ONE-VILLAGE ONE-PRODUCT MOVEMENT
IN AFRICA

JAICAF
Japan Association forInternational Collaboration ofAgriculture and Forestry

March 2007


Table of Contents

THE BACKGROUND AND INTENTION OF OUR INVESTIGATION ......................................... 1
CHALLENGES AND POSSIBILITIES IN COOPERATION FOR ONE-VILLAGE
ONE-PRODUCT IN AFRICA.......................................................................................................... .. 3
1. Challenges of One-Village One Product movement in Africa ........................................................ 3(1) Basic information on One-Village One-Product movement...................................................... 3(2) A wide range of understanding of OVOP movement ................................................................ 4(3) Meanings and possibilities of OVOP movement to today’s Africa ........................................... 7(4) Considerations to the application of OVOP movement to Africa ............................................. 11(5) The role of government and local administration......................................................................13(6) The role and participation of central government ...................................................................14(7) Market .......................................................................................................................................16(8) Community-based organization.................................................................................................17
2. Possibilities for Japan’s Cooperation ..............................................................................................19(1) Cooperation in OVOP movement .............................................................................................19(2) Interpretation of OVOP concept into African context...............................................................19(3) One-Village One-Product as a nation-wide project and a pilot project in a region ...................20(4) Constituents of cooperation for OVOP movement....................................................................21
Annex: One-Village One-Product Movement㧙Towards Application to African Context㧙.............25

THE BACKGROUND AND INTENTION OF OUR INVESTIGATION The background of “the study on agricultural and rural institutes” is as follows.
Development initiative was launched by the then Prime Minister Koizumi in the WHO
ministerial-level meeting held in Hong Kong in December 2005. Since then theinitiative has been promoted in the area of agriculture, forestry and fisheries by the
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. A part of this initiative is “a project oforganizing basic information on support for developing countries”, which started in
FY2006 as a 5-year-plan. One of the central parts of this project is “the study on
agricultural and rural institutes”.
 The objective of the study is to collect, organize and analyze basic information on
formal (public) institutions and customary practices in agriculture and rural areas
closely related with cooperation in agriculture and forestry in order to give effective
cooperation to sub-Saharan Africa (hereafter referred to as Africa ) and the lessdeveloped ASEAN countries. The theme of this study in FY2006 has been about OneVillage One-Product campaign in Africa, in particular, focusing on the Republic of
Ghana and the Republic of Uganda ; the former has already started the campaign inquestion, and the latter is likely to promote it. Researches have been conducted into
information on national and regional conditions and into needs in technical support ofthese countries.
 The One-Village One-Product movement, originated in Oita prefecture, has been
spreading world-wide, adopted not only in other parts of Japan but also in the Kingdomof Thailand, the People’s Republic of China, Malaysia, the Republic of the Philippines,
Mongolia, the Republic ofMalawi and so on. Contrary to the situation in East andSoutheast Asia making large economic growth, the One-Village One-Product movementin Africa, where there are many of the least developed countries (LDCs), has been fully
implemented only in a few countries such as Malawi, and thus they have limited
accumulation of information on the movement. African countries, however, have beenfurthering economic liberalization,

integration into global economy, democratization,

decentralization of power, and efforts to reduce poverty based on Poverty Reduction
Strategy Paper (PRSP) and UN Millennium Development Goals. As a result, in thosecountries more interest has been aroused in rural development for poverty reduction, in
strategy for regional promotion and in development of special products for export. From
the above point of view, high possibility can be seen in introducing the One-Village
One-Product movement into more African countries. In this respect Japan is certain toplay an important role in assisting them. Concerning the background above mentioned,
this study is of deep significance in exploring the possibilities of the One-Village
One-Product movement in Africa and in examining the means of concrete support
Japan can offer.

 This study is developed along the following lines; firstly, fundamental principles andlessons of the One-Village One-Product movement are confirmed through theexamination of experiences of the movement in Japan and other Asian Countries, andthen applicability of the movement to Africa is considered. Secondly, ongoingexperiences in the Republic of Malawi are analysed. Thirdly, basic information isgathered and analysed within Japan on agricultural and rural institutes in the
Republic of Ghana and the Republic of Uganda. Lastly, field surveys are carried out inthese two countries in order to collect useful information otherwise impossible to get in
Japan.



CHALLENGES AND POSSIBILITIES IN COOPERATIONFOR ONE-VILLAGE ONE- PRODUCT IN AFRICA
1㧚Challenges of One-Village One-Product Movement in Africa(1) Basic information on One-Village One-Product movement
 To understand the challenges of One-Village One-Product (hereinafter called OVOP)
movement in Africa, at first we need to understand its background and philosophy. To
consider the possibilities of extending cooperation, it is essential to have a common
understanding about what OVOP movement is.
 Firstly, OVOP movement is a kind of local development movement, called “chiiki(local, region) zukuri (development), mura (village) okoshi (promotion),machi (town)
okoshi”. It is different from small& medium enterprises (SMEs) development, ruralindustry development and export promotion in which certain local areas are not
involved or specified. There is little history of regional development or local economic
development in Africa. It is therefore necessary to confirm the concept of OVOP
movement when applying it in Africa. We need to consider local areas as a subject of
movement, and it is not appropriate to use local areas as a means to produce export
product by supporting local unique product in the process of OVOP movement.
 Secondly, OVOP movement is not a top-down project that is carried out by donors or
central government from outside, but a movement whose subject is local people. As will
be mentioned below, many cases of OVOP movement which have been implemented indeveloping countries are more like projects of central government rather thanmovement. However, in the idea of OVOP movement, local people are the subject of
movement, and central government is a facilitator to support or build that environment.
The subject of OVOP movement will be discussed later; whether it is local people andcommunity-based organizations in a narrow definition, or whether it can include local
government and local enterprises.
 Thirdly, OVOP movement advocates 3 principles: (1)self-reliance and self-help,
creativity, (2)human resources development, (3)local yet global. These are not only
principles of Oita pref. OVOP movement, but also those of OTOP in Thailand. Self-help
is derived from the principle that local area is the subject of movement. The basic
principle of OVOP movement is that local people take the lead in OVOP movement
independently on their own with self-reliant spirit, not that the movement is carried out
as a top-down project of central government or outside donors. Because this kind of
initiative is not provided from outside, creativity of local people is crucial which enables
them to find out the potential resources of their village and to make unique products
from local materials with local wisdom.

