Author Herbel, D., Crowley, E., Ourabah Haddad, N. & Lee, M.

Year of publication 2012

New forms of institutional innovations have emerged recently to provide a response to the numerous constraints that small producers face in rural areas. These innovative organizations and institutional arrangements can provide small producers an array of services including improving market access and strengthening small producers’ negotiating power, enhancing access to and management of natural resources and improving access to information and knowledge. They are also an effective means to empower small producers by helping them build their capacity to formulate and express their needs and concerns within their organizations and vis-à-vis influential economic actors and policy-makers. To overcome the numerous constraints small producers face, effective and efficient rural policies are needed to create the enabling environment in which producer organizations can thrive. Raising policy-makers’ awareness about the important role small-producer organizations (POs) play is critical to achieving this goal. This publication reviews and presents a number of practical examples of successful institutional innovations that show how critical constraints can be overcome. The publication then draws on main lessons learned from institutional innovations that have improved food security and small rural producers’ livelihoods. This analysis, which outlines a holistic approach, aims to improve understanding of how organizations evolve, empower small-scale producers and contribute to food security. The intended audience of this publication includes development practitioners and all those who support organizational development in rural areas, including research institutes, producer organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and development agencies.