Kenya, Ghana, Senegal and The Gambia share experiences on reducing rural poverty through South-South Cooperation

Last December 2017, Kenya hosted a regional workshop to share successful experiences on poverty reduction. The event brought together for the first time the three African Knowledge Exchange Platforms, and their representatives from Kenya, Ghana and Senegal.  

Participants from the four African countries including Gambia as a special guest, gathered to learn from each other how to reduce rural poverty. “When it comes to helping our poor rural people, we tend to look for knowledge far away, but in reality the knowledge is closer to us than we think. What I have learnt in these four days it’s been like a three-year course” said Charles Macharia, Chairman of the Community Tree Nursery Growers Association of Kenya (COTNGAK).

Main ingredients to reduce poverty

In Kenya, social protection is playing a key role in tackling poverty, as highlighted by Richard Obiga, Programme Officer at the National Social Protection Secretariat. The country is now discussing with FAO how to expand the coverage to rural areas, where most of the poor and hungry live. Social protection is also high on the agenda in Senegal, where it represents a strong component of the national policies for rural poverty reduction.

Kenya is also sharing its knowledge on rural poverty reduction with the rest of the countries through a series of farmer-to-farmer exchanges organized by FAO through the Forest and Farm Facility programme (FFF). This exchange is a concrete example of South-South Cooperation, which helps countries learn from each other through knowledge sharing and field visits to successful producer’s organizations. It is also an opportunity for policy change in support of small farmers, as government representatives participate in the exchanges.

In Kenya, the FFF has already helped over 3 000 producers, transforming small farmer groups with limited capacities and non-business orientation into promising associations that offer a wide range of services to their members. “It was surprising to see, in particular the job creation and empowerment of communities in territories that were almost abandoned in the past,” said Cherno Gaye, participant from The Gambia, commenting on the experience of Kenya.

The Gambia played a special role as invitee, explaining how rural communities in the countries are benefitting from the FFF. Kenya and the Gambia discussed common challenges faced in the implementation of the programme and shared mutual advice on how to overcome these obstacles.

Members of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection of Ghana presented several national programmes and strategies aimed at empowering rural people as a strategy to end poverty. “We have been amazed by the empowerment of women and the increase of youth employment achieved by Ghana thanks to these policies, especially through the training offered to rural people,” said one of the participants from Kenya.

The event left participants wanting more. They stressed the need for more exchanges, recognizing the role of the Knowledge Exchange platforms as a tool for experience sharing, and as a catalyst for the knowledge available in each of the countries.

The Knowledge Exchange Platforms

The Knowledge Exchange Platforms (KEPs) were created in 2016 between the FAO Strategic Programme to Reduce rural poverty and the South-South Cooperation Unit, to foster exchange of knowledge and best practices on poverty reduction between China and three countries in Africa: Ghana, Kenya and Senegal, and neighboring countries. The first step to facilitate these exchanges was to map existing policies, strategies and programmes that contribute to rural poverty reduction in each country. These good practices are now being promoted in countries facing challenges with regards to rural poverty. This innovative approach puts developing countries at the center of the exchanges, seeing them as providers of South-South Cooperation to neighbor countries rather than simple recipients. Thanks to the project, countries are now organizing knowledge exchanges, including study tours, workshops, exchange of officials and international events.

The Forest and Farm Facility

The Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) programme was launched in 2014 to help forest and farm producer organizations build their organizational and productive capacities, increasing their bargaining power and make their voice be heard in policy process.

Exchange visits have become a key tool within the FFF to allow forest and farms producer organizations from different countries and regions involved in the programme to share knowledge, successful experience and good practices on agriculture and the sustainable management of natural resources.

Since 2014, FAO has supported several exchanges in-country and between countries, involving more than 300 participants, including representatives from producer organizations, governments, national institutions and key stakeholders. In 2016, the Knowledge Exchange Platforms included FFF as part of the portfolio of good practices to be promoted.

Read more on the FFF farmer-to-farmer exchange