 The term of “One-Village One-Product” presents a strong impression that the
movement is for producing goods (“mono zukuri”). In fact, developing unique product(“mono zukuri”) is an essential factor in OVOP movement. However, OVOP movement
should not be considered simply as production of goods (“mono zukuri”). The movement
aims at human resources development (“hito zukuri”) through “mono-zukuri”. OVOP
movement involves human resources development, organization building and trainingof leaders. For this reason, opening opportunities for activation of people is as importantas building up new seeds of industry or unique product. OVOP movement stimulates
local people, helps them improve their awareness and attempts to empower local
community.
 Before OVOP movement in Oita prefecture started, there was a well-known
movement in Oyama village (town), which employed a slogan “Planting plum andchestnut trees to go to Hawaii”. The young residents in Oyama village started up“knowing the world group” in order to broaden their world vision and rethink their
homeland. Former governor in Oita prefecture, Mr. Hiramatsu’s words “Think globally,
act locally” is one of the principles of OVOP movement. They emphasize the significanceof a global view in pursuit of production which is accepted world-wide, and attach great
importance to building a new town (“machi zukuri”) based on a local area from a global
point of view.
(2) A wide range of understanding of OVOP movement
 The term of “One-Village One-Product” is easy to catch and of strong appeal to people.
It is, however, easy to be misunderstood because of discrepancies between the term andthe principles (the former implies product development, but the latter value humandevelopment) and because the details are little known.
 One of the misunderstandings derived from the term of “One-Product” is that OVOP
specializes certain product. Kazuhisa Matsui, referring to an example of Indonesia,
points out that OVOP movement can be taken to mean to specialize only one productand then to upscale its production (Matsui, 2006b). The misunderstanding of this kind
was also seen several times by JAICAF study team during field surveys in Uganda (forinstance, at the Ministries of Agriculture and of Finance). This misunderstanding in
Uganda was in fact far from serious, but was just a suspicion that OVOP movement
might specialize only one product, on the proper view that to specialize only one productis not good.
 Kazuhisa Matsui also refers to as another misunderstanding a tendency to regard
OVOP movement as the only means for rural development and then to make it asolution of all the problems. In fact, in addition to implementation of OVOP movement,
Oita prefectural government was willing to accept various measures from centralgovernment based on special legal framework for underpopulated areas and generalindustrial policies of the nation such as reallocation and inducement of private
enterprises into the prefecture when Mr. Hiramatsu was a governor (Matsui 2006a:13;
2006b:148).
 What the term “One-Village One-Product” means should be clarified because of a wide
range of understanding of OVOP movement.

As the necessary result of OVOP

movement spreading world-wide, it has become more and more difficult to decide thatthe initial principles of OVOP movement above mentioned are the only correct ones sofar. Therefore, it is of great importance to clarify OVOP movement in the following
respects;
 Firstly, the point lies in who is conducting OVOP movement. What is actually called
OVOP movement includes both of local government level and of national level. In thecase of Oita prefecture, where OVOP movement originated, it was carried out in local
government level; the basis of OVOP movement was villages and towns, and then it wassystematized by the prefecture. In contrast, OVOP movement activated in Thailand andMalawi has been a project implemented by central government, not a movement inwhich local people play a central role in the implementation.
 Secondly, a point is whether OVOP movement is a movement or a project. OVOP
movement has been spread in developing countries through international cooperation
mainly by government officials. For this reason OVOP movement in those countries has
been characterized as a project of central government not as a movement of local people(Matsui 2006b:149). In fact, as is also seen in the case of the original OVOP in Oita
prefecture, where the prefectural government carried out many projects in order tosupport the movement of local people, a question whether OVOP movement is amovement or a project does not help to understand the process.
 Thirdly, how much emphasis is to be put on product development in OVOP movement
should be considered. Initial principles of OVOP movement put an emphasis on humanresources development, and product development was just a means or an opportunity ofhuman resources development. Many of OVOP in developing countries, however, bear a
product development characteristic as a main objective.
 Fourth, with regard to the aspect of product development, it should also be considered
whether products are for export (global market) or for domestic market. Though OVOP
movement in Oita prefecture initially aimed at global market, the products turned out
to be mainly for domestic market. The One Tambon One Product (hereinafter called
OTOP, the target area in Thailand is the administrative unit called ‚Tambon, which isequivalent of village or town in English) project in Thailand has taken account ofworld-wide market. In production development in developing countries, where standardof production for export is different from that for domestic market, conditions andcapabilities required for global market are different from those for domestic market.
 In addition to the above respects, OVOP movement can be evaluated from many
aspects: product development, theory of movement, development by participation, andso on. It can also be regarded as a kind of community business giving profit back to local
people and carried out chiefly by local stakeholders. For instance, OVOP movement in
Malawi supports farmers groups and entrepreneurs in rural areas, SME promotion,
rural industry promotion, and the like.
 It is therefore necessary for those concerned to make it clear what kind of OVOP
movement they are going to implement, and to have the same understanding among
them. In particular, in the case of a project where central government is to implement
nation-wide OVOP, central government and local people should share the sameunderstanding.
 Lastly, we should consider the issue of subject or actor. For argument’s sake, subject isdefined here as actor taking the lead and playing a central role in movement anddevelopment, whereas actor is defined as broader concept including stakeholders. Thatthe subject of OVOP movement is local people (including residents organizations) does
not necessarily mean that local people go on OVOP movement on their own, but meansthat they work together with other actors. In the discussion on actors of local economic
development in Africa, Helmsing defines local economic development as conducted bymulti-actors or multi-sectors in partnership between local governments, community andcivic groups and the private sector. He continues to list as leading actors (as subjectshere) (1)community organizations, (2)local producers and their association, (3)local
government (Helmsing 2003:69,74-5). Kazuhisa Matsui gives as subject of regional
development local people, local enterprises, agricultural cooperatives, and local
government (Matsui 2006a:5).
 It is controversial whether local government/local administration is regarded as anactor or a subject in OVOP movement. In the theory of Local Economic Development in
the following section, local government/local administration is defined as playing bothsupporter’s or organizer’s role and subject’s role in OVOP movement, whatever role it
may have in each country.
 The role of private companies is controversial as well. Here, private companies can bedivided into two categories; local enterprises and the others. The former arecommunity-based and producing local specialties, and thus subjects in OVOP movement.
The latter include big companies introduced from other districts and trading companies
exporting local specialties and selling them to other districts and overseas, and thus arecooperating actors. In Oita prefecture, local enterprises are one of the actors in OVOP
movement (Yoshida. Kentaro 2006). In Thailand, participants in the OTOP project areclassified into local producers and SMEs. And SMEs are considered as local businesseswhich produce according to the OTOP policies.
(3) Meanings and possibilities of OVOP movement to today’s Africa
 Here, we will give some arguments about the reasons why OVOP movement can playa very important role in today’s Africa.
 At first, in order to apply OVOP movement to Africa for the purpose of local promotion,
Local Economic Development (hereinafter called LED) needs to be introduced. LED has
already been discussed in Western literature and is considered to apply to Africa. In
LED, local government is supposed to take part in economic development in partnershipwith public and private sectors. Local government and/or

community-basedorganization (hereinafter called CBO) are engaged in economic development in order tostimulate economic activity and to create new jobs.

