1) Do you believe that governments should make efforts to promote migrants’ and returnees’ investments in agribusinesses in rural areas with high labour out-migration rates? What should be the role of other stakeholders (NGOs, academia, international organizations, donors, etc.) in promoting such investments?
The theme is a bit complex. On the one hand, the theme is simple. Some governments have no or clear migrant integration policies. Within this framework of support for the programs of member countries, FAO and the other partners should support the respective governments in defining the overall strategy as well as the short and medium term strategic objectives. These strategies will, among other things, relieve congestion in densely populated rural areas and promote their integral development. Stakeholders and NGOs should make their potential contributions to the defined strategic framework: food security, infrastructures related to their fields in coordination with local authorities. The national partners will facilitate access to credit via the associations or cooperatives created.
2) According to you, what are the pros and cons of matching grant programmes? What should be taken into consideration for their promotion and deployment?
Matching grants allow groups to acquire grants that they could not have: guarantees and endorsement. On the other hand, if the counterparties do not guarantee access to credit, the latter will not meet the criteria for subsidies.
3) What other models or approaches would you recommend to promote investment of remittances in agriculture and agribusiness? Do you think these are preferable to matching grant programs, and if so, why?
Grouping into cooperatives, access to land ownership, technical support for drafting funding requests adapted to the directives of institutions or funding bodies as well as preferential or promotional interest rates for the sectors to be promoted: agri-livestock, crafts, small trade.
M. Severin Rurihafi