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Activities listed on this page:
FAO-GTZ MicroBanking System
FAO is the global centre for development, maintenance and support of the
FAO-GTZ MicroBanking System, or MBWin. This Windows-based software is the
successor to the DOS-based FAO MicroBanking System that has more than 1 400 users
worldwide. MBWin, although relatively new, currently has more than 100 users in 13
countries, of which 9 are in Asia. The global centre employs eight experts who
are responsible for supporting the users and for development of new features and
facilities in the system. The MBWin programme is largely self-financed as users
have to purchase a license to use the software in a production environment. For
evaluation purposes, a demonstration system can be
downloaded here (about 140 MB)
free of charge. Various licensing schemes cater to a range of institutions
from small, single-office projects or non-governmental organizations to large
branch networks of microfinance institutions or commercial and other types of banks.
An electronic brochure with the system’s features and facilities can be
downloaded here (about 3 MB).
The software covers a large number of financial products and
services (loans, savings, current accounts, time deposits and share accounts).
It has a general ledger module that produces profit and loss statements
automatically on a real-time basis and the balance sheet at the end of the
day or upon request. It has a powerful client module and reporting facilities.
A multicurrency module is also available; branch connectivity facilities
are currently under
development.
Improving rural banking services
in Indonesia
Project assistance for improving rural banking services is an example of
capacity building in support of the FAO-GTZ MicroBanking System (MBWin).
The project aims to train local Indonesian experts to install and support the
MBWin system in rural banks (Bank Perkreditan Rakyat, or BPR). Two pilot BPRs were
installed and their staff trained. The local experts have received local as
well as international classroom and on-the-job training and one of the local
experts has carried out an international assignment under FAO’s
Technical Cooperation between Developing Countries (TCDC)
programme. The project’s counterpart is Bank Indonesia (the Indonesian Central Bank),
which participated to provide specifications for reporting formats and which is host
of the project office. An institution or company, which will charge BPRs for the
software and services provided, will be established to employ the local experts.
Project on introduction of the FAO-GTZ MicroBanking System in Yemen
The project has introduced the FAO-GTZ MicroBanking System (MBWin) in two
branches of the
Cooperative and Agriculture Credit Bank (CACB) in Yemen and will establish
a management information system (MIS)
in the head office. Branch automation and the head office-based MIS will
vastly improve the speed, quality and quantity of information available
for management to make decisions in the areas of loan appraisal, financial
management, risk management, budgeting and planning. The project has also
introduced proper accounting and audit practices in CACB and intends to
reduce operating costs to a level that will allow the bank to become a
financially sustainable, rural financial institution that can in future
operate without government subsidies. Branch automation with MBWin will
be the catalyst for the entire restructuring of CACB because the automation
process will require major revision and streamlining of current practices and
transaction processes within the bank.
As part of the project's activities, the MBWin software was translated into Arabic.
Asian Development Bank funded project on microfinance information technology
systems in Timor-Leste
Within this project, FAO assisted with the establishment of the
Instituição de Micro-Finanças de Timor-Leste (IMFTL) through technical
assistance and training for the FAO-GTZ MicroBanking System (MBWin) and
a head office-based management information system (MIS). The IMFTL engages
in group-based microfinance, employing Grameen methodologies and also provides
microfinance services to individuals. During the project, three branches were
opened, more than 29 staff were trained, branch procedures and savings and loan
products were designed and manuals prepared. Additional products can be added
as required. The IMFTL mobilized more than US$1 million in savings within 15 months.
Training courses in support of the FAO-GTZ MicroBanking System
Quarterly training courses, with four to ten participants each,
are conducted at the MBWin Global Support Centre in Bangkok. In 2004
two courses were conducted and in 2005 FAO will organize courses in May,
August and November.
