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Empowering Farmers and Transforming Societies: A Decade of Impact
Organized farmers created one of the cornerstones for the development of Finnish society and the modernization of agricultural practices. In 1917, the Central Union of Agricultural Producers of Finland (Maa- ja metsätaloustuottajain Keskusliitto – MTK), was founded to represent farmers in the society, to mediate labor disputes, and to improve the welfare of the rural population in Finland. In addition, to producers, the organization wanted also to represent all rural populations, including the landless. Gradually, MTK became an influential actor in Finnish society and politics, which contributed to the overall development of the society and truly to the welfare of the rural population. Our global food system faces several challenges today, climate change being one of the most serious ones; thus, the need for farmers to organize themselves remains as concrete as ever.
In recognition to the importance of civil society action plus the role that organized farmers can have in a society in sharing their experiences even as a solidarity act, MTK, together with the Pellervo Coop Centre, Pro-Agria, and the Central Union of Swedish-speaking Farmers and Forest Owners in Finland (SLC) proposed an organization to support their peers in global South. In 2012, a decision was taken to found Finnish Agri-agency for Food and Forest Development, FFD, which became active in January, 2013.
In 2023, FFD has been working for 10 years and it is time to take stock of our approach and results. During those ten years, we have supported farmers’ organizations and cooperatives in 11 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Moreover, FFD has supported global activities through AgriCord Alliance and has gained a solid position among the Finnish development organizations.
Even if agriculture is fundamental for food security and income generation, it is only one facet of rural development. Based on the Finnish experiences, FFD has supported both farming and forestry from its inception. In addition, when designing a collaboration with an organization, other actions needed to reach objectives, such as policy dialogue, land governance, and in general, collaboration with the government, are assessed. The Finnish expertise is channeled through expert twins who bring their knowledge on issues related to production, marketing, and finally, organizational development into the formula. The twins have demonstrated tangibly, that questions for any farmer in the global North as well as in the global South are very similar, and that the process of learning goes both ways.
Our global food system faces several challenges today, climate change being one of the most serious ones. Thus the need for farmers to organize themselves remains as concrete as ever.
Forest owners in Finland and in Vietnam ask the same questions: How do I get my seedlings to grow? Where to get the best price for my wood? What does a certification mean? Having acted as a twin has been a learning process for me and my organization as well. Economic trends pass the boarders. Demand and price development of timber is surprisingly similar between these two countries.
- Twinning partner for Vietnam forestry projects Rauno Karppinen, ex-CEO of Savotta Forest Management Association.
From the beginning, FFD became a member of the AgriCord Alliance, which unites similar kind of agri-agencies and the farmers’ organizations mandating them. By learning from our sister organizations, coordinating and co-designing, we have created a foundation for the FFD’s quality approach, which received a three-start recognition from the EFQM certification body in 2020. In this publication, we want to bring together the voices of different people who have participated in the path to show how farmers united can still bring stability, development, prosperity, and ensure sustainable use of natural resources that they manage.
FFD’s journey has been through some bumpy roads. The development cooperation in Finland went through budget cuts, funding has been heavily decentralized, the covid-19 pandemic stagnated field activities for some time, and the impact of climate change is felt increasingly. Finally, the Russian attack on Ukraine has destabilized international relations, redirected international finance, pushed energy, fertilizers, and food prices up, and has led to higher interest rates globally, all of which will have conse- quences on actors dealing with international aid. Therefore, FFD has learned to be an agile player from the beginning. On the other hand, the farmers’ organizations and cooperatives that we are working with, appreciate our support more than ever. Agility is also a skill needed by our partners to deal with climate change and other challenges. Thus, we believe that even if some of our partners become independent from our support, there is still a need for our support.
— Tiina Huvio, Executive Director of FFD
