Search for cases of successful and innovative efforts that strengthen linkages between policy design and small-holder interests in different areas across the agriculture value chain.
The study examines the role CSOs could play in coalescing highly scattered rural people in developing countries and elevating their voices in the policy arenas. It also discusses the type of ecosystem needed for the mushrooming of CSOs that cater to the specific needs of rural people.
Participatory processes in policy making have been touted as critical for designing and promoting agricultural strategies in Sub-Saharan Africa. But such approaches have been criticized as not being inclusive enough or having limited scope. This case examines why some participatory approaches to agricultural research and policy have yielded little or no tangible results and discusses a range of measures to overcome this conundrum.
It is becoming increasingly clear among researchers that views of farmers, especially in developing countries, are not considered when policies are being made. “Farmers have a voice when their preferences, perspectives, knowledge and needs are considered.
Roundtables have been adopted since the beginning of the millennium by Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other institutions to promote inclusion. Representatives of the World Wildlife Fund in 2003, launched multi-stakeholder initiatives, and one of the first of these was the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) to define sustainable agricultural practices in Indonesia.