Leveraging institutional food procurement for linking small farmers to markets: Findings from WFP's Purchase for Progress initiative and Brazil's food procurement programmes
Institutional food procurement programmes (IFPPs) refer to initiatives that are designed to link institutional demand for food to broader development objectives. In developing countries, IFPPs are increasingly viewed as approaches that facilitate the transformation of local food systems. This publication shares lessons from the Purchase for Progress (P4P) pilot initiative of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), as well as Brazil’s National School Feeding Programme (PNAE) and the public
Targeting government agencies and international organizations tasked with advising on and designing IFPPs, readers are provided with insights on the challenges faced on both the demand and supply sides of IFPP value chains. The paper discusses the policy and legislative frameworks that need to be in place to make IFPPs work, the reforms required and the transformative changes that institutions need to adapt in order to procure food from small farmers and rural food enterprises. Guidance on developing capacity building strategies suitable for suppliers targeting formal institutions is also provided. After discussing the need to build monitoring and evaluation systems that encircle IFPPs, the publication culminates in guiding the reader through a framework that captures the most critical elements of a food procurement programme. Ultimately the goal of the publication is to contribute to building programmes capable of tackling the mismatch in the modus operandi of formal state institutions doing business with small farmers and rural food enterprises so that IFPPs contribute to the transformation of local food systems that are both sustainable and inclusive of the poor.