LED comprises four contents;(1)Subjects are local government and CBO, (2)Purposes are industry promotion andjob-creation, (3)importance to utilization of local existing resources, (4)partnership withprivate sectors. LED is not a new theory, but has been studied and carried out indeveloped countries. Recently it has begun to be applied in developing countries andalso in Africa. But the same type of LED as in developed countries cannot be applied todeveloping countries, for in that type local government executes big-scale investment inorder to attract firms from outside. In developing countries, self-reliant andcommunity-based variations of LED which are based on local wisdom and unique skills
should be applied.
 There are many reasons why LED, especially community-based variations of LED has
drawn considerable attention of developing countries. First, due to the threat offinancial crisis, accumulated debt and heating up of competition in globalization,national governments of developing countries cannot hold enough resources andcapacities to develop local areas. These are very remarkable in Africa. To solve thisproblem, local people can no longer depend on central government, but have to tackle
self-reliantly the task of regional development by themselves.
Secondly, the role of the state has changed because of the policy of free market andstructural reform. Formerly government had strong power in implementing
development through intervention and regulations. But now government is expected toprovide environment where private sectors, NGOs and CBOs can initiate theirdevelopment.
 Thirdly, as the result of the progress in democratization and decentralization, the roleof local government and local people is becoming more important. Fourth, a movement
type of LED can be considered positively from the viewpoint of development criticism
and alternative development.

 Based on the arguments above, OVOP movement can be understood as a type of LED
initiated by local people in developing countries. Possibilities of applying OVOP idea toAfrican context can partly be justified from the facts that LED attracts attention in that
region.
 The political and economic situations in Africa have changed drastically for the past
15 years. Africa has taken an economic turn to be linked with global economy again due
to economic liberalization policies in Africa. In the colonial period, African economy had
close connection with Western economy and was ruled by it. Africa was developed to
produce agricultural products such as coffee, cacaos, raw cotton, oil palm, and mineralproducts such as gold and copper for export. After independence, however, export of the
primary product was stagnated and the share in the international market was getting
smaller. What was more important, African was left far behind Asia in export oriented
industrialization, and almost failed to increase the export of industrial product. Littlechange happened since the colonial period, when most of the export goods were theprimary product such as agriculture and mining origin. What is worse, even the share ofthose products in export is becoming smaller. As a result, African economy carried lessweight in international economy and was marginalized; the share of Africa ininternational trade was 3% in 1950 and decreased to 2% in mid 1990’s. When excluding
Republic of South Africa, the share was much lower and only below 1.2%.
 Structural adjustment and economic liberalization has been introduced in Africa
since 1990’s. African countries have been trying to integrate themselves into global
economy again. An intention to join globalization is also clearly proclaimed in NEPAD(New Partnership for African Development), which is development initiative by African
people adopted in 2001. That may prevent African economy from marginalization andmake the situation better. However, structural adjustment and economic liberalization
has not yet brought about as satisfactory economic growth and expansion of export as
expected. This is because globalization is an opportunity and at the same time is athreat, since there are two sides to globalization. Export to global market gives amarket opportunity and is expected to bring more foreign currency by participation in
active market in developed countries. But on the other hand, integration into global
economy means being exposed to keen competition. African countries are forced to facecompetition from imports in domestic market as well. To be able to remove the threat
and to make the most of new opportunities might be desirable, but that is not always
the case. African countries have not made the most of the entry into global market so far,but have been exposed to a thread of competition. For example, domestic industries
have lost against imports (e.g.; second-hand cloths from Europe, clothing from China,
rice from Asia), and consequently some enterprises have gone bankrupt or closed down.
African countries definitely need to create new import substitute and export-oriented
industries.

 In the process of globalization, the first aspect is rejoining the global economy and thesecond one is the recognition of the importance of regional development and local
economic development. Export and economic development in African countries wasreferred to only in the context of a nation or national economic development, but was
rarely related to local economy or local economic development. Centralization in Africancountries was so strong that most of the projects and policies were top-down. It was
partly because many countries failed to solve the problems of central parts so that theyfound it difficult to tackle the problems in the local areas. That was why the idea ofregional promotion or local economic development and the idea to dissolve the gap
among areas had seldom occurred to African countries.
 In recent years, however, importance of local economy and necessity of regional
development has become a new issue to be discussed. It is because of the change in the
role

of

government,

decreasedcapacities

ofgovernment,

andadvanceindemocratization and decentralization, just like the above mentioned reasons why
community-based variations of LED have drawn attention.
 Though some countries are fostering new export products, most of them are ones ofmining companies, oil companies, foreign companies, large-scale farms, plantations, sothat they fail to extensively bring benefits to many rural residents. Only urban andsuburban areas are enjoying the benefits of a market mechanism and of integration into
global market, but many of the rural areas and villages are left behind.
 The backgrounds above mentioned will explain the following significance of OVOP
movement in Africa
 Firstly, OVOP movement is able to cope with the top priority of development issues inAfrica, that is, poverty reduction. No doubt poverty reduction is the biggest problem indevelopment for many of the African countries, though details are different among them.
It might be controversial whether the poorest can be the direct target of OVOP
movement, but the movement is sure to contribute to poverty reduction throughincreasing income of the poor.
 OVOP movement can also contribute to rural development in terms of poverty
reduction. The majority of the population in Africa lives in rural areas. The rate of thepoor in rural areas is higher than that in cities. OVOP movement includes requirements
for rural development such as increase in income in rural areas, expansion in job
opportunities, training of local people, and empowerment of local residents. In thisrespect, OVOP movement is expected to make a great contribution to poverty reduction
in rural areas.
 Secondly, OVOP movement is significant in that it focuses on regions and local
residents. As mentioned above, there has been a growing trend toward decentralizationin recent years, and conditions of local development are beginning to be arranged.

