Eastern Africa Farmers Federation

Founded in 2001, Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF) was founded based on the need to strengthen mechanisms for regional collective action. The resurgence of the East African Community (EAC) and the emphasis on enhancing the Regional Economic Communities by the African Union presented a chance for farmer organizations to actively engage at regional level. EAFF members include apex farmer associations; co-operatives and commodity associations in 10 countries in Eastern Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania (Zanzibar), Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Djibouti, DR Congo, South Sudan and Eritrea).

In collaboration with FFF, EAFF is empowering smallholder farmers in East Africa to raise their climate change concerns at national and international levels, engaging more effectively in climate policy processes, including COP29 and beyond. The initiative focuses on amplifying farmer voices while implementing strategies for climate resilience at the local level. Activities include advocacy, knowledge-sharing, and the development of action plans that promote sustainable, low-carbon agricultural practices and unlock greater financial and technical support for climate adaptation.

The Panafrican Farmers Organisation

The Panafrican Farmers Organisation (PAFO)’s mandate is to be the voice of African farmers and undertake a coordinated approach to its interventions for sustainable food and agriculture, which meet the needs and expectations of Farmer’s Organizations (FOs) and the agriculture sector in Africa. The five regional networks of farmers' organizations of PAFO include the Eastern Africa (EAFF), Central Africa (PROPAC), Western Africa (ROPPA), Southern Africa (SACAU) and Northern Africa (UMNAGRI). Currently, PAFO has a membership strength of more than 80 million African farmers integrated into over 70 national organizations, unions, federations, cooperatives, associations, etc, present in more than 50 countries on the continent and united in its five regional networks operating in the heart of African agriculture.

With FFF support, PAFO aims to improve the capacity of farmers’ organizations to deliver landscape mitigation, adaptation, and climate resilience services that facilitate good agricultural practices. This includes implementing advocacy and partnership-building missions, promoting sustainable land management, and enhancing knowledge exchange. The program features a training plan to strengthen climate-smart capacities within member networks, with a strong focus on empowering women, youth, and minority groups.

Network of Farmers Organizations and Agricultural Producers of West Africa

The Network of Farmers Organizations and Agricultural Producers of West Africa (ROPPA in French) brings  brings together 147 grassroots producer organizations in 15 countries, each with its own national platform (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and two associated member farmer organizations- Cap Verde, Nigeria). Since its inception in June 2000 in Cotonou, Benin, ROPPA has emerged as a vital force for advocating and advancing family farming, the predominant production system in West Africa. With over 20,000,000 producers organized within the 13 national platforms, ROPPA encompasses representatives from diverse agricultural value chains, including crop production, livestock breeding, agro-pastoralism, agro-forestry, agri-food processing, fishing, and aquaculture.

In collaboration with FFF, ROPPA is strengthening the knowledge and capacities of farmers’ organizations in West Africa to influence climate, biodiversity, and natural resource governance at all levels. ROPPA builds on past achievements to promote participatory forest governance and sustainable community forest use as a pathway to climate resilience and food security. Activities include advocacy strategy development, regional trainings on global conventions, internal discussions and exchanges among members, and policy engagement with subregional institutions. ROPPA also promotes non-timber forest products to improve rural livelihoods and increase access to climate and biodiversity-related markets, with strong participation of women and youth in international events.

The Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions

The Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) is a regional membership-based farmers’ organisation, representing the common interests of farmers in southern African countries, through their respective national farmers’ associations, at regional and global levels. SACAU’s core membership consists of 19 national apex farmers’ organisations in 12 southern African countries (Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawai, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe).

Under its continued collaboration with FFF, SACAU works to strengthen the capacities of farmers’ organizations in the Southern African region for effective and inclusive engagement in multi-stakeholder climate change negotiation processes at national, regional, and global levels. SACAU is expanding its focus on climate resilience by organizing a Regional Workshop on Biodiversity for its member associations, aimed at building FFPOs’ capacity to engage in biodiversity-related policy processes. The initiative will produce background papers, a workshop report, and actionable recommendations to guide regional advocacy—advancing SACAU’s leadership in climate and landscape-level programs and promoting biodiversity integration.

Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development

Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) is an alliance of 22 national FFPOs in 16 countries with individual members of around 13 million in East, Southeast, South and Central Asia. AFA has been a partner of the Forest and Farm Facility since 2015 and its goal is to strengthen the capacity of the leaders and technical staff from national farmer organizations to aid in eradicating poverty and hunger, increasing resilience, and bringing about a sense of well-being for family farmers. AFA advocates for sustainable, resilient, gender and youth sensitive agroforestry-based livelihoods within the framework of the UN Decade on Family Farming. AFA strengthens cross-sectoral, multi-stakeholder policy with better representation from young farmers’ committees by organizing regional exchanges and supporting the development of communication campaigns to inform policy makers about recommendations to promote entrepreneurship among youth.

Through its renewed engagement with FFF, AFA is strengthening the advocacy and leadership capacities of forest and farm producer organizations to influence national, regional, and global climate policy processes. This includes preparatory work for UNFCCC COP30 and deeper collaboration within the FFCA and Farmers Constituency. AFA is also promoting direct farmer access to climate finance and supporting policy dialogues in its member countries. At the same time, it is documenting family farmers’ practices on biodiversity, climate adaptation, and land restoration to build a stronger evidence base for advocacy under the Rio Conventions.

The Pacific Island Farmers Organisation

The Pacific Island Farmers’ Organization (PIFO) is a network of farmers’ organizations that has been operating since 2008 and is an umbrella organization for national farmer organizations in 12 countries of the Pacific region, to coordinate capacity building, share success stories and the lessons learnt and support regional exchanges of expertise between farmer organizations and their associated private sector partners. Formally registered as a not-for-profit in 2013, they represent a vibrant and growing network of national farmer organizations, with 30 farmers organizations and 62 local farmers organizations that are increasingly changing the face of agriculture in the region. The secretariat is based in Nadi, Fiji with a satellite office in Honolulu, Hawaii.

With FFF support, PIFON is enhancing the capacity of Pacific farmer organizations to advocate for climate-resilient agriculture. Building on earlier activities, PIFON is delivering targeted training for its 30 member organizations, equipping them to integrate climate adaptation into their advocacy work. The initiative also supports Pacific farmers’ engagement in regional and global forums, particularly in accessing international climate and biodiversity financing. Follow-up actions will further strengthen FFPO voices in policy processes, while a dedicated Climate Change Adaptation Policy Toolkit will guide future advocacy and planning.

Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests

The Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests (AMPB in Spanish) is a space for coordination and exchange among ten territorial authorities that manage or influence the main forest areas of Mesoamerica. Indigenous governments and community forestry organizations in the Alliance seek to strengthen their own dialogues – focused on community management of natural resources – jointly seeking to influence governments and international cooperation so that strategies for biodiversity conservation and climate balance appropriately integrate the rights and benefits of indigenous peoples and forest communities.

In collaboration with FFF, AMPB’s Women Coordinating Body—active in key advocacy spaces across the region—is promoting policies that create enabling environments for grassroots enterprises. This includes the development of knowledge reports on territorial finance, which will support policy dialogues at COP30 and beyond by showcasing the potential of locally led financial mechanisms. In parallel, AMPB is advancing the Regional Gender and Climate Change Plan through the CMLT, to reinforce the role of Indigenous women leaders, enhance traditional agricultural practices, and build climate resilience across Mesoamerica.

Confederación de Organizaciones de Productores Familiares del Mercosur Ampliado (COPROFAM)

The Confederación de Organizaciones de Productores Familiares del Mercosur Ampliado (COPROFAM) was created in 1994 and is made up of ten national organizations from seven countries. In addition to these, it comprises ninety-seven other affiliates, including federations and confederations, and four thousand seven hundred and fifty grassroots organizations (unions, associations and other trade unions). COPROFAM represents about 4 million family farmers and indigenous people, who are members of first, second and third degree organizations.

