Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agricultural chains Agriculture Competitiveness Family farming Inclusion

Producer groups to strengthen their governance and management

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

The objective is to improve communication, efficiency and effectiveness.

Antigua and Barbuda, Friday 18 May 2018. The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) collaborated with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to strengthen the governance and management of four local producer groups through their participation in workshop sessions.

The training activity helped to familiarize participants with key principles of management, pinpoint weaknesses in their present management structures, and highlight areas for improvement of management within their respective organizations.

The overall objective of the Workshops was to strengthen the Governance arrangements within each of the organizations to improve communication, efficiency and

23 producers benefitted from the capacity building activities aimed at improving the internal structures and management of their organizations.

effectiveness among their members. Based on participants feedback from previous workshops conducted by IICA and FAO and assessments conducted by IICA using an Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT), specific areas of capacity building interventions were identified for each of the groups. This information was used to guide the training sessions on how much governance was needed for each of the groups.

A series of four training sessions were conducted on 8th, 9th, 15th & 16th May, 2018 with focus on the Developing Standard Operational Procedures and Strategic Planning with the objectives to improvement of management practices and procedures of the organizations as well as to provide direction for the successful operation of the organization. These workshops are aligned with the action plan developed for the capacity of producer groups a follow- up from a Governance session conducted in 2017 targeting the same groups addressing the Human Resource and Group Dynamics. The target producer groups are Team Fresh Producer Group (TFPC), the Southern Farmers Association, the Antigua and Barbuda Bee Keepers Cooperative and The Antigua and Barbuda Agriculture Forum for Youth (ABAFY).

Craig Thomas, National Specialist at IICA, challenged the groups “to share the information with all group members and immediately start to implement the strategies provided to the benefit the groups”. The training program is an initiative of IICA’s Flagship Project on Competitiveness and Sustainability of Agricultural Chain.

 Effective producer groups can contribute to food and nutrition security, a key area identified during the stakeholders’ consultation on IICA is 2018-2022 Medium Term Plan.

More information:

Craig Thomas, National Specialist, IICA Delegation in Antigua and Barbuda

craig.thomas@iica.int

Share

Related news​

San José

October 28, 2025

During a visit to El Salvador, IICA’s Director General visited spaces dedicated to agricultural innovation and sustainability, and was honored for his contributions to food security at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Director General’s presence reflected IICA’s commitment to continue supporting El Salvador’s efforts to make its agriculture sector more resilient, innovative and sustainable every day, thereby contributing to the wellbeing of rural families and the country’s economic development.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

En el diálogo el Director General del IICA, Manuel Otero, instó a las personas jóvenes a ser agentes de cambio, jerarquizar la agricultura y fortalecer la autoestima del sector agropecuario, por su rol clave para el desarrollo sostenible de los países de la región.

San José, Costa Rica

October 24, 2025

Youth are key to driving the transformation of agriculture across the hemisphere, says IICA Director General at a meeting with participants of the AgriTalent Program of the Americas

Manuel Otero emphasized the need to promote a new narrative for regional agriculture—one that elevates its standing and recognizes its contribution to the food security of the countries.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

El Presidente chileno, Gabriel Boric, durante la X Semana de la Energía que transcurrió en Santiago.

Santiago

October 23, 2025

IICA and the CPBIO highlight the strategic role of agriculture and biofuels at the Tenth Energy Week in Chile

Organized by the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), the participants in the event included His Excellency the President of Chile, Gabriel Boric. The discussions focused on the technical, economic and regulatory challenges involved in accelerating the decarbonization of transportation in the Americas, especially in the aviation sector.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins