Scanagri interacts directly with farmers and rural people, working with them to overcome their constraints and fulfill their aspirations. Scanagri understands that it is untenable that 60-80 % of a population relies on agriculture and utilization of natural resources for a living, but we also realise that one cannot change such a situation overnight, removing the very basis of their survival.

Projects at field level therefore often on one hand aim at improving production via dialogues on how to revise production and harvesting methods and how to market products better, but on the other include processes of empowerment in order for the farmers to see and evaluate alternative sources of income and not depend solely on agricultural production and exploitation of natural resources. The farmers are made to realize their rights and duties as citizens thereby increasing the demand driven nature of services.

Working in village settings has shown that rural people are not a homogenous group; power relations and different access to assets exist between men and women, old and young, autochthones and migrants. Therefore the Scanagri approach is one of facilitation rather than demonstration, as different groups may adopt new messages very differently. The underlying philosophy of Scanagri is that rural people are different individuals, but that there is a tremendous potential in un-leasing their knowledge and resources through using gender sensitive measures, participatory tools and training instruments such as farmer field school.

Scanagri has project experience and expertise in the planning, organisation and implementation of major integrated, area-based rural development and sustainable livelihoods projects. Important elements include:

• Organisational and regional development
• Decentralisation
• Public-private partnership
• Advisory services to public institutions taking into account the civil society and economic support programmes for rural areas.

» Print