SUPPORT FOR PRODUCER-OWNED COOPERATIVE MARKETING ASSOCIATIONS.

SEC. 103. SUPPORT FOR PRODUCER-OWNED COOPERATIVE MARKETING ASSOCIATIONS. (a) Purposes.— The purposes of this section are— (1) to support producer-owned cooperative purchasing and marketing associations in sub-Saharan Africa; (2) to strengthen the capacity of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa to participate in national and international private markets and to promote rural development in sub-Saharan Africa; (3) to encourage the efforts of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa to increase their productivity and income through improved access to farm supplies, seasonal credit, technical expertise; and (4) to support small businesses in sub-Saharan Africa as they grow beyond microenterprises. (b) Support for Producer-Owned Cooperative Marketing Associations.— (1) Activities.— (A) In general.— The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development is authorized to utilize relevant foreign assistance programs and initiatives for sub-Saharan Africa to support private producer-owned cooperative marketing associations in sub-Saharan Africa, including rural business associations that are owned and controlled by farmer shareholders. (B) Additional requirements.— In carrying out subparagraph (A), the Administrator— (i) shall take into account small-scale farmers, small rural entrepreneurs, and rural workers and communities; and (ii) shall take into account the local-level perspectives of the rural and urban poor through close consultation with these groups, consistent with section 496(e)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2293(e)(1)). (2) Other activities.— In addition to carrying out paragraph (1), the Administrator is encouraged— (A) to cooperate with governments of foreign countries, including governments of political subdivisions of such countries, their agricultural research universities, and particularly with United States nongovernmental organizations and United States land-grant universities, that have demonstrated expertise in the development and promotion of successful private producer-owned cooperative marketing associations; and (B) to facilitate partnerships between United States and African cooperatives and private businesses to enhance the capacity and technical and marketing expertise of business associations in sub-Saharan Africa.