PARM has the global mandate to contribute to sustainable agricultural growth, boost rural investment, reduce food insecurity, and improve resilience to climate and market shocks of poor rural households through a better management of risks. PARM plays the role of knowledge broker and facilitator to: enable the integration of Agricultural Risk Management into the policy planning and investment in the agricultural sector; enhancing national stakeholders' awareness and capacities to manage agricultural risks; improve the generation, access, sharing of knowledge and strengthen synergies with partners on ARM related issues, develop methodologies for risk analysis and adoption of holistic risk management strategies.

The PARM process is a demand-driven participatory policy engagement process comprised of four main phases: 1. Setting up: A preliminary country visit is envisaged to respond to the Government request and present in depth the PARM process to ensure ownership and common understanding. The first country visit provides the occasion to jointly develop a road map to initiate PARM activities in the country. 2. Risk Assessment: it represents the first technical phase of the process and focuses on the assessment and identification of risks and risk management gaps. This assessment phase requires a rigorous analysis of risk exposure and its economic, social and financial implications. A Risk Assessment study will be undertaken by selected experts (supported by local technical institutions and organizations like universities, research centres, etc.) and presented to a National Stakeholders Workshop with the objective of facilitating the assessment of the main risks and policy gaps identified, and the prioritization of risks and tools that should be the focus of the country's ARM initiatives. The Final Risk Assessment Study Report incorporates the outcomes of the workshop discussions and it will serve to identify the main focus for the feasibility studies and capacity development interventions. A National Steering Committee (NSC) is established to guide the process, including the main relevant stakeholders identified during the Risk Assessment Study. 3. Tools Assessment: in close collaboration with the government key areas of interventions and tools for investments are identified in line with the results of the risk assessment phase. With the support with local and international experts PARM supports the government in analysing the tools feasibility and proposes specific investment plans that are discussed and validated in a High Level Policy Dialogue and Dissemination Workshop. 4. Follow-up Implementation: All the PARM activities are oriented to facilitating the implementation of ARM tools in the participating countries. The previous phases focus on the identification and design of ARM measures. In countries where the four phases of the PARM process are fully and successfully finalized, the implementation process to integrate the identified tools into the national policy and investment plans will continue. The actual implementation of the policies is responsibility to the National Government in collaboration with stakeholders, service providers and donors. PARM will technically accompany and facilitate this process only to the extent that resources are available. Using the fund provided by KfW, NEPAD will facilitate the implementation process after PARM activities.

Capacity development represents a core activity of PARM and focuses on knowledge sharing activities to improve human capital of all the stakeholders that can contribute to a better ARM system, such as producers (particularly smallholders and their farming organizations), governments, agricultural service providers, private sector. CD activities on ARM aim to drive a sustainable institutional and behavioural change beyond conventional training approach and, where possible, they use the capacity potential of local knowledge-based institutions such as universities and research agencies, in order to institutionalize the ARM knowledge. Following the PARM Capacity Development Strategy, PARM CD activities are articulated in three levels : 1) Generic ARM capacity development seminars ( CD1): CD1 is designed and conducted in the form of two-day ARM seminar. The seminars aim to facilitate the ARM process in each country and it targets mainly farmers and public officers. 2) Institutionalization of high level PARM knowledge/Training of trainers (ToT) (CD2): In selected partner countries, PARM aim to institutionalize ARM knowledge through developing and organising a training of trainers (ToT) with key local partners such as universities and agricultural research institutes that could continue to deliver the ARM course in the future. CD2 aims to target extension workers, university students, public officers, private sector. 3) Specific ARM tool Capacity development activity (CD3): CD3 aims to transfer ARM knowledge on specific tools in a flexible way to create awareness and expertise on specific risks and tools that respond to the targeted needs of each country.

PARM is governed by a Steering Committee, an Advisory Committee and the Secretariat. These bodies ensure that PARM activities respond to its founding objectives and deliver good quality and neutral assistance to report back to the G20. The Steering Committee is made up of the four contributing donors EC, AFD, Italian Development Cooperation, IFAD and NEPAD as the major strategic partner in Africa. Since 2017 the German agencies BMZ and KfW are also members. The Steering Committee has the authority to make budgetary decisions and provide strategic guidelines, and it meets three times per year. The Advisory Committee consists of key partners on implementation, private sector, cooperation, knowledge and farmers organizations. It meets annually and provides technical advice to PARM. Currently, the Advisory Committee is composed of: AGRHYMET, AGRINATURA, CARGILL, COMESA, EAGC, ECOWAS, FAO, MUNICH-RE, ROPPA, WFP and WORLD BANK. The Secretariat, established in September 2014 and hosted by IFAD, is responsible for managing the programme and implementing the PARM process, liaising with clients, donors and partners and linking them with service providers/practitioners who have specific expertise in agricultural risk management (ARM). For the African continent, the PARM Secretariat is working in strategic partnership with NEPAD, which has been establishing since 2011 an Agriculture and Food Insecurity Risk Management (AFIRM) initiative within the CAADP framework in collaboration with various partners.

The Platform for Agricultural Risk Management (PARM) is a partnership between the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the European Commission (EC), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Italian Development Cooperation (DGCS) , the German Cooperation (BMZ/KfW), in strategic partnership with the New Partnership for Africas Development (NEPAD) and it is a result of the broader IFAD partnership with the G20.