devinitorg/iati-policy-markers huggingface dataset:
Networking, knowledge exchange with partners and allies The IFOAM-Organics International advocacy team mapped the scene and produced a policy gap analysis of all four project countries. Strategic discussions took place with the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) on presenting the case of organic agriculture as a tool to address poverty, food security and nutrition in Africa at the FARA Science Week in October 2019. Knowledge exchange meetings with a view to align efforts with Agronome et Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (AVSF) on the ‘Support Project to the Agro-ecological Transition in West Africa' were organised at UNFCCC COP24. Meeting the Steering Group of the Decade of Family Farming in FAO to discuss our possible involvement including showcasing results of the OM4D project. Participation at the launch event in May 2019 and the preparatory conference in March. Networking with civil society organisations based and/or active in the 4 countries on agriculture-related issues at UNFCCC COP24 in Katowice. Preparations for UNEA-4, where governments, including to discuss issues on SDG12, i.e. responsible consumption and production, for which OM4D is of great relevance. Meetings are planned with governments as well as civil society organisations in the 4 countries to hold them accountable on their commitments towards organic farming.Networking with various organisations and donors working in projects related to agriculture and poverty alleviation at CFS46.At WAOC 2019 we exchanged views and had vibrant discussions with a broad range of stakeholders ranging from farmers and grassroots organisations to high-level policy makers in the countries, ECOWAS and the AU. It assisted us in refining our advocacy plans both at the country and the regional level.
Advocate for public policies that support OA in the 4 countries The recognition of PGS as an M4P tool is progressing thanks to the work under component 2. For example, government representatives from Ghana, Togo and STP have participated in the PGS trainings, and therefore got sensitised about the benefits of PGS. The Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) , of which STP is a member, in collaboration with the FAO representation in Portugal, is interested in PGS as an M4P tool. The CPLP countries played a key role in the negotiations that led to the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly approving the Decade of Family Farming (2019-2028). Through contacts in STP in the framework of OM4D, IFOAM - Organics International has been invited to participate in discussions on how to further promote PGS as a tool for market access supporting sustainable family farming in CPLP. IFOAM - Organics International is therefore currently liaising directly with CPLP and FAO Portugal to expand PGS activities and recognition more broadly. As part of the strategy commonly adopted to support and promote family farming in the member states (currently nine), governments in CPLP have taken up the commitment to review or establish an appropriate regulatory framework and to support PGS for quality assurance within the CPLP. The IFOAM Policy Brief on How Governments Can Support and Recognise Participatory Guarantee Systems has been revised with up-to-date information and is now available in English and Portuguese. A French version will be ready in the next quarter. This document is useful for stakeholders to advocate for public policies that support OA in general, with a focus on the role of PGS and the domestic market. At the 4th UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) held in Nairobi in March 2019, we had bilateral exchanges with ministers and ministry experts of the four project countries to raise their awareness on the opportunities for smallholders linked to OA in the region. In Togo a concept note by MAPAH on the development of the organic sector was shared for comments with stakeholders in February 2019. IFOAM – Organics International submitted detailed comments including recommendations to remove some of the activities suggested (e.g. the establishment of a local certification body). The workshop held in December 2019 built on the work of MAPAH in the development of the concept note, aimed to advance the process, build knowledge and capacity of stakeholders on organic policy, support the ministry to identify priority interventions and to establish a good dialogue with the private sector in order to ensure that the final policies adopted will be efficient and effective in supporting the organic development.
Development of a common strategy The development of a common strategy has begun in Year 2 of the project, where the stakeholders' meetings are focusing on further developing the National Action Plans based on the needs and priorities identified in the stakeholders' analysis. Of crucial importance is also the establishment of a communication culture that will allow stakeholders’ exchanges and recognition and integration of various needs coming from various stakeholders’ groups. This communication culture will ideally outgrow the life duration of our project and will contribute to further developing the organic sectors in the four countries. The stakeholders' meetings are currently being utilised in order to explore the communication strategy and the future development of the NAPs, with Burkina Faso and Togo being already very advanced in the process.
Akvo Flow Training The Akvo Flow Training was organised in Ghana on June 1, 2018. The training was provided for the project coordinator and Inusah Issah from Agro Eco Ghana. Inusah will supervise the Akvo flow dash board and supervise the monitoring of questionnaires for the baseline and end line studies.
Identification of enumerators and design of baseline questionnaire. The design of the baseline questionnaire was finalised and all the enumerators identified in all four project countries. When possible, the local OM4D teams were selected to act as enumerators in order to get a more in-depth understanding of the specific value chain challenges and the monitoring of the results. The baseline questions are attached to this activity.
