Following interactions with the regional office of FAO, proposition was made to work with El Salvador considering a rich data base and a strong policy interest on family farming. Various meetings were organized with FAO office in El Salvador FAO as well as with IFAD country program manager of El Salvador. Such meetings confirmed the interest to select El Salvador as a pilot country for the WAW initiative.   Notably, a meeting gathering FAO and IFAD colleagues both in headquarters and in the field was organized on the 8th of July and confirmed the timeliness and relevance of the WAW proposal in El Salvador and its work towards enhancement of data regarding typology of agricultural holdings. Indeed, there is a clear priority on family farming and interest in enhancing multi-stakeholders and multi-sectorial policy dialogue. A census on agriculture was conducted in 2007 with a very comprehensive coverage and interesting typology approach while further work has been done on definitions of family farms, but without comprehensive assessment. Such area of work is also a clear priority of both FAO country programming framework and interventions, and of IFAD country strategy.

Further discussions focused on the importance to well identify key stakeholders to be involved, and the need to involve existing multi-stakeholders consultative committees. A national consultant shall be hired to provide a first analysis of national situation and rationale of interventions based on stakeholders needs analysis and existing documentation. Such consultant shall also prepare a WAW mission to finalize of a joint plan of activities with key stakeholders. First elements of work shall be presented and discussed in a national workshop organized by IFAD on the 3rd week of November to present the new country strategic plan and upcoming project on rural transformations. Based on such vision, WAW has developed terms of reference to recruit the consultant as well as draft report to guide such inception assessment and formulation of action plan.