OVOP movement can offer an opportunity for strengthening a weak point of Africancountries by focusing on regional promotion in rural areas.
 In relation to that issue, when linked with decentralization, OVOP movement canhelp convert local administration as a branch office to order mobilization of local people
for a top-down project of central government to that of meeting the demand of local
residents.
 Thirdly, OVOP movement is significant in that it promotes the production of local
specialties (“mono zukuri”) and economic development. In Africa, poverty reduction andrural development has been focusing on social development such as education, healthcare, and supply of water. Consequently, economic development has tended to be left
behind until recently (social development is no doubt of great importance, though).
Although production of specialties (“mono zukuri”) of OVOP movement is an
opportunity for human development (“hito zukuri”), an element of production of
specialties (“mono zukuri”) or the connection of “mono zukuri” to human development(“hito zukuri”) is significant in the application of OVOP movement to Africa; promotionof production of local specialties (“mono zukuri”) is expected to make great contributions
to the promotion of diversification of rural economy, increase of income, promotion ofrural industry and of SMEs including micro-scale enterprises.
 Fourth, OVOP movement can contribute to expansion and diversification of export.
As mentioned above, it is necessary for Africa to catch up with globalization in economy.
However, there would be little chance of their making much of globalization with exportof agricultural and mineral products as in the past of the colonial period. Processing ofagricultural products will increase added value, competitiveness and profit.
Development and promotion of new local specialties will also bring about enhancementand diversification of exports. Foreign market is expected to make higher profits thandomestic market, and thus will lead to increase in income and economic growth in rural
areas. However, as was mentioned, there are two sides to the influences of globalization
on rural areas in Africa. Besides, expansion in export should be the effects of OVOP
movement; the movement should not be regarded as the means of export promotion.
 Fifth, OVOP movement can help to reduce the gender gap. Consideration of gender isessential for development in Africa as well. Women played a crucial role in OVOP
movement in Oita prefecture. In Africa, many women groups are engaged in productionof local specialties. Empowerment of women and enhancement of their status in African
rural areas is supposed not only to be a critical issue itself but also to cause beneficial
effects on food security, agricultural production, population problem, education, and thelike. Therefore, OVOP movement is expected to improve income, proficiencies andformation of organizations of women.
 Sixth, OVOP movement can cope with the issue of the young in rural areas. OVOPmovement in Oita prefecture attached great importance to education and training of theyoung to be engaged in local promotion (“mura (machi) zukuri”). In today’s Africa, theyoung are the majority of population as the pyramidal construction of population shows.
In spite of this fact, job and income opportunities of the young are very limited in rural
areas in particular. In order for rural areas to be active, it is requisite to give the young
the opportunities to work positively. OVOP movement can furnish job and income
opportunities, knowledge and skills for young people in rural areas.
(4) Considerations to the application of OVOP movement to Africa
 In the previous section, the significance of OVOP movement in Africa was consideredfrom the viewpoint of possibilities. Those points in the previous section, however, do notassure that introducing OVOP movement never fails to succeed. In reality, conditions
specific to Africa might hinder OVOP movement from achieving the estimated results.
 It is important to understand that OVOP movement is far from being an almighty
method for local or rural promotion, much less being a magic wand of expanding export.
In order for those issues to succeed, OVOP movement should be mixed together withother policies and projects.
 OVOP movement in Africa has been introduced only in comparatively a few countries
such as Malawi, whereas it has been implemented in many of the Asian countries suchas Thailand, Malaysia and Mongolia. There is an acute difference in conditions for
implementation between Africa and those Southeast Asia and Japan. Therefore, it isrequisite to take into consideration conditions of each country in applying the idea toAfrican countries. In his discussion on OVOP movement in Mongolia, Masao Igusa
maintains that because OVOP movement is a model on the assumption that a village
where OVOP movement is to be implemented is a densely populated area like one inJapan, application of unrevised OVOP movement to a different social type like Mongolia
would fail to work. Rather, examples in Mongolia will be helpful in applying OVOP
movement to Africa.
 Other points to be paid attention to are as follows.
 Firstly, poverty is more serious and widespread, and industry is less developed in
Africa than in past Japan or in today’s Southeast Asia. As an index of UN Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) shows, Africa is one of the regions which have the mostserious poverty problems; diversification in agricultural economy, development in ruralindustry and development of area-specific products is limited. Preconditions have notbeen set enough for economic growth; the percentage of school attendance is low, theaverage life expectancy is not long, and the percentage of infection in infectious diseases
such as HIV/AIDS is high.

 Let us take an example of food production. Though Southeast Asia and South Asia
had achieved self-sufficiency in food through efforts like the Green Revolution by 1970’s
or 1980’s, but many of the African countries have not; even many households in rural
areas fail to secure enough food. For this reason, rice production has to be increased foran alternative to import rather than for export.
 Secondly, regional development has rarely been conducted in Africa, and when done,
there have been few successes. As has been mentioned above, in Africa the power ofcentral government is strong, while local government is given little authority and local
finance is weak. It is true that decentralization has been advanced these days, but inmany countries in Africa, local government/local administration has been still weak andless empowered. Local people and local administrative officials have not acquired
enough empowerment or experience in regional development, for they have seldom had
a leading role in it. There have been some cases in which projects or movements ofregional development were carried out, but local people and local administrative
officials were engaged in constructing infrastructure of social sectors such as
construction of school buildings or clinics. Therefore, they have been little experienced
in continuous management or commitment in the development of locally unique product,
market research, production or sales. Generally speaking, “villages” in Africa, unit of“mura”(village)-“okoshi”(development), have seldom been working as administrative
unit or as communities, so that it may well be expected that organization of local people
would involve some difficulties.
 Thirdly, generally speaking, economic infrastructure such as that of transport has not
fully developed, which restricts production for either domestic or export market. Rural
areas especially have a problem of access to market. Landlocked countries such as
Uganda and Malawi have longer transportation routes by land, which entail themhigher freight costs and longer time. Therefore, we should be fully aware that long
distance between production districts and market together with underdevelopment ininfrastructure makes locally unique product development difficult.
 Forth, in regard to cooperation, many countries in Africa make much of Poverty
Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) on which World Bank and IMF have considerable
influence. Projects which European donors influence have also been settled in eachsector. Cooperation between Africa and them is thus being fostered. Consequently, inintroducing such a movement as OVOP movement based on Japanese or Asian
framework into where there exists a framework for development and support formed
under the influence of donors in international organizations and Western countries, it isvital to place OVOP movement appropriately in a development project and a frameworkof the country concerned. It should also be kept in mind that when OVOP movement is
to be implemented as a project of central government, it is often difficult to set up a neworganization such as a secretariat for OVOP movement within central government andto assign administrative staff, because of financial difficulties owing to reforms of public
sectors in African countries.
(5) The role of local government and local administration
 Local government is assumed to be the subject of LED together with community-based organizations, to be a facilitator of the movement of local people, and to play
the part of setting up the environment for economic activities of local enterprises.
 It is recognized in OVOP movement in Oita prefecture that the top sale in the nation
under the name of OVOP movement by Governor Hiramatsu himself was one of thereasons of its success as well as the efforts of the villages and the enterprises to promote
unique products. What was more, in the case of Oita prefecture, OVOP movement was akind of network formation of respective activities at community level. Prefectural
government formed, facilitated, and organized various sprouting activities in local areas
all over the prefecture.
 In considering the role of local government and local administration in Africa, it isimportant to analyze who will take charge in carrying out that prefecture’s role in both
implementing and organizing activities that are already existing.
 Villages are too small a unit of administration and regional development, for their
human and financial resources are very weak, though local government and local
administration differs so much among African countries that the analysis cannot beapplied in all cases. For that reason, the unit of administration in local promotion( “mura okoshi”) is desirable to be bigger than a village. For example, Uganda has alikely candidate for the unit of “Sub-County” in local promotion ( “mura okoshi”).
 The “District” in Africa may be a unit equivalent to prefecture in Japan. In Malawi,
Ghana and Uganda, District is considered as the core unit of local administration. In
Malawi, local administration and municipal assembly system fulfill their function
through District, and regional development system is being built including District
Development Fund. In Ghana, each District is promoting three special items in District
Development Programme like OVOP movement. Also in Uganda, District is the coreunit of local government and local administration. There is a big difference in the size ofDistrict between Uganda and Ghana, whose sizes are similar; Ghana has 110 to 138
Districts, whereas Uganda 56. In Ghana it is possible to consider District as a unit of
OVOP movement.
 If OVOP movement is promoted as a nation-wide project of central government, therole of prefectural government in the case of OVOP movement in Oita prefecture can beplayed by central government in African countries. The point here is not the scale orarea of development, but adequate distribution of financial and human resources tofacilitate the movement. Africa, with the short history of local government system, canutilize OVOP movement by allocating some responsibilities to local government in its
implementation, in order to enhance the capabilities of local government and toencourage local administration, for capabilities of local government and local
administration will be improved through practical involvement.
(6) The role and participation of central government
 In a recent development theory, the role of government has changed with the change
from state-based development to the one initiated by private sector, NGOs and CBOs.
Government is supposed not to control the development process but to facilitate it, give
advice and limited support, and provide some incentives for development. Especially, indeveloping countries, where government has a lot of constrains in resources andcapacity, community-based type of LED is said to work better. The role andparticipation of central government will naturally be limited in OVOP movement as acommunity-based movement.
 However, there are many cases of OVOP movement in developing countries in whichgovernment has played a very important part of development. An argument goes; therole of central government should, on the contrary, be very important in developing
countries, which have a short history of decentralization and local government. What
Igusa wrote about Mongolia as follows may apply to African countries as well.
 “OVOP movement is considered as movement of people in order to activate their areas.
The subject of movement should be people rather than government. Too muchparticipation or support of government would cause the self-help efforts of the people tobe weakened contrary to the purpose of the movement, and would stop the movementfrom going on. But the context is different in Mongolia; because of the lack of basic
environment for people’s initiative, government must be effectively involved to achieve
the most important task of regional development.” From the viewpoint of ideology and also sustainability, there should be self-help
movement, but in some countries which are lacking in the basic structure forcommunity-based movement, the involvement of central government is necessary. The
important point here is the adequate mixture of residents’ movement from the bottom
and the involvement of government from the top.
 In the case of Thailand, central government established OTOP central committee and
OTOP coordination office. Four Ministries, namely Ministry of Industry, Ministry ofAgriculture and Cooperative, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Trade weredirectly participating through five small committees including market promotion.
Actually almost all the government sectors were promoting the campaign including
other Ministries, universities and police. The nation-wide implementation of the OTOP

