race, creed or nationality, CRS provides emergency relief in the
wake of natural and man-made disasters and promotes the subsequent recovery
of communities through integrated development interventions. CRS’ programs
and resources respond to the U.S. Bishops’ call to live in solidarity—as one human
family—across borders, over oceans, and through differences in language, culture and
economic condition. CRS provided co-financing for this publication.

Catholic Relief Services
228 West Lexington Street
Baltimore, MD 21201-3413 USA

Editorial team
Shaun Ferris
Rupert Best
Paul Mundy

ISBN-10: 1614921415
ISBN-13: 978-1-61492-141-7

Layout and design
Paul Mundy

Illustrations
Jorge Enrique Gutiérrez

Download this publication and related material at www.crsprogramquality.org/smart-
skills-for-farmers/ or at www.meas-extension.org/meas-offers/training

Suggested citation: CRS and MEAS. 2015. Organizing and managing farmers’ groups:
A SMART Skills manual. Catholic Relief Services, Baltimore, MD, and Modernizing
Extension and Advisory Services project, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
IL.

© 2015 Catholic Relief Services and MEAS project.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Users are free:
• to Share — to copy, distribute and transmit the work
• to Remix — to adapt the work
under the condition that they attribute the author(s)/institution (but not in any way
that suggests that the authors/ institution endorse the user or the user’s use of the
work).

ii ORGANIZING AND MANAGING FARMERS’ GROUPS

Table of contents

Foreword …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… vii

Acknowledgments ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..xi

Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. xii

1 WORKING WITH GROUPS ………………………………………………………………………………………………….1

Lesson 1. Why work with groups? ………………………………………………………………………………….. 3

Quiz 1 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8

Exercise 1. Working with groups ……………………………………………………………………………… 9

Lesson 2. The role of the group promoter ……………………………………………………………………. 11

Quiz 2 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..20

Exercise 2. The role of the group promoter …………………………………………………………. 21

2 ORGANIZING AND MANAGING A GROUP ………………………………………………………………………23

Lesson 3. Entering the community ……………………………………………………………………………….25

Quiz 3 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..35

Exercise 3a. Gathering information about the community ……………………………….36

Exercise 3b. Identifying your target group ………………………………………………………….45

Lesson 4. Forming a group …………………………………………………………………………………………….49

Quiz 4 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..56

Exercise 4a. Choosing possible entry points and group types ……………………….. 57

Exercise 4b. Visioning …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 60

Exercise 4c. Creating the group ……………………………………………………………………………..63

Lesson 5. Participation …………………………………………………………………………………………………….65

Quiz 5 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..69

Exercise 5. Participation …………………………………………………………………………………………..70

Lesson 6. Leadership and management……………………………………………………………………… 73

Quiz 6 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………81

Exercise 6a. Leadership styles and qualities………………………………………………………..82

Exercise 6b. Leaders’ tasks ……………………………………………………………………………………..84

Exercise 6c. Electing the management committee ……………………………………………86

Lesson 7. Governing the group ……………………………………………………………………………………… 87

Quiz 7 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..92

Exercise 7. Drawing up a constitution ……………………………………………………………………93

Lesson 8. Holding meetings …………………………………………………………………………………………..95

Quiz 8 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 101

Exercise 8. Holding a meeting ……………………………………………………………………………… 102

Lesson 9. Keeping records ……………………………………………………………………………………………105

Quiz 9 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………109

Exercise 9. Keeping records …………………………………………………………………………………..110

ORGANIZING AND MANAGING FARMERS’ GROUPS iii

Lesson 10. Financial management ………………………………………………………………………………. 113

Quiz 10 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 121

Exercise 10. Financial management …………………………………………………………………….. 122

3 PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING ACTIVITIES ………………………………………………………………. 125

4 COMMUNICATION AND NETWORKING ………………………………………………………………………… 155

Lesson 11. Developing an action plan …………………………………………………………………………..127

Quiz 11 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 131

Exercise 11a. Problem analysis chart ……………………………………………………………………. 132

Exercise 11b. Action planning ………………………………………………………………………………. 134

Lesson 12. Implementing activities ……………………………………………………………………………. 137

Quiz 12 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 141

Exercise 12. Implementing the plans …………………………………………………………………… 142

Lesson 13. Monitoring and evaluation ………………………………………………………………………… 145

Quiz 13 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 151

Exercise 13. Monitoring…………………………………………………………………………………………… 152

Lesson 14. Conflict and negotiation …………………………………………………………………………… 157

Quiz 14 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 163

Exercise 14. Resolving conflicts …………………………………………………………………………….164

Lesson 15. Communication …………………………………………………………………………………………… 167

Quiz 15 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………173

Exercise 15. Communication …………………………………………………………………………………..174

Lesson 16. Helping groups grow …………………………………………………………………………………..177

Quiz 16 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 181

Exercise 16. Helping groups grow ……………………………………………………………………….. 182

Lesson 17. Second-order associations ……………………………………………………………………….. 185

Quiz 17 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..190

Exercise 17. Second-order associations ………………………………………………………………. 191

ANSWERS TO QUIZZES ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 193

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING ……………………………………………………………………………. 199

iv ORGANIZING AND MANAGING FARMERS’ GROUPS

List of tables

1

2

3

4

5

6

8

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Types of farmers’ groups ………………………………………………………………………………… 4