Among its objectives is to represent the interests of its members, organize and support actions that generate better living and working conditions in rural areas; to participate in the preparation and implementation of sustainable rural development projects for the countries of the member organizations and, particularly, to strengthen the capacity of the organization and its members to intervene in the processes of dialogue with governments through participation, with capacity for analysis and proposals, clarity in definitions and political strategy and information.

Supported by FFF, COPROFAM is working with its 10 national member organizations to strengthen policy dialogue and advocacy on climate adaptation and mitigation in family, peasant, and Indigenous agriculture. The initiative includes training workshops for farmers’ leaders on sustainable agroecological and organic production systems suited to family farming, a climate policy diagnostic, a communications plan, and the development of a COP30 concept note to mobilize international climate finance. With a focus on agrobiodiversity, land restoration, and resilience, the project empowers family farmers to shape future climate policies and access financing mechanisms.

Inter-Continental Network of Organic Farmer Organisations

The Inter-Continental Network of Organic Farmer Organisations (INOFO) is a global leading organic farmers’ network. INOFO fosters a new connection among established associations of Organic farmers, harnessing the potential of a bottom-up, farmer-led approach. INOFO aspires to excel FFPOs as the key change agents in delivering climate resilience landscape and improve the livelihoods.

INOFO organic member FFPOs are present in 6 countries in Asia, 15 in Africa, 24 in the Asian Pacific, 3 in Latin America, 2 from North America and 27 in Europe. With the worldwide diversity of organic farmers growing a variety of crops, INOFO already contributing to one of the major solutions needed for climate-friendly, sustainable food systems. Harnessing the diverse skills, knowledge and connections of its members, INOFO devises strategies to ensure food security for present and future generations. Through advocacy, it champions shared objectives related to food sovereignty, including concerns like public policy, farmers' land rights, climate resilience, production standards, marketing negotiations, research, training, and education. INOFO also focuses on engaging youth in professional platforms to preserve social and environmental well-being in communities. Lastly, the organization aims to raise awareness about the challenges faced by small-scale organic farming by openly addressing the global realities farmers encounter.

With FFF support, INOFO is promoting peer-to-peer knowledge exchange among organic farmer organizations across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. The initiative strengthens INOFO’s Knowledge and Competency Library to support advocacy on climate-resilient and socio-economic farming systems. It also defines and promotes livelihood and business models tailored to women and youth, enhancing market access, financial resilience, and the visibility of good practices across member FFPOs.

World Rural Forum

The World Rural Forum (WRF) is made up of family farming federations and organizations and promotes family farming and sustainable rural development. Its work focuses on the fact that women represent an average of 43% of the agricultural labour force in developing countries but constitute less than 20% of landholders, and that almost 80% of the world’s extreme poor live in rural areas and work in agriculture. WRF groups entities that represent over 35 million family farmers.

WRF works with 10 member farmers’ organisations in five continents:

• Northern Africa (UMNAGRI, Union Maghrébine et Nord Africaine des Agriculteurs)
• Central Africa (PROPAC, Plateforme Régionale des Organisations Paysannes d'Afrique Centrale),
• South and East Africa (ESAFF, Eastern and Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers’ Forum and REFACOF, Réseau des Femmes Africaines pour la gestion Communautaire des Forêts)
• West Africa (CRU-BN, Coordinación Regional de usuarios y usuarias de los recursos naturales de la Cuenca del Níger)
• Central America (PDRR, Programa de Diálogo Regional Rural; AACARI, Agriculture Alliance of the Carribean)
• South America (COPROFAM, Confederación de Organizaciones de Productores Familiares del MERCOSUR), and
• Asia-Pacific (AFA, Asian Farmers Association, and PIFO, Pacific Island Farmers’ Organization).

With FFF support, WRF is scaling up efforts to ensure strong and coordinated representation of family farmers’ organizations in the lead-up to COP30. Rooted in the UN Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF), the new LoA builds on WRF’s advocacy experience to strengthen FFPO participation in global climate dialogues. A Pre-COP30 Family Farming Summit and targeted follow-up actions will empower farmers to influence negotiations, shape climate and biodiversity policies, and enhance access to climate finance. The initiative contributes to better representation in cross-sectoral policy processes and expands FFPO engagement in landscape-level climate action.