project on the same scale and standard as in Thailand needs government’s extensive
involvement in budget, human resources, time and other resources. It will be too big atask for central governments in African countries without any external aid. If OVOP
movement is introduced on such scale and standard in African countries, it should betreated as a core project of government, with heavy contribution in budget, humanresources and time even to the level that other government projects may have to be
reduced.
 Governments in African countries may be able to prepare the policy documents andguide-line for projects, but the next step of practice and management is difficult due tothe lack of capacity. Especially when participation of many government offices including
local government is needed, only limited parts of a project may be implemented, and thedegree of involvement may differ in government offices and local governments.
 Malawi, which is a unique case among African countries where OVOP movement has
been implemented as a government project, has 10 year history of preparation througheager consideration by government officials and politicians with the help from and theexchange with JICA and Oita prefecture. However, explanation and understanding is
far from enough in many local areas. Some people recognize the project as a mere ruralfinance project.
 OVOP movement in Japan was a prefectural movement by the local people, so that all
the activities were united by administration. However, when it is implemented as aproject of central government, coordination among officials will be very difficult. Since
OVOP movement has many contents such as rural development, processing ofagricultural product, forestry product and fishery product, SMEs and export promotion,
there needs to be the involvement of many government officials. As explained in thecase of Thailand above, when the project is initiated as a national project, muchparticipation from various governmental offices is naturally needed. However, too muchparticipation will require strong capacity of a leading agency, and coordination cost will
be very high. If it is implemented by only one ministry, all those problems will notappear. But instead, because of the limited section of the project, the influence will also
be limited.
 As the cases of Thailand and Malawi show, in the application of OVOP movement(more accurately, OVOP projects) in government level, the guidance and participation ofpolitical elite such as President and Prime Minister play a very important role. And also
in the local level, governor and local councilors have strong influences on theimplementation of OVOP movement. In this respect, the cooperation and participation
by politicians of central and local level is said to be the key to success of OVOP
movement.

However, it is necessary to keep an eye on political participation, since

OVOP movement and regional development can be political tools.

