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The Farmers Own concept works. There has been a decade of learning lessons and building methodology in the precursor NGO and this company to make it so. At each step of the way there has been challenges to overcome but success also. Four major pilots have tested methodology. All pilots were successful. The result of the first pilot was summarized by an external review team.
"If a 1992 Planning Team had decided that by 1996 the targets for their small farmer rural development project would be to:
- reduce the experience of hunger from 57% to 24% among farmers
- boost farmers’ self-sufficiency in maize from 22% to 48%
- reduce the proportion of farmers buying vegetables from 85% to 11% and increasing the numbers selling to 77%
they would have been dismissed as utopian. Yet it has happened."
Dr P. Hamilton et al., Goodbye to hunger
The proof for the current programme is in the results of the most recent pilot programme. In addition to the proof of concept we have strengths in the following key aspect of programme implementation and management.
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| Commercial expertise |
| Farmers Own directors all have careers in businessnd are familiar with the African development theatre. We also have capable managers and are in the process of enlisting more managers with business experience and a good track record. Within the Province we are working with capable civil servants. In addition we have a UK based business advisor with mainline experience as an MD of substantial UK companies, several pro-bono consultants and fee paying consultants, and we receive advisory support from several commercial companies interested in this endeavour.
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| Financial Management History |
| We have raised, handled and spent big bucks – and delivered on those funds.The sums in the last decade from DFID and Rockefeller alone are £2.9 million and $934,000 respectively. Right up to the last tranche, reporting to donors and external audits have never been qualified. Due diligence by KPMG and by Ernst and Young gave us a clean bill of health, all the numbers stacked up. We have shown beyond reasonable doubt that we can accept, spend for purpose and account for money. We have always kept to the spirit of allocations, even though that meant we had to spend in fields that would not bring about our own financial sustainability. With this new programme our sustainability is a number one priority alongside poverty eradication.
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| Government Partnership |
We developed partnerships with different arms of government. In particular we are supported by the Provincial Commissioner of Western Province and our point of contact in the Ministry of Planning and National Development is the Executive Chairman of the Poverty Eradication Commission. All our work is compliant with the national strategy for economic development
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