Following the presentation on the diagnosis of the Algerian cooperative system carried out by Olivier RIVES during the restitution workshop organised on 7 February in Algiers, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries (MADRP) requested to the ENPARD South Support Programme team  to draw a roadmap for a new dynamic of agricultural cooperation in Algeria.

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To this end, a workshop was held in Algiers on 22 March to discuss this diagnosis and to establish a roadmap and elaborate an operational methodology. More than 50 stakeholders from each wilaya were invited to discuss and formulate objectives and actions to be implemented. All the representatives of the various groups of the Algerian cooperative system were represented for this workshop (academics, private sector, chambers of agriculture, departments of the MADRP involved, Presidents and Directors of the cooperatives of Sétif, Blida, Biskra, Boumerdes, Sétif, Constantine, Algiers , Souk-Ahras, Tizi-Ouzou, Skikda, Batna...).

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During the first part of the workshop, Olivier RIVES carried out a new presentation on the diagnosis of the Algerian cooperative system in order to provide some context to the issue of the revitalisation of agricultural cooperation in Algeria. The debates in plenary session involving all the stakeholders mobilised gave the opportunity to deepen the analysis of the cooperative system in Algeria.

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In a second step, a working group composed of a dozen people involved in the Algerian cooperative sector met to draw a roadmap for a new dynamic of agricultural cooperation and determine a working methodology for this project.

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The working group agreed to consider the Chambers of Agriculture as the expected platform for developing action plans to revitalise cooperatives while taking into account the local specificities of each wilaya and capitalise on the living forces of the territories (farmers, technical managers, leaders and managers of existing cooperatives).

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In this way, animation units of the cooperative system including notably representatives of cooperatives will be set up in each of the chambers to develop an action plan to revive agricultural cooperatives. This plan should achieve the 10 objectives identified during the working session by adapting it to the context of each wilaya:

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1. Make a participatory diagnosis of the situation of existing cooperatives (mobilised assets, members, types of activities, turnover achieved, constraints and obstacles, assets, etc.);

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2. Elaborate a plan for the development of services cooperatives to meet the demand of local farmers;

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3. Develop a plan to inform, communicate and sensitize on the principles of cooperation in order to raise awareness on the benefits of agricultural cooperatives and cooperation;

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4. Consider ways to reinforce the social capital of cooperatives;

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5. Propose to cooperative members and managers a training and technical and managerial capacity building plan in cooperation with the State technical services;

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6. In each of the chambers, identify the services and activities to develop, the priority sectors, the material and financial resources to be leveraged and the staff and managers to be mobilised;

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7. Produce a State plan of supervision and technical support to strengthen the managerial and technical capacities of the cooperatives by assigning managers and former experts in order to benefit from their experience;

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8. Identify good practices, promote the emergence or train young leaders, create areas for exchange of experience and expertise, and participate in national, regional and international agricultural exhibitions and events;

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9. Promote cooperation between agricultural cooperatives particularly through the creation of unions and/or federations of cooperatives which will have a double function:

• An economic role through massive purchases from cooperatives intervening upstream or downstream and through the distribution and trading of products;

• A representative role in front of other administrative or political structures at regional (wilaya), national or international level (Maghrebi, Arab or international unions and federations).

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10. Organise local forums on cooperation and mobilise cooperatives’ members in order to participate in the national forum whose aim will be the adoption of a national plan to strengthen the agricultural cooperation movement in Algeria.

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In order to raise awareness among the local stakeholders in each wilaya and launch this substantial project, leaders of pre-identified pilot cooperatives will come to testify and advocate the cooperative system.

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The working group also submitted an operational agenda for the implementation of this program to revitalise agricultural cooperation:

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• April – May – June 2017: Creation of the animation units and application of the 10 general objectives into specific objectives for each wilaya.

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• July – August – September 2017: Validation and follow-up workshops in each wilaya and organisation of local forums of agricultural cooperation. 

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• October – November - December 2017 : Organisation of National Agricultural Cooperation Forum, adoption of a National Plan to revive the dynamics of agricultural cooperation and designation of monitoring and evaluation bodies.

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For further information on the diagnosis of the cooperative system, the objectives of this project and the implementation agenda, you are welcome to download the attached roadmap (in French).