AsiaDHRRA, together with the Non-Timber Forest Products – Exchange Programme for South and Southeast Asia (NTFP-EP),  ASEAN Social Forestry Network (ASFN), Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) and SDC  co-organized the first CSO 101 Brown Bag Event for the Civil Society Organizations & the Agriculture and Forestry Sector in the ASEAN Region held on 17 February 2012 at the Hibiscus Ballroom, ASEAN, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Ms. Lany Rebagay presented “Engaging ASEAN on Agriculture and Sustainable Rural Development: The AsiaDHRRA-AFA Experience”.  And Muhammad Nuruddin, of AFA-Aliansi Petani Indonesia presented the view from the Farmers’ Organization on ASEAN engagement.

The Brown Bag Session aims to provide various perspectives, approaches used by various CSOs, highlight positive examples for CSO-government collaborations and identify key themes and points where ASEAN-CSO engagement and constructive dialogue in the forestry and agricultural sector.

The fruitful one day session came out with the following Lesson and Recommendations towards Meaningful Engagement between the ASEAN and CSO

1. There is ‘space’ in the agriculture and forestry sector in the ASEAN as underscored in the ASEAN charter. This ‘space’ should be optimized. The ‘space’ has to be mapped out and clearly outlined. This may include setting up informal and formal mechanisms to allow a more active participation in CSOs.

• There is a need to establish legitimacy in the engagement. There is a need to build institutional structures that facilitates discussion of issues.
• The ASEAN secretariat can promote intensive engagement in various ASEAN initiatives and facilitate linkaging for CSOs’ engagements with particular member states.

2.  The ‘language’ in the space is not defined. There is a need to define what is the process, what are the rules of engagement, and who are the actors.

• There is a need to have a process in articulation of dialogues with the ASEAN bodies. There is a need to filter out conflicts to have dialogues with the ASEAN.
• Map out the institutions/CSOs in the region, and encourage diverse CSOs to engage with the ASEAN bodies.
• CSOs across the region may need to organize themselves, identify issues and interest and concretize what to bring to bring forth for high level discussions and engagements with ASEAN bodies, member states and their representatives.

3.  Funding support is needed for consistent participation and to develop resources to translate relevant information that will be carried out into actions and engagements.

• Development partner (funding agencies) of ASEAN recognizing the potential contribution of CSOs may need to allocate funds to CSOs.

4.  It has to be clear who is represented and whose voices is spoken. Peoples/communities have the to be given the opportunity to articulate for themselves and not necessarily having an intermediary. Who frames the issues and the language used matters.

5.  There is a need to further have ‘infrastructure’ building, form networks among peers, among governments to learn from each other.

• Networks can facilitate increasing the level awareness on issues of representatives and government bodies and continue to build capacities of CSOs (provide trainings, sharing information, etc)

6. Generate concise, practical information targeted for a given agenda. The nature of information, how it is provided, and timeliness of information given is relevant.

Summary of Panel Discussion Key Points – CSO 101 Brown Bag Event, 16 February 2012

View the video presentation by NTFP about CSOs and NGOs

The agriculture and environment CSO stakeholders recommend that ASEAN and/or its member states:

1. Stop forced evictions in the interests of large-scale agriculture;
2. In all cases where development projects will result in dispossession, international human rights standards should be fully observed. Affected communities should be fairly compensated, including by ensuring access to agricultural land
3. Ensure sufficient budgets for sustainable agriculture and develop policies and programs to support small-scale farmers – women, men and young persons. In particular ensue access to land, waters and seed, provide support to organic farming, cooperative marketing, access to affordable credit, infrastructure, agricultural extension and meaningful participation of small-scale farmers in decision-making processes towards ensuring food and nutrition security;
4. Ensure that all agriculture development programs and policies are gender sensitive and gender responsive;
5. Extend technical assistance to improve competitiveness of small-scale farmers through sharing and learning exchanges on sustainable farming technologies, the establishment of an ASEAN Farmers’ Bank and ASEAN Small-scale Farmers’ Council to ensure institutionalized participation in ASEAN processes;
6. Install monitoring mechanisms to hold transnational corporations accountable for their role with respect to large-scale food and agro-fuel production, toxic chemicals, land grabbing and the displacement of food crops including provision of guidelines for ASEAN governments on how to strengthen coherence between national and global food policies;
7. Ratify and implement international treaties and provisions pertaining to natural resource management and agriculture, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which provides for the right to adequate food and to a decent living, which in the case of small-scale farmers includes the right to seeds and land.

