On July 28 to August 1, 2008, Small Farmers Adapting to Global Markets project (SFAGM) held a seminar and training program on development of farmers’ co-ops in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Local officials, technical extension workers and leaders of farmers’ co-ops — totaling 102 people (including 18 women and 6 people of ethnic minorities) attended this training.

At 9 a.m., July 28, Xiao Xianggui, the Director of International Cooperation Division of Sichuan Provincial Department of Agriculture (DOA), announced the opening of the training program. Zhao Shiyong, Deputy General Director of Sichuan DOA, and Tim Zachernuk, the project expert on development of farmers’ co-ops, attended the opening ceremony and delivered their speeches. Mr. Zhao introduced the situation of farmers’ professional economic cooperative organizations in Sichuan, as well as the challenges and opportunities lying ahead. In his opinion, the timely launching of this seminar and the training program will enable everybody to better understand the good experiences and practices of farmers’ co-ops in and outside China, which is of great realistic significance to enhancing Sichuan farmers’ organizational level and promoting a healthy development of farmers’ co-ops in Sichuan. Tim Zachernuk introduced the experience of SFAGM project in promoting the development of farmers’ co-ops in China.

Also, Research Fellow Guo Xiaoming, Vice-President of Sichuan Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, Dr. Zhao Jun, from Co-op Research Center of Saskatchewan University Canada, Prof. Xu Xuchu, Dr. Guo Hongdong and Dr. Zhou Jiehong from Zhejiang University attended the seminar and delivered speeches. After classroom training was over, the trainees were organized to visit Jinfeng Vegetables Planting and Marketing Co-operative in Emeishan City, Hage Rabbit Business Co., Ltd. in Jingyan County, Shiling Poultry Business Co-op in Longquanyi District of Chengdu, and PARKnSHOP supermarket. After a few days of classroom training and field visits, the trainees generally felt they had benefited a lot, and in particular, the combination of classroom training with field visits was a good way for the trainees to put what they had learnt into the practice. The training materials can be downloaded free of charge from SFAGM website.