Aquaculture farmer organizations and cluster management: concepts and experiences

Strong leadership 
Whatever governance and management system is used, as noted above, FOs can only 
function effectively if their members trust and have confidence in their leaders. This 
not only requires members’ participation in decision-making but also the existence 

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Aquaculture farmer organizations and cluster management – Concepts and experiences
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of strong, competent and accountable leadership. FO leadership should be capable, 
responsive and effective but not overbearing. It should function within clear rules 
decided on by members and should have significant capacity in terms of business and 
governance skills and culture. FO leadership should be representative of the FO’s 
membership and therefore should include women and men, smaller and larger farmers, 
etc., and not just as token representatives. There must be strong accountability of 
leaders to members for effective services and representation, with professional financial 
audit systems to monitor income and expenditure (Thompson 
et al
., 2009).
Group cohesion
Internal group cohesion supported by a clear member-driven agenda is central to 
successful FOs. Group cohesion is facilitated by small group size, homogeneity and face-
to-face contact, which are most important where the FO activity requires a commitment 
of financial resources to a shared enterprise. However, where the FO’s primary function 
is bulk marketing or negotiation with buyers or suppliers, larger and more heterogeneous 
groups may be at less of a disadvantage. There is often a trade-off between economies 
of scale and internal cohesion, and successful FOs are able to strike a balance between 
the two. Relations with external agents also affect the FOs’ internal dynamics. Where 
politicians try to manipulate group development through preferential access to resources, 
for example, the results contribute little to genuine farmer cooperation. Whatever the 
source, be it NGOs, local elites, international donor agencies or government, free or 
subsidized resources tend to attract people seeking handouts and do not necessarily 
create business opportunities (Stringfellow 
et al
., 1997).