Read full ACSC-APF 2012 Statement

Ms. Lany Rebagay in behalf of Asiadhrra, presented during the Opening Plenary of the ACSC-APF 2012 the AsiaDHRRA-AFA Experience in Engaging ASEAN on Agriculture and Rural Development. Download the presentation here…

About the ACSC/APF

The ACSC/APF is an annual gathering of civil society which was started in 2005 during Malaysia’s chairship. It follows with the Philippines in 2006, Singapore in 2007, Thailand in 2009, Vietnam in 2010 and Indonesia in 2011. At the end of each Forum, civil society comes up with a collective statement and recommendations for ASEAN.

The ACSC/APF is a main space for democratic and constructive debates on ideas, formulation of proposals for ASEAN, exchange of experiences among civil society and peoples’ movements, expanding networks across issues in the region, and doing joint actions, especially on community building process. This year, reflecting the major concerns of the ASEAN people towards the Association, ACSC/APF 2012 chooses the theme “Transforming ASEAN into a People?Centered Community”.

AFA came into fruition after a series farmer exchanges in several countries in Asia facilitated by AsiaDHRRA and was formally launched on May 2002 in Malaysia.

AFA’s membership currently includes farmers’ organizations from Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea.

In the recently concluded 4th AFA General Assembly last April 23 in Ping Tung, Taiwan, the new officers of the Executive Committee for 2010-2015 were sworn into office.

The new leaders of AFA are as follows:

Chairperson – Mr. Tsai, Shun-Te, TWADA (Taiwan)
Vice-Chairperson – Ms. Jang, Jeong-Ok, WAFF (South Korea)
Treasurer (appointed) – Mr. Vicente Fabe, PAKISAMA (Philippines)
Secretary General (appointed) – Ms. Ma. Estrella Penunia

In a simple turnover ceremony, outgoing Chairperson Ms. Sudaporn Sittisathapornkul thanked AFA members for their support during her term as AFA leader from 2008-2010.

Incoming Chairperson Mr. Tsai, Shun-Te, on the other hand, thanked Ms. Sudaporn for leading AFA in the past 2 years and encouraged everyone to work together in making AFA a stronger organization.

Mr. Tsai also vowed to have more farmer exchanges among members from different countries.

The other members of the Execom are: Mr. Ishii Yasuhiro, AINOUKAI (Japan); Mr. Mudzakir, API (Indonesia); Mr. Uon Sophal, FNN (Cambodia); Mr. Kang, Woo Hyun, KAFF (South Korea); Mr. Panya Kongpal, SORKORPOR (Thailand); Mr. Danny Huang, TDFA (Taiwan).

More news about asian farmers here…

He was 51.

His 2 companions are in the hospital nursing gunshot wounds.

It was a high price to pay for selflessly dedicating himself to the agrarian reform movement.

He is one of the most respected, trusted farmer-leaders, and whose creative, dynamic ideas have fired the spirits of many farmers to make the agrarian reform program truly work in the country.

Continue reading about the murder of Ka Rene…

In this context, and in the light of the food crisis, food security requirements and the issues of climate change, sustainable , organic, ecological friendly agriculture  becomes the key strategic response that governments may take, as also emphasized by the report of the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science, Technology Development (IAASTD), signed by 60 countries and the World Bank.

With food surpluses being traded at local, national, regional and international markets, trade agreements that should be entered by ASEAN should a) preserve member state’s capacities to exempt sectors important to food security, livelihood security, rural development and poverty alleviation and ensure the benefit for smallholder producers; as well as b) provide sufficient safeguard measures and remedies . We ask ASEAN to ensure the participation of small scale rural producers in the policy formulation, implementation of these policies by recognizing their regional groups as an Advisory Council. Moreover, we ask ASEAN to enact and implement this agricultural policy through a system of governance that is transparent and accountable to the people by establishing processes and mechanism for social accountability making use of existing practices / approaches by member state.

