This publication represents the work of a host of collaborators, many of whom gave freely of their time. While it is impossible to acknowledge everyone who has been involved in this enterprise, we would like to thank particularly:
- First and foremost, the many SFDP and PPP project field staff who helped to nurture and develop small farmer group networks. They are the ones "on the front line" who helped create - and, hopefully, will benefit from - this manual.
- Cameron Clark, the former FAO coordinator of SFDP in Asia, who led case studies on small farmer networks in Sri Lanka and Zambia.
- Sudath de Abrew, former manager of the PPP project in Sri Lanka and Deputy Director of the Small Farmer Group Development Unit of the Sri Lankan Ministry of Agriculture, who conducted similar studies in Indonesia and Nepal (ably assisted in Nepal by Kalash Pyakuryal).
- The more than 400 participants in our global e-mail conference on small farmer group associations, the resource persons who helped guide and stimulate the discussions: Peter Oakley, Norman Uphoff, Gerrit Huizer, Colin McKone, Verona Groverman, Cameron Clark, Sudath de Abrew, Bernard Van Heck, Christine Kahanda, Antoine Fayossewo, Otto Hospes, Rosantan Panjaitan, and Thorgeir Lawrence, who moderated the conference and helped prepare the detailed draft outline on which this manual is based.
- Last, but not least, those who provided valuable and substantive comments on the draft of this manual - Enrique Andrade, Christine Kahanda, Eric Koper, Masood Ul Mulk, Pekka Jansen and especially Bernard Van Heck - and to the publication production team: Graeme Thomas (editor), Giulio Sansonetti (layout) and Leonardo Ferri (illustrations).
John Rouse
Senior Officer
FAO Rural Institutions and Participation Service
