Activities
Policy and Legal Framework
NEDAC offers a neutral platform for dialogue on agricultural cooperative development issues including policy, legislation and decision-making by bringing together government decision-makers and cooperative leaders.
Member institutions of the network meet once every two years for a General Assembly to discuss the programme of work for the coming biennium focused on:
promoting cooperative policy frameworks of member counties with a focus on legislative reforms, enterprise development, building and strengthening institutional capacities of agricultural cooperatives (including fishery, livestock and forestry);
sensitizing governments on the need for promoting the role of agricultural cooperatives in agricultural and rural development for improved rural food and livelihood security
ISSUES
Lack of coordination among government cooperative development agencies operating with limited budgets and different orientations; lack of decentralized decision-making to facilitate farmer demand-driven cooperative development.
Outdated cooperative legislation, not covering all cooperative sectors, not always giving due recognition to cooperatives as membership-based, self-reliant organizations, and their specific needs as small-scale rural SMEs.
Inadequate institutional capacities for capacity building on cooperative business development by small-scale farmer cooperatives, women’s and other rural poor groups.
Rigidness in national development policies allowing for increased import of subsidized food in response to urban demand.
2010 – NEDAC EXCOM-2010.
2009 – NEDAC-General Assembly
2007 – Meeting of NEDAC Executive Committee, Bangkok.
2006 – NEDAC-General Assembly, New Delhi.
2003 – NEDAC General Assembly, Kathmandu.
2001– NEDAC General Assembly, Beijing.