Afghanistan: Sustainable agricultural livelihoods in Eastern Hazarajat (SALEH)
The SALEH project aims to develop the capacity, opportunities and mechanisms
necessary to achieve sustainable improvements in the agricultural livelihoods
of the people of the Eastern Hazarajat. The project strengthens the institutional
and human resource capacity in communities, local government agencies and
non-governmental organizations;
promotes food security and opportunities for income generation and employment
through better resource management; and contributes to the scaling up of lessons
learned and participatory planning at the province and district levels.
The major outputs of the project include: increased capacity for community
level action to improve agricultural livelihoods and resources management;
improved capacity of government and non-governmental organizations to support
community level action; and
improved common property management, more productive and sustainable farming systems and the
diversification of livelihoods.
Bangladesh: Sustainable livelihoods development of urban poor through
improved urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) systems
This project is a fully integrated component of the UNDFP (UN-Habitat)
Local Partnerships for Urban Poverty Alleviation Project (LPUPAP) for Bangladesh.
The project is based on the LPUPAP's community planning approach that encourages
poor urban groups (community development committees) to identify and manage
appropriate UPA development activities. It is in a "pilot" or first phase, with
methodologies and testing approaches being developed and will have
much wider application over
time in other urban areas. The project addresses the issues of inappropriate
beneficiary and local support organization skills through the provision of short
and long-term technical assistance that emphasizes the development of sustainable
and replicable institutional and technical interventions. The major outputs of the
project include: assessment of indigenous knowledge and skills and the identification
of technical improvements in existing practices and new enterprise opportunities;
and the design and conduct of a trainer of trainers identification and delivery of a
UPA extension activities training course.
Philippines: Philippines-Australia technical support for agrarian
reform and rural development (PATSARRD)
The PATSARRD project aims to improve the economic and social conditions of agrarian
reform beneficiaries (ARB) of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP)
of the Philippines. The project uses a farming system development (FSD)
planning process to identify and integrate agrarian reform community (ARC)
plans with the local government and provincial planning process. The project supports
the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and other agencies in the implementation of
strategies to rationalize, integrate and institutionalize the delivery of support
services to the ARCs. An important element of the project is to directly raise the
incomes of the ARBs through: the improvement of farm and non-farm productivity of ARB
households; the provision of enhanced technical, agribusiness and marketing skills and
establishment of enterprise development models that foster sustainable linkages
between ARBS and agribusiness firms; and strengthening ARCs to engage in
entrepreneurial business operations and expanded access to microfinance services.
Afghanistan: Alternative agriculture livelihoods programme (AALP)
The AALP is a five-year project of a long-term initiative, which together with
complementary interventions in law enforcement will lead to the sustainable
elimination of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. Agriculture is recognized as
both a major engine of economic growth and a source of livelihood for the majority
of rural Afghans. The project aims to consolidate the actual and potential role of
agriculture as a source of alternative livelihoods in current policies, strategies
and action plans and assist in the sequencing of alternative livelihood and law
enforcement interventions. The AALP provides technical support and related capacity
building to the Ministry of Agriculture and its various line agencies and assists in
guiding subsectoral programmes, such as those dealing with horticulture and livestock
development, towards positive impacts on counter-narcotics as well as development.
Afghanistan: Rehabilitation of the sugar industry in Baglan
The Baglan Sugar Factory (BSF) in Afghanistan is currently being rehabilitated by a
consortium which includes
the Ministry of Light Industries and Foodstuff (MLIF), the German Society for
Investments and Development (DEG), the German private firm KWS SAAT AG and three
private investors from Afghanistan. FAO is providing technical and managerial
expertise to support the organization and initial operation of the BSF supply
chain. These activities will be instrumental in setting up the general organizational
framework for the existence of a reliable source of raw materials to BSF,
at the same time benefiting the local rural population through agricultural
diversification, enhanced incomes and the creation of on and off-farm employment
opportunities. The project is geared to the definition of the organizational
framework for family farmer integration into BSF’s supply chain, including
strengthening farmers' organizations. The cornerstone of the framework will
be the definition of a model contract to regulate the technical and commercial
relationship between farmers and the factory. FAO will assist factory managers
in the definition of appropriate contract specifications regarding agronomic,
managerial and pricing aspects of sugar beet cultivation and delivery.
