In line with the activities in support of the national dialogue and to enrich the political strategy in terms of agricultural and rural development, a second workshop was held on May 26, 2016 in Alger, by the National Chamber of Agriculture.  

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This event, entitled “Production chains, integrated agricultural poles, and territory-based clusters”, involved a number of key actors invested in the organisation of territories and integration of production chains: civil society (associations, farmers, agricultural cooperatives …), actors in the field of research, central and decentralized public services of the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as the departments of fisheries and rural development (MADRP), and diverse international organisations (FAO, OIT …).     

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The group discussions revolved around two main axes: 

• The development and reinforcement of the agricultural cooperative system as a territory-based organisational tool; 

• The establishment of integrated agricultural poles and territory-based clusters. 

 

Following the presentation on the notion of integrated agricultural poles, and clusters as well as the main founders of agricultural cooperatives, different experiences of actors from cooperatives were presented and discussed.   

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These exchanges have helped in identifying preliminary information essential to the establishment of the pole or cluster: the organisation of actors in production chains, the reinforcement of their different groups, creating synergies between interventions and re-grouping of farmers. The acquired experiences in the different regions show that these structures are not in position to creating, on their own, territory-based dynamics but they can provide support to an existing movement.   

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Different recommendations were suggested, which were largely approved by the participants:  

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• The role of public authorities should be clarified under a clear strategy supporting the territory-based organisations of actors and cooperatives. If the state does not directly intervene in the management of agricultural cooperatives, which should remain in the hands of professionals, it is still essential for it to be present for these organisations in order to enhance their development (accrediting cooperatives, technical and financial certification, training and support system based on a local institutional entity…);  

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• If the Algerian legal framework related to the cooperatives seems, today, to be complete for practical implementation, the work aiming to regroup and reinforce the coherence in the decrees and letters which are the basis for a revisited law should be undertaken; 

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• The contractual relations between producers (notably organised in cooperatives) and end of the production chains actors should be developed and structured in a more balanced framework.  

 

The national reflection taken on the theme of producers’ organisation, taking into account the importance of agricultural cooperatives and the position of the states’ intervention in its favor have, served for the establishment of the Terms of Reference of a study that will develop this theme in the upcoming months.