Excursions to exemplary PGS sites Excursions abroad are foreseen to principally take place from late Y2/early Y3 onwards once PGS stakeholders in the OM4D countries collected first experiences with PGS processes and can best profit from a learning exchange. In Ghana preparations for an excursion to visit PGS in South Africa have been initiated in April 2019 by the Market-Oriented Agriculture Programme (MOAP) of GIZ in Ghana. MOAP has a source of funding from outside the OM4D project. The PGS team of OM4D is supporting the excursion, e.g. by helping so select sites to visits and connecting the MOAP team with PGS experts in South Africa. Also the participants foreseen by MOAP to join the excursion are the members of PGS committee in Ghana that is supported/initiated by the OM4D project including the OM4D PGS Coordinator in Ghana. In project year 3, the organisation of the two PGS visits continued, with a visit planned for Burkina Faso during the last week of March 2020, and another visit planned for South Africa during 4 -11 May 2020. The PGS visit in Burkina Faso has been unfortunately postponed due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, and it is very likely that also the South African trip will need to be postponed for later this year.
Setting up a website within IFOAM-OI website This activity was converted into developing 4 different websites in all the project countries. To date, the websites in Burkina Faso, Togo and Ghana are finalised.
Hiring of PGS local coordinators The hiring of PGS advisors took place in Burkina Faso, Togo, Ghana and Sao Tome and Principe. In Ghana a call for the position was sent out after the PGS initial training in June 2018. In Sao Tome a call for the position was sent out after the PGS training in May and the selection process was finalised in August 2018. In Burkina Faso, it was agreed to cooperate with CNABIO who is coordinating the existing functional PGS initiative. CNABio subsequently added another member to the existing PGS team. In Togo, Lazare Yombi from Benin was hired as a consultant to deliver the initial PGS Training. After the training, he continued to be employed as a consultant to perform assessments of the most promising PGS initiatives. Subsequently, also in Togo the recruitment process was finalised, with the employment of a local PGS Advisor completed by December 2018. Currently, in all four project countries the of PGS advisors recruitment process has been finalised.
Advocate for pro-organic trade regional policies Ghana: A national organic standard was developed in the framework of PGS Ghana with technical support by IFOAM - Organics International and based on the East African Organic Products Standard. Some revisions are expected after the first year of usage of the standard and it is foreseen to carry out an FoS assessment of the Standard in 2020/2021 to ensure that the standard follows all objectives and requirements of organic standards. The recognition of national standards like the Ghana Organic Standard in the FoS helps countries to accept each others standards/products and carry out regional trade of organic products. Togo: Several local organic initiatives that are looking into adopting PGS in Togo have had participatory discussion on organic standard based on the East African Organic Standard which they adapted to fit the local conditions. It is foreseen to carry out joint workshops to consolidate the initiatives into having at least a common standard and a common logo. Once a common Standard is available and applied a FoS assessment can be carried out. STP: The IFOAM Standard has been partly translated by the PGS initiative in the country, but there is currently no discussion about adopting regional standards. In the framework of CPLP there is interest in developing regional (inter-CPLP countries) trade of produce from small farmers, adopting agricultural practices based on agroecology. Burkina Faso: COROS evaluation of the CNABio standard was done. The process of FoS approval is still under way as feedback is pending from CNABio.
1.2.2. OLC Ghana, Togo, BF, STP The first face-to-face session of the Organic Leadership Course took place in Ghana between 21-29 April 2018. The objective of the course is to form a new generation of organic local leaders who will contribute to developing the local sector. A total number of 21 participants took part to the first residential session. The main training topics revolved around institutional management, communication, organic value chain, organic services and development, but also an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of the organic sector. The second face-to-face session took place in October 2018. As part of the graduation process, the participants have created development plan in one of the directions that were explored during the course. Following a competitive selection process, the best three development plans have received a mini-grant of 3000 Euros each. The winners of the grants were announced during the graduation ceremony which took place end of October 2018. The selected projects include a public policy development plan, an organic agriculture training initiative and the set up of a demo farm. The OLC Togo and Burkina Faso were also finalised at the end of 2019, and 3 development plans per country were funded with 3000 euros each. The STP OLC has been scheduled for April 2020, but due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, it will be postponed to a later date.