To ensure that small farmers supply sugar beets meeting specific quality
requirements, a factory-based farming extension service will be set up by
BSF with FAO's assistance. In close coordination with BSF management, FAO
will assist in enabling small family farmers' access to farm inputs and
agricultural mechanization services in the project area.
Farm business management schools (FBMS)
Small-scale farmers increasingly have to adapt their farm businesses to market
changes, improve efficiency and increase profitability to take advantage
of new opportunities that arise. Farming is becoming a much more competitive
business and farmers are being compelled to become better managers in order to survive.
Given this context, the purpose of this initiative is to develop a farm business
management training curriculum for farmers to improve their decision-making skills
and capacity.
The FBMS and the materials produced are based on the Farmer Field School
concept of adult ‘learning-by-doing’ to deliver capacity building to farmer
groups. The set of training materials are for use by facilitators of farmer
groups and the farmers themselves to strengthen their management decision-making
skills and capacity.
The purpose of the FBMS manual is to:
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Enable farmer leaders to organize and work in small groups to build collectively
their capacity to produce for the market and respond to market demands |
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Become a catalytic resource material to support the work of extension workers
and rural development practitioners to assist farmers in moving towards commercial
farming |
The training programme is convened once a week or once a fortnight, depending on the
unique situation of the target group and each session lasts for approximately
three hours. The sessions consist of small group discussions, demonstrations,
practical exercises and fieldwork as the case may demand. Other methods of capacity
building methods include: farm visits, study tours, identification of best practices
and market surveys.
The FBMS is a season-long programme structured in three phases:
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Farm enterprise identification and planning guide |
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Farm enterprise season guide |
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Review and follow-up planning guide |
The first phase is conducted prior to planting and is concerned with presenting
some of the concepts of farm management and preparing a plan of action for the year.
The second phase is flexible in use, and is largely unbound by the seasonal timetable.
Selection of topics to be covered depends on the interests of the farmer members.
Possible topics could include farmer contracts, farm consolidation, resource-sharing,
inheritance and risk management.
Project in Cambodia to empower vulnerable groups through training in village
level food processing (TCP/CMB/2902)
A project to assist vulnerable groups in Cambodia – women, disabled persons and
demobilized soldiers – and their families was recently completed.
The aim of the project was to assist in the social and economic integration of
vulnerable groups and their families into rural community life by improving their
skills in micro-enterprise management and marketing in small-scale food processing.
The project set up a "National Village Processing Training Centre" for training of
trainers and demonstration of food processing techniques for agricultural products
such as solar drying, frying, salting, sugaring and juice/wine making. The training
has equipped the participants with the essential skills in food processing, economics,
marketing and business management so that they are able to preserve and process their
agricultural crops for their own consumption and for income generation.
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"Smart Extrusion" conference and exhibition
One recent activity carried out in support of agro-industry and post-harvest management
was the organization and participation in the “Smart Extrusion” Conference and Exhibition
in December 2003 held at Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand.
The programme was designed to give professional delegates an insight into extrusion
technology applications – for making a range of value-added nutritious foods having
cereals and legumes as ingredients – for the
successful development, production and marketing of extruded food and feed products.
The main themes covered in the conference included the development of
extruded foods and feeds in Asia-Pacific; formulation of extruded food and feed products
in the region; and nutritious, value-added and weaning foods formulation and processing.
The conference achieved the objective of promoting extrusion technology
in the Asia-Pacific region. It is a very suitable technology for enabling
value-addition to be carried out on otherwise low-cost ingredients, mainly grains and legumes.
The final products are nutritious, readily marketable as they are light weight,
easily transported, need no refrigeration and handle easily due to their uniform shape.
Products are made into e.g. weaning foods, also animal, poultry and aqua-feeds,
all in considerable demand in the region.
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