A new initiative led by IIED is generating lessons on how rural producers, their associations and their wider communities can best be empowered to articulate their development priorities, make informed choices, and negotiate effectively for equitable partnerships with progressive private sector actors in commercial agriculture. 

This webinar, part of the 'Empowering Producers in Commercial Agriculture (EPIC) project, shared and debated experiences of supporting small-scale farmers in the Philippines and Zimbabwe in their negotiations with companies.

This was the first in a series of events organised under EPIC, which is funded by UK aid from the UK government through its Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness (CASA) programme. CASA seeks to increase economic opportunities for smallholders by demonstrating the commercial viability of businesses with significant smallholder supply chains and by attracting more investment into the sector.

This online seminar was designed for civil society organisations in low- and middle-income countries that want to support communities whose livelihoods are affected by natural resource projects.

The webinar was convened by IIED and is part of IIED's work on 'Legal tools for citizen empowerment', a collaborative initiative that aims to help local communities protect their rights in relation to natural resource investments.