Global network of farmers markets | FAO Food Coalition | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Countries involved

Ghana
Italy
Norway
United States of America

National institutions

Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies (Italy)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italy)
United States Department of Agriculture (USA)
Ghana Central Regional Coordinating Council - Department of Food and Agriculture (Ghana)

Non-state actors

Coldiretti Fondazione Campagna Amica (Italy)
Centro Studi Divulga (Italy)
Farmers Market Coalition (USA)
Bondens Marked (Norway)
Central Regional Apex Farmers Association (CRAFA, Ghana)

Time frame

2021-2026

Background

Negative impacts of the pandemic on blue food systems and value chains linked in particular to the development of aquaculture result in decrease in national production and export of farmed products. This, in turn, affects job creation, food security and the empowerment of youth and women in this sector.
The Near East and North Africa (NENA) sub-region is striving considerably to build back and support recovery efforts. It remains an arid sub-region for natural resources and this, combined with factors such as high population growth, urbanization and decrease in land productivity, the degradation of natural resources, constitutes a threat to countries in that sub-region and their food systems. In addition, unemployment, particularly for women of all ages and young people, represents a critical issue. Water scarcity, small-scale agriculture, food waste, building resilience for food security and nutrition, fisheries and aquaculture all constitute national priorities that this project will contribute significantly to.

Objective

Supporting small-scale farmers for inclusive and sustainable agrifood systems

The project aims at promoting diverse farmers’ market models and collective mechanisms to engage small-scale producers in sustainable agrifood systems as agents of economic, social and environmental sustainability.To reach this objective, the project will work on developing a worldwide network of farmers’ markets while providing support to farmers and their representative organisations in the form of capacity development programmes. Support will also be provided to countries and institutions for the promotion of an enabling policy, legislative and institutional environment for farmers’ markets to operate, through policy dialogue initiatives and review of regulatory and institutional frameworks. Moreover, progress, knowledge and best practices and their impacts will be monitored, analysed and compiled in a global report to share the learning and give visibility to the importance of farmers' markets in inclusive and sustainable transformation of agrifood systems.

Activities

Creation of a platform and network on farmers’ markets for dialogue among stakeholders, knowledge exchange and dissemination, and on-line training.
Development and implementation of an advocacy and outreach strategy for connecting with different stakeholders and farmers’ markets.
Mapping of existing farmers’ markets models and good practices.
Review and analysis of relevant legal and institutional framework and support to policy dialogue and policy development.
Appraisal of collective mechanisms, organizational capacities, and capacity needs.
Capacity development programmes for farmers and associations.
Data gathering, synthesis, documentation and dissemination of results through a global report and advocacy events.