Activities
Agricultural Cooperative Enterprise Development (ACED)
Cooperatives of small-scale agricultural and other rural producers provide an efficient and equitable way of organizing rural poor and building their capacities to start and run village-level enterprises based on farm and non-farm activities. Cooperative farm/non-farm enterprises enable rural poor to share business risk arising from adverse climatic and market conditions while improving their access to natural resources and credit as well as production and marketing services. Cooperative enterprises make it possible for agricultural/rural producers poor to bypass middlemen by linking directly with markets. The members of cooperative enterprises share business responsibilities and profits equitably. This is especially relevant as agricultural trade liberalization exposes small and marginal farmers and other rural producers to growing competition and risks.
There is need for national political commitment to create enabling conditions for agricultural cooperative enterprise development. In particular, this involves making cooperative business management autonomous of government and local political control. Agricultural cooperatives need capacity building support for development of basic entrepreneurship skills including business planning and marketing.
NEDAC, in collaboration with FAO and other partners promotes cooperative policy, legislation and institutional capacity building in support of ACED with emphasis on improving business planning and market information network capacities. NEDAC and FAO have collaborated on a number of activities in support of ACED including regional workshops, policy advocacy and exchange visits by agricultural cooperatives in NEDAC member countries.
2010
NEDAC Members Study Tour to CHINA. (Download Report)
2009
Seminar on National Policies and and Planning for development AGRI. Cooperatives at Bangkok, Thailand.
2008
FAO-NEDAC Regional workshop on “Role of agricultural cooperatives in response to the impact of natural disasters and climate change”; New Delhi. (Download Report)
2007
FAO-NEDAC Regional workshop on “Role of agricultural cooperatives in bio fuel development at community level for rural food and livelihood security”; Pattaya, Thailand. (Download Report)
2006
FAO-NEDAC Seminar on Fair Trade, New Delhi. (Download Report)
2004
Regional Cooperative Experts Meeting on Computerization to promote agricultural Cooperative Enterprise Development; Chiangmai, Thailand. (Download Report)
2003
FAO-NEDAC Regional Meeting on Agricultural Cooperative Enterprise Development (ACED); New Delhi.
NEDAC members’ exchange visit/study tour to India covering the Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Co-operative Management, Pune, selected cooperatives in Maharashtra, (Warnanagar Complex) and the ICDP-project in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
NEDAC Seminar on “Information technology and computerization of agricultural cooperatives with special reference to SME development and business planning”, Kathmandu.
2002
Initiation of a regional project on capacity building for cooperative enterprise development in collaboration with FAO. Cooperative policy makers, leaders and experts from China, India, Philippines and Thailand met at the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in February to finalize the project at a total cost of US$399 999.
NEDAC support to two FAO-initiated ACED activities – China Western Region Development and an experts’ meeting on rice farming in Asia.
2001
Round Table Meeting on Globalization and Liberalization: Challenges and Options for Agricultural Cooperatives in Asia; Bangkok.
Roundtable Meeting on Capacity Building of Agricultural Cooperatives to Meet Market and Human Resources Development Requirements; Beijing.