P4P has run for more than five years in 20 countries, 14 of which are in Africa. It incentivises smallholder farmers to produce greater volumes of high quality produce by offering them access to reliable buyers who pay a fair price, according to a World Food Programme statement.
The UN has employed this multi-country pilot project to see how its purchasing power could be used to transform and uplift smallholder farmers in developing countries.
In Rome, the P4P project will look back on the lessons learnt, development models that worked and wisdom acquired.
Looking forward, discussions will focus on future expansion of P4P’s range of activities and how it will respond to demands for growth so that smallholder farmer development is assured.
The UN’s Luisa Volpe, policy officer for the World Farmers’ Organisation, said De Jager’s background and expertise made him a valued member of the group.