Stakeholder analysis (Stocktaking of institutions involved in the organic movement, including a mapping of development programmes) The activity aims at stocktaking of institutions (formal or informal) that are engaged in the organic movement the four project countries. The analysis includes work processes, relations and power positions among the different relevant organisations. The methodology chosen for the stakeholder analysis was the Rapid Appraisal of the Agricultural Knowledge System (RAAKS) - a participatory action-research type of approach. RAAKS methodology allows stakeholders to map the sector by tracing functional interactions among the actors but also by developing solutions to overcome the identified challenges. The categories of actors that were analysed included producers, processors, input suppliers, service providers, technical partners, certification bodies, donors, academia, policy makers, consumers and platforms, which provided a very comprehensive view of the organic sector. In regard to the current blockages and the respective solutions, these were grouped in three categories: development of domestic market, development of the export market and the strengthening of the organic sector. For every category a sub-set of challenges was identified, together with the proposed solutions and the actors in charge. Thus, the RAAKS methodology bridged the stakeholder analysis to the NAPs that will start being developed in the second project year. Another important aspect is that many of the actions to be taken were attributed to the current or future national movements, which was also a useful exercise to reflect on the role these national institutions should play in developing the sector. As a general conclusion, there were many similar solutions to a relatively homogeneous set of challenges identified in all four project countries, but also some notable differences like for example the Ghanaian stakeholders focusing more on the strengthening of the sector, and the Togolese focusing on the internal markets. These first directions will be observed and analysed during the next stakeholders’ meetings, since they will play an important role in shaping the existing and/ or future national movements. The stakeholder analysis was finalised in all four project countries.
Implementation of consumer campaigns, promotion at farmers' markets, leaflets, media Consumer awareness activities are planned to take place primarily once PGS-verified products are available. Nevertheless some activities are already starting in some countries. In Ghana, the PGS advisor organised a booth to present the PGS and OM4D at the 1st Agribusiness Fair & Conference in West Africa, Upper West Ghana on 14 and 15 March 2019. Also an article about organic and PGS has been written by the OM4D communicator and published in the Business and Financial Times Newspaper. In Togo the local team made a presentation of organic agriculture and PGS at SIALO (Salon International de l’Agriculture et de l’Agroalimentaire) on 9 October in Lomé. In addition the PGS advisor attended 2 meetings (October and November) of a newly founded consumers association in Togo (Synergies pour la souveraineté alimentaire et la consommation locale au Togo (SSACLOT), where he presented PGS. In Sao Tomé and Príncipe the local OM4D team participated in the annual national agricultural fair on 30 September 2019 with a stand about the project showcasing the PGS initiative. Flyers were distributed, policy makers visited the stand and one member of the local OM4D team was interviewed by the local media covering the event. Consumers were targeted in two ways: provision of information on PGS (what it is, the STP PGS initiative, benefits for the local market) and collection of data for assessment of consumer awareness. In Burkina Faso the CNABio team develops numerous communication activities as part of their regular work: radio spots, social media communication, the organisation of a yearly fair, regional and local seminars etc.
Training of VC coaches This activity is ongoing, since the communicators/VC coaches are trained during the missions of the O3 lead expert based on the identified needs and specific situations. In the first project year, 1 VC coach was trained in Ghana, 1 VC coach in Burkina Faso, 2 VC coaches in Togo and 1 VC coach in STP. At end of project year 2, the following VC coaches were trained and employed directly by the project: 2 VC coaches in Ghana, 3 VC coaches in Burkina, 2 VC coaches in Togo and 5 VC coaches in STP. The VC coaches have trained during Project Year 2 a series of 60 VC actors. The value chain coaches together with the lead expert have been organising during the second project year a series of specific workshops on specific value chain developments, where the VC coaches have also contributed to the training of the participants. Thus, around 80 VC actors were additionally trained in the four project countries.
Bolivia (Plurinational State of): COVID-19 (COVAX) Bolivie (État plurinational de): COVID-19 (COVAX) Gavi with Alliance partners UNICEF and WHO is coordinating the development and implementation of AMC COVAX, the financing instrument that will support the participation of 92 lower-middle and low-income economies in the COVAX facility. The COVAX AMC is critical to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, regardless of the income level of beneficiaries. This activity includes the infrastructure and technical support necessary to make sure COVID-19 vaccines can be safely delivered to all those who need them. Gavi is also part of the health systems work of the ACT-Accelerator effort, focusing on areas where it has expertise and experience, such as cold chain. Gavi avec les partenaires de l'Alliance, l'UNICEF et l'OMS, coordonne le développement et la mise en œuvre de l'AMC COVAX, l'instrument de financement qui soutiendra la participation de 92 économies à faible et moyen revenu à la facilité COVAX. Cette garantie de marché est essentielle pour assurer un accès équitable aux vaccins COVID-19, quel que soit le niveau de revenu des bénéficiaires. Cette activité comprend l'infrastructure et le soutien technique nécessaire pour pouvoir livrer les vaccins COVID-19 en toute sécurité à tous ceux qui en ont besoin. Gavi participe également aux travaux sur les systèmes de santé dans le cadre du Dispositif pour accélérer l'accès aux outils de lutte contre la COVID-19 (Accélérateur-ACT). This activity details our work on COVID-19 (COVAX) in Bolivia (Plurinational State of) through the provision of budget and transaction data.  We also provide the relevant documents that guide these activities, which are the support request proposal(s) provided by the Government of Bolivia (Plurinational State of), as well as the decision letter(s) issued by Gavi, for progress.  These documents describe the activities, the objectives as well as the beneficiaries. Cette activité détaille notre travail sur le COVID-19 (COVAX) en Bolivie (État plurinational de), grâce à la mise à disposition des données budgétaires et des transactions. Nous fournissons également les documents pertinents qui guident ces activités que sont les formulaires de demande de soutien fournis par le gouvernement de Bolivie (État plurinational de) ainsi que les lettres de décisions émises par Gavi, pour progresser. Ces documents décrivent les activités, les objectifs ainsi que les bénéficiaires.
