Appendix 5 Producer Committees – A G E N D A –2016 This is an internal document and should not be shared directly with the producers. You should use it to guide the meeting but you may wish to alert the attendant producers to the main discussion topics (highlighted in bold below) prior to the meeting day itself.
Time 2- 5.00pm TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION Introduction 1 5 min
What is the biggest challenge facing each of you currently? 20 min
Environmental Issues 20 min
Other Social Lenders and Financial Institutions 20 min
BREAK ( 3.45-4.00pm)
DETAIL Please introduce yourself (other members of the lending team can introduce themselves). Briefly explain the purpose of this committee and some background history (it is carried out annually, this is the 6th committee). Later please ask the participants to introduce themselves (name, name of the organization, commodity and any interesting, brief, fact they would like to share with other participants. (This question should help to show us how we can better meet our customer needs. Also it is very generic question that should be easy for them to respond initially). What are the critical factors of success in your industries? (This is to understand what the coffee, cocoa, banana, handcrafts, etc. sectors are facing). Without considering the environmental issues, what specific challenges your organizations face at the moment or will face in a near future? What are your concerns in relation to the environment? Do you have specific examples of issues you would like to share? (El Niño. El Niño is a weather phenomenon that causes increases in the Pacific Ocean currents, which leads to climate disturbances such as extremely heavy rains, floods, draughts or frosts depending on the specific area). What are the expected consequences of El Niño phenomenon in your area of influence? In which ways the individual farmers/artisans could be affected by El Niño? In which ways your organization will be affected? What are the possible measures to mitigate the risks of El Niño? What can your organizations do to manage this contingency? (In case it has not been mentioned…) Have you considered taking a general risk insurance to mitigate this risk? Is it affordable for your organizations? Do you have any idea of the annual premium/costs? About social lenders: How do you see the work of other social lenders? How do we compare? Why would you prefer SI instead of other social lenders? Why might you prefer other lenders? About other financial institutions (banks, credit and savings cooperatives, others) What are other financial institutions doing that SI could replicate in favour of producer groups? 15 minutes coffee break.