 If African countries apply OVOP movement as a government project just like Thailand, they will be successful only when OVOP movement is adopted as a core
government project and enough resources can be allocated with aid from donors.
(7) Market
 In Africa, finding market is difficult for unique products developed in local areas. Oita
case was originally designated for domestic market while Thai case is mainly sought forexport market. But in African cases, both domestic market and export promotion havedifficulties.
 For export market, (1) access to market and competitiveness, (2) infrastructure, (3)fluctuation in price and market demand are some of the problems. To compete in thedeveloped countries’ market, it is essential to maintain the competitiveness in the price,
quality, package, and unique characters of products. And the deadline for shipping withcertain level of quantity is also important. Moreover, there are problems in safety andenvironmental impact in the case of processed food and agricultural products. Quite ahuge amount of investment will be necessary for entering into global market. As
mentioned above, insufficient development of infrastructure such as transport andcommunication in Africa are disadvantageous conditions for competing in theinternational market. Not only the above mentioned conditions of supply side, but theconditions of demand side such as fluctuations in price and demand in the international
market are also problems for Africa. In the areas where their economy is dependent on
specific products, enterprises and residents are vulnerable to the change of market
environment.
 With relation to domestic market, because of the low buying power by the people,
market scale is limited and demand is not sufficient for developing many products.
Moreover, domestic market is not mature so that there is not big demand of uniqueproducts. In other words, people will buy any product as long as its functions are thesame. However, increase in population and progress of urbanization in many Africancountries has been expanding the scale of domestic market especially in urban areas.
Even under such circumstances, remote rural areas may have less competitivenesscompared to suburban areas where procurement of raw materials and access to market
are easier to obtain.
 To solve all the problems in domestic and export market mentioned above, it isnecessary to improve technology in production process for product quality including
packaging. Investing human resources and material resources in the strengthening ofmarketing process, and preparation of channels transmitting the standard andregulations of food safety and demand trend of the market are also important. To fulfill
these tasks, assistance from government and donors will be necessary. Especially forexport market, cooperation with private sectors such as trading companies, foodcompanies, supermarket, which know conditions, requirements and demand trend of
the export market will also be an effective way.
(8) Community-based organization (CBO)
CBO is assumed as an agency of local economic development (LED). OVOP movement
is the movement of community-based organization, so that CBO has a central position
in OVOP movement. Together with the mainstream of participatory development since
1990’s in Africa, community-based organizations have been formed not only in projectsof NGOs but also in rural development, health, education, gender-projects for women ingovernment projects.
 In various places of Africa, in addition to community-based organizations organizedfor development by government or NGOs, there exist CBOs of mutual aid associations /organizations which are voluntarily formed for the welfare and economic purposes. The
latter are traditional organizations based on kinship such as Klan and on shared
territorial bonds. Those organizations have modern saving and insurance functions, andare used when people need money for education and medical treatment with a shift to amonetary and market economy. Many of them have introduced European concept oforganizational structures which consist of secretariat, chairperson, secretary andtreasurer. Many of those traditional organizations are for welfare and social purposes,
and only a few of them are for the direct purpose of production. However, some groups ofwomen have recently been engaged in poultry farming for the purpose of getting money
for school or medical fees.
 The smallest unit of local administration such as “village” is often community-based
as well. In some countries, traditional “King” or “Chief” is coexistent with or part offormal local administration.
 Furthermore, there are many community-based organizations which are formed onreligious bonds such as Islamism or Christianity.
 It is therefore vital to make use of and get along well with traditional community-based organizations, those based on religious ties, and existing organizations andinstitutions of traditional rulers when OVOP movement is implemented for regional
development.
 Some community-based organizations which have been set up by government, donors
and NGOs are for development purpose. Others are engaged in production like OVOP
movement; for example, income-generating activities of women’s groups such as poultry
farming, pig raising, group store-running and cultivation. Many of the organizations
that are set up in relation to support or a project of government are merely beneficiariesand not active stakeholders. They are often brought to a halt soon after a close of the
support.
 Agricultural cooperatives were often treated as subcontractors of a project ofgovernment by African countries after independence. In relation to that, some of themwere also entitled to exclusive privilege of purchasing coffee and the like. In the courseof democratization and economic liberalization since 1990’s, cooperatives have been set
free from the intervention of government. They have also been deprived of protection
and privilege of government, and consequently have been exposed to free competition.
As a result, they have been forced to fail or to rebuild. New cooperatives are beingorganized as well in the present political and economic environment.

2㧚Possibilities for Japan’s Cooperation(1) Cooperation in OVOP movement That local promotion is local community economic development led by local people
does not mean that local promotion is attainable exclusively with local resources, butmeans that it is indispensable to get institutional assistance, advice and financial
support from outside. In this regard, such cooperation as ODA should play a certain rolein local promotion. Cooperation for OVOP movement, however, should involve
contradiction in a way; since OVOP movement should be movement and therefore
should have autonomy as a principle, introducing or pressing OVOP would be
impossible. That is, some movement should already exist as endogenous development
before the introduction, and outsiders should just offer indirect support. Regarding
OVOP movement not as a government project but as movement led by local people
would entail that the partner of cooperation is local people and local government. It
follows that cooperation for central government, which has been the main stream of
ODA, would be ineffective or inadequate.
 In fact, OVOP movement introduced in many of the developing countries is being
implemented as a project of central government while they express participation of local
people and the key role of private sectors. In this sense, cooperation in OVOP movement
might seem to be within a category of an aid “for central government”. However, unless
an aspect of “movement by local people” is discarded, an aid “for central government”
would imply a support for local people and local government “by way of central
government”.
 International cooperation by NGO/NPO and that of local government level will also be
important in view of the fact that One-Village One-Product movement originated inlocal government of Oita prefecture, and the fact that such organizations as NPO Oita
OVOP International Exchange Promotion Committee(Oita Isson-Ippin Kokusai
Kouryuu Kyoukai), NPO Oita Personal Training and Regional Cultural Interchange
Association(Oita Jinzai-Ikusei, Chiiki-Bunka Kouryuu Kyoukai) are finding wider
application of OVOP movement internationally.
(2) Interpretation of OVOP concept into African context
 In cooperation of Japan in OVOP movement in Africa, what should be considered firstis how Japan plans to widen the application of the movement and is involved in it. As
was mentioned at the beginning of this section, if OVOP movement is originallyendogenous movement, pressing Africa to accept OVOP movement is a contradiction.
What is important is that African countries, local people there in particular, start the
movement. And then Japan can introduce and spread it as an important part ofcooperation in rural development and local promotion. Contrary to Asia, which getscomparatively easy access to information about Japan, Africa, where European
countries, former suzerain states in particular, have exerted strong influence, has
limited access to information on OVOP movement. Considerable efforts will be thus
needed to offer Africa the information. As above mentioned, because the term is easy to
be misunderstood and there is a wide range of understanding of OVOP movement,
sharing the same understanding is a precondition of introducing OVOP movement.
 What is the most important in cooperation regarding One-Village One-Productmovement is to make the philosophy of OVOP movement understood rightly; it ismovement of regional development or “mura”(village)-“okoshi”(development), and its
principles are autonomy, originality, human resources development, to think globallyand to act locally.
 As above mentioned, OVOP movement is an effective means of rural development andregional development in Africa, so that broadening the application of OVOP movement
is of significance. Successful projects and aid in Asia, however, cannot ensure thatOVOP movement will succeed in Africa as well; there is a wide difference in many
respects between Africa and Asia. Therefore, in cooperation of Japan in OVOP
movement in Africa, it is requisite to define the conditions of each African country andthen to consider a suitable plan and implementation for the country concerned.
(3) One-Village One-Product as a nation-wide project and a pilot project in a region
 In applying OVOP movement to Africa, Japan’s cooperation and involvement depends
on whether it will be introduced as a nation-wide project of central government or it will
be implemented in a region on a small scale.
(a) Cooperation in OVOP movement as a nation-wide project of central government As above mentioned, nation-wide implementation as a project of central government costs both central and local government considerable amount of resources inbudget and staff. As the case of Malawi shows, if a country in Africa plans to implement nation-wide OVOP movement, the government would fail to cover all the requisite resources on its own and would need to ask for a JICA project at the same time,even though the government expresses a lot of devotion and commitment. Malawi isthe only country in Africa which is fully implementing OVOP movement. It is therefore important for other African countries to learn from examples in Malawi, for thoseexamples surely give them some valuable suggestions. As the case of Malawi, prior toa full-scale start, considerable amount of time and resources is needed to prepare fortraining in Oita prefecture, inspection and exchange in some countries such as Japanand Thailand, support for settling on a plan and a guideline, support for formation ofa pilot project and for examination of feasibility, dispatch of experts to those areas

