Agro-Enterprise Clustering Approach: Phase 2

The Agro-Enterprise Clustering Approach (AECA) has been a transformative strategy aimed at organizing farmers into clusters, enabling them to collectively participate in value chains more effectively. Phase 2 of this initiative further deepens the integration of smallholder farmers into these value chains, with a focus on improving their income and sustainability through enhanced market access, capacity building, and support services.

AECA seeks to foster this move in perspective, encouraging farmers to embrace their roles as both producers and business operators, ensuring that the agricultural sector is more resilient and inclusive.

James Daniel Gregori, Enterprise Development and Marketing Specialist started the activity checking if the participants had applied the protocols and guidelines developed on phase I. He stressed that for the cluster to complete the all eight steps of the project, the participants need to maintain each phase as they further grow into their respective groups with reliable partners, maintaining 10-15 members as a way to hear out marketing advantages from each individual thereby building trust and reliability among clusters.

Nicole Macuja, Organizational Development Officer discussed the importance of strong policies, and how it affects the members as they maintain their harvest/productions as well as the integrity of their clusters and sub-clusters. He shared the difference between policies and bylaws – bylaws are a guide to establish the organization, while policies intend to protect and enable the organization.

Macuja stressed that policies exercise the cluster’s decision-making, and help define accountability and responsibility of each member as well as clarifies each individual’s expectation. Clusters should consider how flexible their established policies should be, as well as anchoring on their group’s mission and vision, with written proof and should undergo periodic reviews to be consistent and fair. With all these, AECA aims to help more farmers, giving insights on how to function effectively, and economically, in their road to better entrepreneurship, one small cluster at a time.

### (photos and text by VNOQuimpo)