Here’s great news straight from  José A. Osaba and our good friends at WRF. Thanks to all partners and friends and the Asiadhrra Network for actively participating in the IYFF campaign!

“We have got finally the good news that many of our organizations have been waiting for. Today, December 22nd 2011, at 4.55 pm, New York time, the UN General Assembly has declared 2014 the International Year of Family Farming-IYFF. Last October, the Permanent Mission of the Philippines  to the UN, introduced to the GA Second Committee a draft resolution about the IYFF declaration, co-sponsored afterwards  by many other countries and, eventually approved by consensus of all its members. We are extremely grateful to the Permanent Mission of the Philippines for its leadership and its commitment to the IYFF declaration procedure, and to all the countries that have co-sponsored the draft Resolution or given their final approval.

Thanks to the kidness of the Spanish Permanent Mission, I have been present during today´s GA plenary session in New York, keeping in mind with admiration during such historical moments, the more than 350 organizations from 60 countries that have been supporting the IYFF Campaign.

We have reached the main objective of our common Campaign in favour of the IYFF declaration,  started on February 2008, after the celebration of the II IFAD´s Farmers´s Forum in Rome.  For the first time in history, an International Year has been promoted by Civil Society. Many thanks to everybody!”

José A. Osaba

Both seminars were received support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China and the provincial government units of Hubei and Sichuan Provinces.

In both seminars, Florante “Nonoy” Villas, AsiaDHRRA’s LSFM regional program manager shared AsiaDHRRA’s experience in anchoring ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community’s participatory process in drafting the 2011-2015 Framework  Action Plan for Rural Development and Poverty Eradication and AsiaDHRRA’s strategies, models and experiences in implementing the Linking Small Farmers to Markets.

IPRCC is an international anti-poverty organization established jointly by the Chinese Government and the United Nations Development Program and other international organizations in June 2005. IPRCC has committed to make contributions to poverty reduction in the world through the promotion of policy research, experience-sharing, knowledge exchange and South-South Cooperation in the field of poverty reduction and development.

IPRCC was established by the Chinese Government to provide a platform for various professionals and development practitioners from different developing countries to share theoretic studies and policy analysis and explore effective approaches for agricultural growth and rural development. It is one of the 5 new measures to assume China’s international responsibilities announced by China’s president Hu Jintao at the High-Level Meeting on Financing for Development, on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations. On June 22, 2004, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao delivered a keynote speech titled Promote Asian Cooperation in New Century at the Third Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue held in Qingdao in which he pointed out that strengthening regional cooperation is not only an important part of China’s new-era foreign policy but also the need of its own development.

Asiadhrra will be joined by participants composed of Senior-level officials from Ministries of Agriculture and other related government institutions responsible for food security and nutrition; Regional economic communities; Civil society organizations and private sector representatives;  UN Agencies, donors and development partners; International and regional financial institutions and Academia and research institutions

“The main objective of the Forum is to broadly discuss issues associated with hunger and malnutrition with a particular emphasis on nutrition-sensitive agricultural development and food-based nutrition approaches, review past and ongoing interventions and policies, share experiences and lessons learned, and identify way forward to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture for improving nutrition. The increased consultation among all actors involved in food and nutrition security will achieve greater complementary and coordination in strategic planning and action.”

We, 200 women and men, leaders of national, regional and international farmers’ organizations, civil society groups and social movements, and key academic and research institutions, from four continents of the world –Africa, Americas, Asia and Europe-, as well as representatives from national governments and inter-governmental organizations, have gathered in Bilbao, Spain, for the Family Farming World Conference with the theme “Feeding the World, Caring for the Earth.”

Continue reading the IYFF declaration here….

Read more about the campaign towards an International Year of Family Farming in 2014…

Read the details of the RDPE Consultation Meeting at the VietDHRRA website

Dr. Toan of VietDHRRA, in his talk during the information sharing, highlighted the centrality of small-holder farmers,fishers and indigenous peoples both men and women in the quest for poverty eradication and sustainable development. He mentioned that investment in small-holder agriculture is an important driver for attaining sustainable development. In ending he expressed the CSO call for a more action-oriented and binding programs and policies and programs on sustainable rural development. He also stressed the need for political will to address critical RDPE issues including regulation on massive land investment displacing farmers,fishers and IPs as well as the promotion of food sovereignty as essential to address poverty and hunger.

As a member of World Consultative Committee of the IYFF, Asiadhrra will participate in the first meeting of the committee to be held in Rome on 30 June 2011.  The WCC is composed of two representatives from Farmers Organizations and Rural Development Organizations from various continents namely Asia, America, Africa, and Europe. Among other concerns, the WCC will present updates on the IYFF campaign, discuss new campaign guidelines  and draft recommendations concerning the Campaign’s future initiatives.  With the campaign gaining ground in Rome,  the next campaign milestone will be its eventual declaration during the UN Assembly by the end of the year in New York.

Asiadhrra will also participate in the 37th FAO Conference Side Event entitled “Campaign in Favour of the International Year of Family Farming” to be held on 1 July, 2011 at 12:00h-13:30h in Philippines’ Room-FAO Roma.

The WCC will update the FAO conference participants on the IYFF Campaign and a dialogue process will take place. For more information about the IYFF Campaign,  visit http://www.familyfarmingcampaign.net/

Participants come mainly from SOMRDPE focal agencies, other national agencies concerned with RDPE, and peoples’ organizations, CSOs and NGOs, resource agencies and other ASEAN national sectoral bodies.

The new RDPE FAP is subject to a regional SOMRDPE workshop at the ASEC HQ in August and for approval during the 7th AMRDPE in Nomber 2011 in Brunei Darussalam.

RDPE Consultation in Cambodia

RDPE Consultation in Malaysia

RDPE Consultation in Philippines

RDPE Consultation in Laos

RDPW Consultation in Thailand