How TABIO operates

TABIO operates at country level through:

Annual General Meeting

The supreme organ of TABIO shall be the General Meeting referred to here as Annual General Meeting and her duties and powers include:

  • Review and adopt the Chairperson’s report on the activities of the organization since the last GM.
  • Review and adopt the financial report for the preceding financial year, starting on January 1st as per the constitution.
  • Elect the Board of Directors of the organization from the active members.
  • Dissolve the Board of TABIO where necessary and applicable.
  • Every five years, develop the strategic plan for the next five-year period.
  • Transact such other business as presented by the Board.

The Board of Directors

The management and control of the affairs of TABIO is entrusted to the Board of Directors which is directly accountable to the General Meeting. It is an advisory organ with duties that include:

  • Fix the date of the GM and to propose the agenda thereof.
  • Advise the appointment and summarily termination of the Executive Secretary/National Coordinator who shall be the Chief Executive Officer of TABIO
  • Advise the appointment and summarily termination of any other senior staff upon recommendation by the national Coordinator
  • Advise the appointment of the authorized Auditors for TABIO.
  • Ensure that the aim and objectives of TABIO are achieved.
  • Review annual activity and financial reports and present them to the GM.
  • Propose to the General Meeting the cessation of membership of the particular member.
  • Develop code of conduct, setting the ethical and behavioral expectations of Member Organizations, Board Members and the employees of TABIO.

The Secretariat

TABIO operates at national level through the Secretariat

The Secretariat carries out the substantive and administrative work of TABIO as directed by the General Assembly and the Board Members. At its head is the Coordinator, who provides overall administrative guidance. The main functions of the Secretariat include:

  • implement policies, rules, regulations, programs and decisions as approved by the Board and the General Meeting (GM) towards achieving TABIO goals and mission.
  • mobilize resources for sustainability of the organization
  • organize meetings of the organization;
  • keep the members informed about the work of the organization.

Members

TABIO operates at grassroot level through its members organizations. They are the ones who work directly with farmers involved in agrobiodiversity conservation. The main functions of the members include:

  • contribute to the definition of network activities and priorities that require joint intervention
  • contribute to network dialogues and outputs
  • disseminate network related information in their surroundings,

Working Groups

Working groups are groups of experts working together to achieve specified goals. The groups are domain-specific and focus on discussion or activity around a specific subject area. They play a critical role identifying areas or spaces where TABIO members can increase policy and advocacy engagements at national, regional, continental and global level. TABIO members have created Working Group with the aim to create overlaps between members work and to ensure maximum involvement of members in a realistic way. TABIO has developed the policy that guide the functioning of the working groups.

The working groups include:

Seed Working Group

The working group is advocating for recognition and support of farmer managed seed system (FMSS). This seed system provides huge contribution of seed available to farmers which are diverse, affordable and reliable but it has neither been recognized nor supported by the government.

The roles of the seed working group are:

  • be the think tank on farm save seed issues
  • generate advocacy information on farm saved seed
  • share information/knowledge on issues that require joint advocacy efforts
  • be informed and engaged in the advocacy work around seed, agroecology and food sovereignty
  • receive feedback from stakeholders outside the Seed Working Group and serve as an ambassador between the group and the other stakeholders

Healthy Soil Working Group

The Healthy Soil Working Group is another working group, with the goal to significantly accelerate soil health stewardship in the country. The aim to catalyze widespread adoption of management principles and practices that result in greater soil health.

The roles of the healthy soil working group are:

  • collaborate with other stakeholders in generating advocacy information on soil healthy status
  • Awareness creation on principles of health soils that include: keeping soil covered; minimizing soil disturbance on cropland and minimizing external inputs; maximizing biodiversity; maintaining a living root; and integrating animals into land management, including grazing animals, birds, beneficial insects and keystone species, such as earthworms.
  • Generate knowledge that empower farmers on the right to healthy soil for foods production and soil biodiversity conservation.

GMOs and Emerging Technologies Working Group

In its broadest sense, a genetically modified organism (GMO) refers to an organism whose genetic material has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. Genes change naturally, either by mating or by natural recombination. But in this case, genetic fragments are scientifically inserted into the DNA of another organism to transform its collective genetic makeup, a process known as gene splicing.

While GMOs are being pushed as panacea for food security, the general public is largely unaware of the GMOs hence fail to make a meaningful contribution for informed decision making. There are also emerging technologies namely synthetic biology,  genome-editing etc. which are used in changing an organism’s genetic code. These technologies have both ethical and social implications which the general public need to be aware of.

The roles of the GMOs and emerging technologies working group are:

  • Collate and share related information
  • Collaborate with other stakeholders in generating awareness creation information materials which are user friendly to the general public for an informed decision making
  • Organize forum for open dialogue