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P4P News

News on Purchase for Progress, both from the projects around the world and from WFP headquarters.

Update on defaults of food deliveries under P4P

Of the 260,000 tons contracted under P4P modalities since inception in late 2008 through June 2012, 52,000 tons have been confirmed defaulted, while 160,000 tons have been delivered (62%) and 48,000 are pending delivery (18%). Since the beginning of P4P in late 2008, defaults have remained relatively stable at between 20 and 25%.

For WFP, a default on a food procurement contract occurs when a contract is not delivered, specifically regarding quantity and/or quality.

Learning and Sharing: P4P data scrutinised by independent experts

In August, WFP’s research partner, the African Economic Research Consortium, hosted a three day workshop in Lusaka, Zambia that brought together a range of experts from universities, NGOs and FAO to study and comment on the results from 3 of the 21 P4P pilot countries. Around 35 practitioners and academics with expertise in rural development and agricultural economics, undertook a close examination of P4P’s impact assessment strategy, including an in-depth discussion of the preliminary results of implementation emerging from Mali, Tanzania and Ethiopia.

Tanzania: Government and WFP increase market opportunities for smallholders

Smallholders will be able to sell their maize to NFRA, while ten percent of NFRA’s purchases will be reserved for smallholders participating in WFP’s Purchase for Progress (P4P) pilot in the country.
The new agreement could quadruple the size of current P4P purchases in Tanzania, taking purchases from a 2011 high of 4,300 tons to 20,000 tons annually. Under the previous arrangement, WFP was already able to buy 90,000 tons of maize from NFRA. WFP uses the food bought from NFRA for its food assistance programmes in the region, such as in Kenya, Somalia or South Sudan.

Afghanistan - mobile factories on their way

It is already steamy at the industrial park near the Italian city of Verona and the temperature is set to rise further.  It’s final testing time for one of WFP’s latest innovations, a mobile “factory in a box” that will soon be producing the High Energy Biscuits used in school feeding and other programmes.  Aimed at processing various basic humanitarian commodities like High Energy Biscuits directly in the countries where they will be distributed, using locally available resources, they promote local development and capacity building.

What is the evidence telling us about the progress of P4P?

A group of nine external experts, the TRP provides independent guidance and advice on issues related to the implementation of P4P. As part of the 4th annual meeting, TRP members visited cooperatives participating in P4P in Tanzania. Representatives from other buyers, farmers and representatives of the Government of Tanzania also participated in the meeting.

Taking stock: WFP and stakeholders review P4P at mid-point

Here you can find a summary of the discussions and decisions.

Here you can watch the new P4P Corporate Video.

Here you can find a presentation summarising the four P4P approaches.

Here you can find the results of the Mid-Term Evaluation of P4P (report, executive summary and management response).

Here you can find the report from the third meeting of P4P’s Technical Review Panel (TRP).

Here you can find the newly developed P4P Gender Strategy.

Here you can find the reports from the write shop process.

 

Gates and Buffett Honoured For Supporting Small Farmers

The event included a keynote address from US Vice President Joseph Biden, an award presentation by last year’s winner Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and discussions with this year’s award recipients, WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran, USAID Administrator Raj Shah and others.

“Ending global hunger is not just possible. It’s a moral and strategic imperative,” Clinton said as she presented the award.

South Sudan: Female Farmer Still Optimistic Despite Hardships

JUBA -- Gracie Seratiore Furimona, 42 years old, is a farmer from the village of Saura in South Sudan’s Western Equatorial state. The mother of five cultivates maize and other crops like groundnuts, rice, cassava, bananas, and beans on a small scale for home consumption.

She joined the Namukuru Farmers group in 2010. The same year, Namukuru and its 30 members were selected to participate in P4P by the Bangladeshi Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), one of P4P’s many NGO partners in South Sudan.

Learn, Learn And Learn, Experts Recommend

SAN SALVADOR -- The TRP, a panel of nine experts from academic institutions, development agencies, implementing and government partners, provides high level independent advice and expertise to WFP on the implementation of the P4P pilot across the 21 countries. The El Salvador meeting brought together the TRP members as well as a number of external observers including farmers, private sector grain buyers, representatives of the Centro American Agriculture Council, FAO, UN Woman, and WFP staff involved in the implementation of P4P in Central America and Africa.

Where WFP distributes food bought under P4P

Of the 21 P4P pilot countries, 20 have now bought food using P4P’s pro-smallholder modalities. Out of the 187,000 tons contracted by WFP, a total of 115,000 tons has been delivered so far. The remainder is either still to be delivered or was defaulted. To learn more about defaults and why they occur, read this story.

Food purchased through P4P is so far mostly used for WFP operations within the same country. The food bought from smallholder farmers is distributed in programmes such as school feeding, food-for-work, nutrition interventions or as rations for refugees.