We ask ASEAN governments, both at national and the regional level to promote sustainable agriculture by redirecting its agricultural investments, funding and policy focus.  Specifically, we ask that ASEAN and their member governments to:

1. Develop a common agricultural policy and action plan  that aims to improve access of small poor rural people to land, water and other natural resources, increase their productivity and incomes through sustainable, ecological-friendly agriculture  for the benefit of small-scale men and women farmers, fishers and indigenous peoples. The policy and action plan can contain clear objectives, targets, timeframes, and can use participatory processes involving lead agencies and departments and organized groups of small scale men and women farmers, fishers and indigenous peoples.
2. Corollary to this, establish a common agricultural development fund that will help carry out the action plan.
3. Emphasize the promotion of Sustainable agriculture in ASEAN’s SPA-FS and AIFS framework.  The development of this Plan can include workshops with various sectors to provide specific details to the SPA-FS.
4. Refine the ASEAN Rice Reserve/Food Reserve Scheme to help  stabilize rice supply and prices in the region; since the true spirit of economic cooperation and integration should be reflected in the way ASEAN addresses the issue of food security in the region.
5. In the area of  trade agreements that ASEAN and its member governments enter into,
   • preserve Member’s States’ capabilities to exempt sectors important to food securilty, livelihood security, rural development and poverty alleviation objectives from trade liberalization as well as provide sufficient safeguard measures and remedies.
   • develop ASEAN standards for sanitary and phytosanitary measures as a valid initiative to safeguard the health and safety of the region’s rapidly growing market which can be used to defend offensive and defensive interests of the region.
6. Regularly consult an advisory council composed of representatives of small-scale men and women  agricultural producers  (farmers, fishers, indigenous peoples) across the region on policies, programs and initiatives affecting, or has the potential to impact on agriculture.
7. Provide continuing processes and sustain mechanism that will strengthen social accountability towards realizing the vision for a people-centered ASEAN.

We , as civil society groups working for sustainable rural development, for the promotion of sustainable, ecological friendly agriculture,  and the development of small scale men and women farmers, fishers and indigenous people can cooperate with ASEAN in the formulation of these proposed policies and action plans. We can be active in task forces and committees that may be created. We can share our own experiences and technical expertise. Furthermore, we can help study how much governments allocate for agricultural programs and services benefiting small scale men and women farmers, fishers and indigenous peoples.

We fondly remember Ka Vic’s whole hearted interpretative rendition of the song “Anak” during the solidarity night of AFA’s 2nd GA in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2006 – our discovery of his fun-filled spirit, along with his seriousness as a farmer and cooperative leader dedicated to long lasting reform and concrete work on the ground.

Please extend your prayers for Ka Vic’s family and join the call on for a just and speedy resolution of his case.

Mabuhay kayo Ka Vic (Ka Roger)! We will keep your dreams for the small farmers in our hearts and minds, and continue our struggle, in solidarity.

Ka “Vic” has been over the past few weeks groundworking in Mindanao for the planned December 3  National Mobilization of farmers and various support groups to press Congress to pass the extension of funding of CARP and introduce necessary reforms to ensure its meaningful  implementation.

Ka Vic has been a recognized leader of a successful 6- million peso agri-cooperative, MIEDECO, a member of PAKISAMA. He rose to the leadership of PAKISAMA, a national confederation of peasant federations, becoming one of its Presidents and Executive Committee member.

He is also one of the leaders of PANDAYAN and AKBAYAN in Mindanao. A model of integrity, dedication, and industry, Ka Vic is undoubtedly a big loss to the peasantry and the broad social movement.

He is survived by his wife, Aida, and his 4 children aged 22, 19, 16, and 14.

Vicente “Roger” Paglinawan, 51, PAKISAMA’s Vice-President for Mindanao, was shot dead by two motor-cycle riding men in Malabog, Davao City. Three bullets were pumped into his head ensuring his death.

The Korean Advanced Farmers Federation’s (KAFF) commemoration of Lee Kyung Hae’s 5th death anniversary ended successfully.

The commemoration was organized in order to remember the farmer-leader’s sacrifice. Special rites were held before Lee Kyung Hae’s grave in his hometown.

Through these events, KAFF hopes that the public will remember Lee Kyung Hae’s sacrifices and think about the importance of agriculture and the lives of the farmers.

The Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Develoment (AFA) has also declared September 10 as International Farmers’ Day. On this day, AFA members in different countries will honor Lee Kyung Hae in their own ways and show commitment to stand up for farmers’ rights and to work for farmers’ welfare.

continue reading the article here…

This issue paper presents basic information on SP/SSM, reviews the G33 position, CSO position, and proposes advocacy points for farmers.
Written for AFA by Lany Rebagay of AsiaDHRRA.

Download the issue paper here….

Download the issue bulletin here…