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The purpose is to implement joint strategies to support smallholder and medium farmers of staple grains through WFP’s Purchasing for Progress (P4P) initiative and FAO’s Central American Agri-Food Chain Project.
Tegucigalpa, April 8, 2014 - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) representatives Pasqualina Di Sirio and María Julia Cárdenas Barrios, signed a memorandum for a technical partnership that will contribute to strengthening the capacity and market integration of small and medium family producers of staple grains in Honduras. Both agencies have the common objective to improve the food security of farming families and reduce poverty. This is done through initiatives such as P4P driven by WFP and FAO's Agri-Food Chain Project. P4P promotes increased agricultural production and market development in developing countries, while the Agri-Food Chain Project works on improving the trade of agricultural products and assisting in the development of efficiency within the value chains that are selected to participate. The aim of the collaboration is to establish a partnership between the UN agencies. The partnership between WFP and FAO will have a more effective and advantageous impact on the smallholders and medium farmer beneficiaries in the departments of Yoro, Comayagua, Olancho and El Paraíso.
The selected value chains are those that are focused on staple grains (beans and maize). Through the interagency partnership, marketing strategies will be developed to improve nutrition and food security in the selected departments.
Objectives of the Partnership • Train farmers in effective production processes, increase productivity through the appropriate use of agricultural inputs and increase productivity and efficiency of smallholder and medium producer's farms. • Empowering smallholder farmers and cooperatives, in developing systematic means of direct marketing in the production of staple grains in order to improve commercialization. • Develop and implement joint training workshops on issues of quality control and safety, GMP, and SSOP. The trainings will also focus on the use of media (internet and mobile), negotiation methodologies, associative marketing, business management and finance. • Develop manuals on manufacturing for both organizations and for the Government of Honduras. • Strengthen the value chain of staple grains through added value strategies that have been launched by SAG. • Implement business seminars, trade shows, and coordinate an interagency trade forum.
FAO and WFP are the United Nations agencies responsible for ensuring food and nutrition security of the most vulnerable groups in Honduras.