above, and so on.
(b) Trying to spread OVOP movement by way of cooperation in an existing project ofgovernment As the case of Ghana, when a project like OVOP movement is already being implemented, it is possible to develop the project into OVOP movement.
(c) Deciding on a model area for a pilot project Judging from the capacities of African governments, implementation of OVOP
movement as a nation-wide project of central government could lay a lot of burden onthem as referred to above. It might also lead to a deviation from essential
characteristic of OVOP movement led by local people to a top-down project.
Consequently it is suggested to decide on a particular area or a local government as amodel for a pilot project. In Mongolia and Malawi, such a pilot project was conducted
before nation-wide introduction of OVOP movement. This can be applied to other
African countries as well.
 What should be absolutely avoided in the formation of a pilot area is to make it
successful by intensive resources and support. That is because such a way mightcause a problem of sustainability that a project does not continue after a close of
support, or a problem of replicability that a project does not spread in areas where
there is no such intensive resources.
(4) Constituents of cooperation for OVOP movement
 Constituents of cooperation for OVOP movement are as follows.
(a) Support for exploring the unrealized and/or underutilised resources of each region
and for creating unique products of the place࡮support for finding local resources It is the support for helping local people and local government to be aware of
local resources of their own. It will be attained by participatory inquiries such as
those about local resources and culture, and Participatory Rural Appraisal.
(b) Support for human development
 Human development is one of the principles of OVOP movement, so thatcooperation in human development also plays a crucial part in cooperation in OVOP
movement.
࡮nurturing people’s talents for “chiiki”(regional) “zukuri”(promotion)
 In human development it is vital to train those who are determined tocontribute to ”chiiki”(local) “zukuri”(promotion). In other words, it is essential totrain leaders in “mura”(village) “okoshi”(promotion).
࡮training women and the young It is also important to train women and the young. As was mentioned, womenplayed an active role and formed life improvement groups in OVOP movement inOita. Women and the young should be taught the way local women take partin ”chiiki” (regional) “zukuri” (promotion), administrative support, and a change
in understanding as to gender in a family.
࡮support for enhancing the capabilities of local people and community-basedorganizations
 In order to enhance the capabilities of local people and community-basedorganizations, we can provide local talented people with support for study,
training and exchange of experiences. This support includes leaders training,technical training, support for organization building and network formation. We
can also provide support for dispatching trainees to Oita prefecture (for example,
reception into “rural economic promotion (One-Village One-Product) “ in Oita), to
Asian countries such as Thailand which have implemented OVOP movement,
support for exchange of experiences at home and within Africa, and so on.
࡮training advisers on OVOP movement
 In order to train advisers on OVOP movement, it is suggested to support local
people, administrative officials of local government, Agricultural Extension
Officers.
࡮support for the formation of network It is suggested to support exchange of experiences, cooperation with universities and research institutes, to provide information, and to help build up aconnection among associations, groups and enterprises.
࡮support for the formation of organizations of local people The formation of organizations of local people enables poor farmers as passive
beneficiaries to become active and autonomous in development works. This
formation also makes it possible what an individual cannot do. Formation andsystematization of groups of farmers is therefore important. Formation andsystematization of groups is expected to bring about such effects as (1)acceptanceof large order, (2)strengthening external appeal, and (3)exchange of information.
(c) Support for product development࡮improvement in capabilities in entrepreneurship: technical training and seminars
for expansion of knowledge for the purpose of beginning a business࡮promotion of production: training of producers for better production technique,management and accounting
࡮arrangement of circumstances for raising micro-scale companies and entrepreneurs
 To sell products, the arrangement of circumstances is crucial; support forcommercialization of products, providing market information, support formarketing and market research. Securing a market and marketing strategy are
key factors in rural industry development. It is important to secure distributionchannels in export market and in cities where a large and constant demand is
expected.
 When marketing strategies for African countries are prepared, we shouldcarefully make sure that the products made by each related group do not compete
among themselves in the international market.
࡮expansion of a market by fairs and exhibitions
 It is a good idea to bring together local specialties and to hold an exhibition of
OVOP movement. Planning and management for the exhibitions is supported. It
is also useful to make good use of “Agricultural Shows” already held in many ofAfrican countries; providing operating groups with support, setting up the OVOP
movement section, making use of commendation.
࡮training on standards and regulations
 It is important to acquire knowledge on domestic standards of food safety andthe like, on regulations of export destination, and on how to cope with them.
Training is requisite for these purposes.
(d) Financial support
 Initiating fund is supported as part of support for establishment of a business. It
includes support by way of microfinance.
 In OVOP movement in Oita prefecture, arrangement of financing system by prefectural government played as crucial a role as technical support did. In Ghana, it is sodifficult for small-scale enterprises in a village to raise an initial investment fund or aworking fund from a bank or a government agency that they have to be self-preparedor borrow money from their relatives. Such a tendency is widely seen in other Africancountries as well. Therefore, in OVOP movement in Africa, financial aid andarrangement of financing system is important for establishing a business, and thus
cooperation in this area is essential.
 It is universally agreed that access to fund is the severest restriction for SMEs
including micro-scale ones, informal sectors and the poor in developing countries.
This is one of the backgrounds why microfinance and micro credit have been
spreading throughout the world since 1990’s. Financial support or financial service is
indispensable for cooperation in OVOP movement as well.
 In addition, a lack of enough education and of publicity work might lead to amisunderstanding that OVOP movement is another kind of financing system in rural
areas. In the financing of microfinance type to OVOP movement, we should makesure that OVOP movement might not be undersized into a kind of financing project ormight not be misunderstood as such. If financing is necessary, fund should be
provided by some other distinct organization. It is also needed to decide whatorganization or agency will provide a service of business development which is
involved in cooperation in OVOP movement, and to consider how the service will beoffered.
(e) South-South Cooperation (A-A Cooperation)
 Japan can support cooperation implemented in Africa by Thailand, the Philippines
and the like; Japan can help them with the training programmes in respective
countries.
(f) Cooperation in Japan Japan can increase market access for the processed foods or some products of OVOP
movement in African countries.

For example, their products of OVOP movement canbe advertised widely at an exhibition or a fare held in Japan.



One Village One Product Movement
䋭Towards Application to African Context䋭

29 August 2006

Yoshiaki Nishikawa(Nagoya University / JICA / JAICAF )Contents of Presentation 䋱䋮History of One Village One

Product Movement in Oita, Japan 䋲䋮Cases of Application andInterpretation of OVOP in
Developing Countries 䋳䋮Possibility of Further Application 䋴䋮Towards African Context

2

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1

Three Key Concepts of
One Village One Product Movement
 1. Think Globally, Act LocallyStarting from local activities, using local
resources with distinct local flavors andcultures, products were created andmarketed.
 2. Independence and Creativity
Local people / enterprises are key actors
and governments are supporters.
 3. Human Resource Development
Through communications, leaders were
facilitated and networks were created withchallenging spirits.
3

The Origins of
One Village One Product Movement
 Ex-Governor Hiramatsu of Oita Prefecture(District Chairman) advocated the
movement based on his face-to-facecommunication with local leaders.
 Movement aimed participatory local
promotion to keep local population in theprefecture.
 OVOP was not a policy but a movement
and not only to make specific products
but to create identity and local people’s
initiatives with strong support by local
government.