Examples of the reasons groups fail ………………………………………………………………7

Experience with groups ………………………………………………………………………………… 10

Stages of group formation ……………………………………………………………………………..19

Participatory appraisal methods …………………………………………………………………. 27

Identifying your target group ……………………………………………………………………… 46

7 Where to find details on different types of groups ………………………………….49

Visioning from current to a desired state, Mshika Farmers Group,
Tanzania …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….53

9

Choosing possible entry points ……………………………………………………………………58

10

Form for converting a long-term vision into short-term action ……………..61

Possible items to include in a constitution …………………………………………………89

Farmers’ group sign-up sheet ………………………………………………………………………91

Types of meetings …………………………………………………………………………………………..95

Sample attendance sheet ………………………………………………………………………………98

Example of annual general meeting agenda ……………………………………………..99

Types of records and other documents ……………………………………………………106

Example of a list of members ……………………………………………………………………..106

Example of a members’ register …………………………………………………………………. 114

Example of a cash book with pictures ………………………………………………………..117

20 A completed problem analysis chart ………………………………………………………….127

21

Example of an action plan …………………………………………………………………………… 129

22 Maize mill duty roster …………………………………………………………………………………… 137

23 Example of records for an egg-laying enterprise ……………………………………140

24 Examples of simple monitoring and evaluation questions …………………… 146

25 Monitoring chart for purchase and sale of chickens ……………………………… 146

26 Example of records for an egg-laying enterprise …………………………………… 147

27 Weekly calendar for recording egg production and sales …………………… 147

28 Records of eggs produced and sold …………………………………………………………. 148

29 Using drawings and symbols ……………………………………………………………………… 148

30 Measuring satisfaction …………………………………………………………………………………. 149

31

Examples of self-evaluation questions …………………………………………………….. 149

32 Reaching a consensus on egg marketing …………………………………………………160

33 Different audiences, different information needs ………………………………….. 168

34 Checklist of requirements for marketing group ………………………………………180

ORGANIZING AND MANAGING FARMERS’ GROUPS V

Foreword

Naah Ebenezer is a father of five and a member of the Nadowli Christian Mother
savings and internal lending community, or SILC, in the Upper West Region of Ghana.
He joined the group in 2010 and has since saved regularly. He took a loan when the
rainy season was approaching and bought a donkey to plow his farm. After plowing
his own fields, he also plowed for others on a commercial basis. He raised money
to pay off the loan, and took another loan to buy some fertilizer. With training from
extension agents, he planted his crops in rows and applied the fertilizer at the right
time and in the right way.

When asked what changes the project has brought to him, he said “I used to borrow
money from friends to plow and seeds from other farmers to sow, and I used to pay
twice what I borrowed when returning the money. This year, I did not go to disgrace
myself by borrowing from friends. From SILC, I have got my donkey for plowing and
because the agricultural officers taught us how to apply the fertilizer my crops are
looking good. Thank God CRS brought this idea to help us.” According to Ebenezer, he
used to borrow from friends and other well-to-do farmers and at the end of harvest he
will use all his produce to pay his debts. “Now I don’t owe anybody and I am sure of a
good harvest.”

Ebenezer’s success is an example of a new approach of doing development with
vulnerable rural communities. Various critical skills that smallholder farmers need
to engage successfully with markets are integrated into a novel capacity-building
approach:

• Organizational management: they need to get organized to plan and manage their

• Financial skills: they need to save money, invest it in the enterprise, and maintain

work.

financial records.

• Market and enterprise skills: they need to produce something that customers want
to buy; they need to find those customers; and they need to plan their business to
make a profit.

• Natural resources: they need to conserve their soil, water and other natural resources

so they can produce on a sustainable basis.

• Innovation: they need to find new, more efficient and more profitable ways of pro-

ducing.

In common with many other development agencies, CRS is incorporating market-
and business-oriented approaches into its development efforts. Increasing food
production alone cannot move poor rural people permanently out of poverty.
Building the capacity of smallholders to engage in profitable enterprises has become
an integral part of our agricultural development strategy.

Field agents, extension workers and development managers typically focus on one
particular area of expertise. This series of training modules gives them a broader
understanding and the skills needed to help local people work together, manage their
money and understand how to develop a sustainable and profitable agro-enterprise.

Through building the capacity of local people, CRS is reshaping how vulnerable
communities are supported. As with Ebenezer, communities progressively become
agents of their own change. They identify and grasp opportunities that turn
desperation into a brighter hope for the future.

Carolyn Woo

President and CEO, CRS

ORGANIZING AND MANAGING FARMERS’ GROUPS vii