Global – Cooperative Development Program (CDP)
Increasing Smallholder Producers' Linkages to LOCAL, REGIONAL AND GLOBAL Market Chains
ACDI/VOCA’s cooperative roots extend to 1963 when U.S. farmer co-ops and farm credit banks founded the organization to assist cooperatives in developing countries. Today, a cooperative approach to economic development, as manifested in the Cooperative Development Program (CDP), is as valid as ever. ACDI/VOCA’s current CDP projects include Bolivia, Paraguay, Russia and the Resources for Cooperative and Association Excellence in International Development website.
Bolivia
In Bolivia ACDI/VOCA implements a component of its worldwide CDP funded by USAID to connect Latin America cooperatives in order to help develop best practices and disseminate information on cooperatives’ successes. Activities include sponsoring the participation of four cooperatives in the regional conference called “Modernization of the Business Culture in the Cooperatives Seminar” in Bogotá, Colombia, which took place in July 2006. In 2007 CDP-Bolivia’s plans include hosting a two-day workshop with 8 to 10 local agricultural cooperative leaders to identify future activities in Bolivia. For more information.
Brazil
ACDI/VOCA has had a long history in Brazil. Between 1973 and 1985, ACDI/VOCA conducted 30 volunteer assignments which led to the development of other ACDI/VOCA projects. The current Cooperative Development Program (CDP) in Brazil was built on previous Worldwide Farmer-to-Farmer Program activities conducted between 1994 and 1996, during which 33 assignments were carried out. These projects cemented our partnership with the Organization of Brazilian Cooperatives (OCB), which supported ACDI/VOCA’s work by covering the rental costs of our office in Brasilia. Since the inception of ACDI/VOCA’s Brazilian programs, more than 125 ACDI/VOCA volunteers and consultants have offered guidance in nearly every field of agricultural production, as well as numerous consultations in marketing, strategic planning, management and cooperative development. For more information.
Paraguay
According to the World Bank, Paraguay’s land and income distributions are among the most woefully lopsided in Latin America. In 2002 ACDI/VOCA’s CDP expanded to include Paraguay in a two-year initiative to enhance agricultural cooperative and producer association development in Central Cooperativa Nacional (Credicoop) and the departments of Caaguazú, San Pedro and Concepción. Agriculture is an important part of the economy in Paraguay, accounting for 25 percent of the GNP, 40 percent of employment and 50 percent of the registered exports. ACDI/VOCA works with institutions to improve governance, management and financial systems, but also stresses market-driven member services. By providing training, strategic planning and marketing, co-ops and associations are able to pass on the benefits of the program to a large number of smallholder farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs. For more information.
Russia
Partnering with the Rural Credit Cooperative Development Fund (RCCDF), ACDI/VOCA manages a Russian-American lending program that supports enhanced access to financial resources and institutions for private farmers. Under ACDI/VOCA’s previous Mobilizing Agricultural Credit Program, ACDI/VOCA established a fund for financing agricultural credit cooperatives, which since 1998 has been successful in increasing the number of rural credit cooperatives (RCCs) 40 times over and membership by 162 times. As of July 1, 2007, through the efforts of MAC, CDP and the Russian Government National Project, there were over 136,000 members in 1,698 RCCs. In order to secure the future of cooperatives in Russia, CDP is encouraging favorable legislation for agricultural cooperatives while strengthening a three-tier network of cooperative financial institutions, including a national credit cooperative and regional credit cooperatives. In particular, CDP focuses on achieving a greater scale of financial assistance and strengthening support organizations such as the Training and Advisory Center, Union of Rural Credit Cooperatives and Special Union of Rural Credit Cooperative Auditors (Special Auditors’ Union), which will be shortly reorganized into a self-regulatory organization, including at least 40 regional special audit unions for over 1,000 rural credit cooperatives. For more information.
Resources for Cooperative and Association Excellence in International Development
With funding from USAID’s CDP, ACDI/VOCA developed the Resources for Cooperative and Association Excellence in International Development website to highlight cooperative development achievements and demonstrate how cooperative development is integral to international economic development. As a repository for international cooperative development materials, the website is the first of its kind. It is accessible around the globe and enables economic development practitioners and scholars to share methodology, including best practices and lessons learned. Through its resource library, Profiles of Success case studies and videos, the website provides information from basic definitions of “cooperatives” and “producer associations” to commentaries on cooperatives’ role in poverty reduction and enterprise development. For more information
For more information on ACDI/VOCA’s past CDP initiatives in Brazil and Mozambique.