4

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2

The background of
One Village One Product Movement
 Concentration of economic activities andpopulation in industrial areas (Tokyo andbig cities.).
 Migration of young people to cities.
 Over-dependence of local areas on
national government for development.
+
 Return of Advocator Hiramatsu fromCentral Government as Governor
candidate.

5

Prototype of OVOP in Oita Oyama Town “New Plum and Chestnut

Movement” started in 1961.
 Due to the geographic conditions, it was
not possible to expand rice based
agriculture and increase its productivity,
which was national government policy atthat time.  Leaders and agric. coop.
decided to give up (commercial) riceproduction and introduced plum andchestnut trees.
 Next step was human resources
development through exchange.
6

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3

Prototype of OVOP Movement in Oyama䂾╙৻ᰴ䌎䌐䌃ㆇേ (“New Plum and Chestnuts Movement”)
Innovative conversion from traditional paddy
growing to development of commercial agricultural
product using geographical features and local
initiative movement 䋨1961--䋩䂾╙ੑᰴ䌎䌐䌃ㆇേ 䋨”Neo Personality Combination Movement”䋩
Innovative community revitalization movement bypromotion of HRD and social activities withpromotion of industries (1965 --)䂾╙ਃᰴ䌎䌐䌃ㆇേ 䋨”New Paradise Community Movement”䋩
Innovative activities of cultural promotion andimprovement of community life with economic
empowerment (1969 --)䋨slide made by Igusa, APU)
7

Examples of outputs related to OVOP









Human Resources developmentgroups and festivals to understand and revitalize local
resources
Facilities
parks, training facilities, information centers in big
cities, information networks etc.
Environment
natural forests, traditional landscapes, historicalbuildings etc.
Culturefestivals, traditional products including local recipes
Products
agriculture, fisheries, processed foods, flowers, NTFPs(+ even imported wine with local label)

8



4

List of Regional Principal Products

Slide made by Igusa, APU
9Local consumption of Local products䋨Today㵭䌳 Oyama)

10

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5

Contents of Presentation 䋱䋮History of One Village One

Product Movement in Oita, Japan 䋲䋮Cases of Application andInterpretation of OVOP in
Developing Countries 䋳䋮Possibility of Further Application 䋴䋮Towards African Context

11

Transfer of OVOP to
Developing Countries
 Thailand, Cambodia and many Asian

countries, Malawi and some countries inAfrica and Jamaica in Central America
introduced OVOP ideas either directlyfrom Oita Prefecture or through JICA andJETRO.
 Human Resources Development as overall
goal is shared by all cases.
 In practice, most cases emphasized the
products development to be marketedworld-wide, utilizing local resources
and/or local initiatives.
12

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6

One Tambon One Product䋨OTOP)
Project in Thailand








Background: global competitiveness and poverty
reduction as two major campaign slogans of thecurrent national government
Implementation: Top down implementation from
central government with participation of various
ministries and organizations.
Main Objectives : Local Link, Global Reach;
Employment and Income Generation; Solidarity andIndependence of Community; Conservation of
Traditional Technologies and Creative Thinking
Product Quality Control : OTOP product Champion(OPC) 3-5 stars for national and global markets

13

OVOP in Malawi
National project with strong initiatives by thepresident.
 Objective (government): To add values on
Malawi products, by developing capacity ofsmall scale farmers groups in processing,quality control and marketing.
 Objectives (JICA) : To establish systems
supporting community and people initiatives,
including OVOP secretariat thus contributing tohuman resource development. (paraphrased) In practice : Micro finance projects for groups
and organizations (mainly) for agro-processing
in rural areas.


14

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7

Problems encountered in OPOV
movement in Developing Countries
 Most cases concentrate on only making

specific products (especially mainly forexport) without much emphasis on
regional (community) vitalization.
 Initiatives by central governments aremuch strong compared with local
initiatives. (G-G base transfer) Shortage of capable leaders, institutional
capacities and coordination among
concerned government organizations.
 Movement is sometimes remained asmeans of political campaign.
15

Contents of Presentation 䋱䋮History of One Village One

Product Movement in Oita, Japan 䋲䋮Cases of Application andInterpretation of OVOP in
Developing Countries 䋳䋮Possibility of Further Application 䋴䋮Towards African Context

16

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8

Possibility and Implications forapplication

Decentralization as major movement for better governance :Implementation of OVOP needs strong local governments insupporting local initiatives and v.v.
 Technical support center set up by local governmentParticipatory Development as major means for sustainable
development : Implementation of OVOP provides greatchances for participation of various stakeholders.
 Local leaders and enterprises promoted positive perceptionof local resources

Market as driving power for regional vitalization
 Market expansion by setting up the enterprise specialized
in OVOP products.

17

Perception on Local Resources
Start from what we have :starting from what we are lacking will promotefurther dependence from outside (e.g. subsidies) People decide what to be utilized and produced:
making products and supporting such initiatives
by governments are different stages
 Stick to locality is important :without specific information on characters of
localities, products need to overcome
international competitiveness (e.g. motor cars orcomputers)


18



9

Extreme but Good Example =Utilization of Environment

19

Contents of Presentation 䋱䋮History of One Village One

Product Movement in Oita, Japan 䋲䋮Cases of Application andInterpretation of OVOP in
Developing Countries 䋳䋮Possibility of Further Application 䋴䋮Towards African Context

20

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10

Next step forward What will be OVOP in Uganda?

Some Questions for Next Step.
 Objectives of OVOP; SMEs, products orregions ?
 Responsible organization and Networks,
Central Government, Local Governments,
NGOs, CBOs and Residents?
 Target Market; Local, National or Global ?
 Evaluation Criteria; Process or Products(Outputs) ?
21

Possibility of assistance from outside
 Assessment for right balance between

OVOP as development movement and
OVOP as industry promotion.
 Assessment of local resources to be
utilised for OVOP by facilitating people’s
own initiatives.
 Capacity building of officials working for
OVOP including better local governance.
 Good and not so good practices in othercountries to be studied by officials andpeople.
2211Thank you very much for your attention.

This presentation explains the author’s personal views and not of
JICA or JAICAF ’s although some of the contents are based on
JICA / JAICAF and IDE/JETRO studies.
Special Thanks are to APO and Professor Igusa of APU forallowing me to use their slides.

23

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-$,&$)
Japan Association forInternational Collaboration ofAgriculture and Forestry
Akasaka KSA Bldg., 8-10-39 Akasaka,
Minato-ku, Tokyo, 107-0052, Japan
Tel: +81-3-5772-7880
Fax: +81-3-5772-7680

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