Guinea-Bissau: COVID-19 (COVAX) Guinée-Bissau (la): COVID-19 (COVAX) Gavi with Alliance partners UNICEF and WHO is coordinating the development and implementation of AMC COVAX, the financing instrument that will support the participation of 92 lower-middle and low-income economies in the COVAX facility. The COVAX AMC is critical to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, regardless of the income level of beneficiaries. This activity includes the infrastructure and technical support necessary to make sure COVID-19 vaccines can be safely delivered to all those who need them. Gavi is also part of the health systems work of the ACT-Accelerator effort, focusing on areas where it has expertise and experience, such as cold chain. Gavi avec les partenaires de l'Alliance, l'UNICEF et l'OMS, coordonne le développement et la mise en œuvre de l'AMC COVAX, l'instrument de financement qui soutiendra la participation de 92 économies à faible et moyen revenu à la facilité COVAX. Cette garantie de marché est essentielle pour assurer un accès équitable aux vaccins COVID-19, quel que soit le niveau de revenu des bénéficiaires. Cette activité comprend l'infrastructure et le soutien technique nécessaire pour pouvoir livrer les vaccins COVID-19 en toute sécurité à tous ceux qui en ont besoin. Gavi participe également aux travaux sur les systèmes de santé dans le cadre du Dispositif pour accélérer l'accès aux outils de lutte contre la COVID-19 (Accélérateur-ACT). This activity details our work on COVID-19 (COVAX) in Guinea-Bissau through the provision of budget and transaction data.  We also provide the relevant documents that guide these activities, which are the support request proposal(s) provided by the Government of Guinea-Bissau, as well as the decision letter(s) issued by Gavi, for progress.  These documents describe the activities, the objectives as well as the beneficiaries. Cette activité détaille notre travail sur le COVID-19 (COVAX) en Guinée-Bissau (la), grâce à la mise à disposition des données budgétaires et des transactions. Nous fournissons également les documents pertinents qui guident ces activités que sont les formulaires de demande de soutien fournis par le gouvernement de Guinée-Bissau (la) ainsi que les lettres de décisions émises par Gavi, pour progresser. Ces documents décrivent les activités, les objectifs ainsi que les bénéficiaires.
Papua New Guinea: COVID-19 (C19 Programme) Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée (la): COVID-19 (C19 Programme) Gavi with Alliance partners UNICEF and WHO is coordinating the development and implementation of AMC COVAX, the financing instrument that will support the participation of 92 lower-middle and low-income economies in the COVAX facility. The COVAX AMC is critical to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, regardless of the income level of beneficiaries. This activity includes the infrastructure and technical support necessary to make sure COVID-19 vaccines can be safely delivered to all those who need them. Gavi is also part of the health systems work of the ACT-Accelerator effort, focusing on areas where it has expertise and experience, such as cold chain. Gavi avec les partenaires de l'Alliance, l'UNICEF et l'OMS, coordonne le développement et la mise en œuvre de l'AMC COVAX, l'instrument de financement qui soutiendra la participation de 92 économies à faible et moyen revenu à la facilité COVAX. Cette garantie de marché est essentielle pour assurer un accès équitable aux vaccins COVID-19, quel que soit le niveau de revenu des bénéficiaires. Cette activité comprend l'infrastructure et le soutien technique nécessaire pour pouvoir livrer les vaccins COVID-19 en toute sécurité à tous ceux qui en ont besoin. Gavi participe également aux travaux sur les systèmes de santé dans le cadre du Dispositif pour accélérer l'accès aux outils de lutte contre la COVID-19 (Accélérateur-ACT). This activity details our work on COVID-19 (C19 Programme) in Papua New Guinea through the provision of budget and transaction data.  We also provide the relevant documents that guide these activities, which are the support request proposal(s) provided by the Government of Papua New Guinea, as well as the decision letter(s) issued by Gavi, for progress.  These documents describe the activities, the objectives as well as the beneficiaries. Cette activité détaille notre travail sur le COVID-19 (C19 Programme) en Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée (la), grâce à la mise à disposition des données budgétaires et des transactions. Nous fournissons également les documents pertinents qui guident ces activités que sont les formulaires de demande de soutien fournis par le gouvernement de Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée (la) ainsi que les lettres de décisions émises par Gavi, pour progresser. Ces documents décrivent les activités, les objectifs ainsi que les bénéficiaires.