The Strengthening Farmer Organizations in Africa Program (SFOAP) started in 2009 as a result of dialogue between African leaders of regional and national FOs and the European Commission EC as to find ways of increasing direct support in the EC programmes aimed at strengthening FOs capacities support. SFOAP support is targeted to strengthen the organizations’ institutional capacities in management, accounting, communication, strategic planning, representation, knowledge management, policy processes, and networking. EAFF is the coordinating agency in Eastern Africa. A total of 12 national farmer organizations under the EAFF umbrella receive support over the three year period of the project. The first phase of the program was a three year pilot aimed at testing a new approach of EC to directly support FOs so as to strengthen their institutional capacities and engagement in the policy processes. The first phase was implemented by four regional farmer organizations include EAFF, for eastern Africa, ROPPA for West Africa and PROPAC for Central Africa. 
 
Within the SFOAP programme there is already a Knowledge Management component where member organizations have already had two trainings on importance of integrating Knowledge Management and Learning within their institutions an effective method of communication and also improving governance and learning within the institution (see workshop reports).
 
SFOAP is now entering its second phase which came as a result of a meeting in DAKAR Senegal on 3rd February 2011 and the addition of another regional farmer organization – UMAGRI from the Maghreb region the Project duration – SFOAP 11 5years expected to start in 2013 and end in 2017.