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

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…

Last Saturday, 2nd July 2011, the plenary of the 37th FAO Conference ratified the Resolution introduced by the Philippino delegation (see attached text),   supported by more than 15 countries, without any opposition, requesting  UN General Assembly  to declare in 2011 the International Year of Family Farming-IYFF, to be implemented during 2014.

The IYFF World Consultative Committee and the World Rural Forum, presents in Rome, were allowed to express gratitude to the FAO Conference after the approval of the IYFF Resolution.

During the process towards the final approval of the Resolution, several Ambassadors informed us that the worldwide dimension of the IYFF Campaing, with supporters in the 5 continents, were essential factors in favour of obtaining a general consensus.

In this respect, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to each and every organization, entity, government, person, adhered to the Campaign, as we are enjoying a collective success.

We have now to confront the great challenge of going deeper into the many crucial issues and aspirations of the hundreds of millions of women and men farmers, at national and world levels, in order to make  the 2014 IYFF a great milestone in solving problems, finding solutions to the rural people, the real leaders, the true inspiration of our common Campaign.

Draft resolution subbmited by Philippines (see page 5)

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/

The important workshop was co-organized by AFA and AsiaDHRRA, API and Binadesa/InDHRRA. Our speakers came from VNFU, APNFS, SPI, TKN, and ASETUC-UNI-APRO.

download the food price volatility plenary report here…

MASIPAG-trained farmers have not used chemical pesticides for decades now, he said, with ducks for example an excellent natural control against golden snail; “it converts biomass into eggs and meat as well,” he observed.

MASIPAG organic farms, he said, average 6.7 tons of rice per hectare in North Cotabato, more than 7 tons per hectare in Laguna but only 5.1 tons per hectare in Surigao del Sur where soils are poor.

Edgardo S. Uychiat, president of the Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Foundation, pointed out that in Bago, Negros Occidental, for example, a farmer averages 7 tons per hectare of organic rice compared with 6.3 tons per hectare for conventional rice farming.

A diversified organic farming system managed by Iliranan tribals at Mt. Kanlaon earns P332,000 in annual gross sales compared with P72,00 gross sales with traditional monocrop rice farming.

continue reading about why organic farming is cost-effective…

Agriculture must produce more from less, and do so in an environmentally sustainable, efficient and socially just manner. The GIZ partnership farming approach provides a holistic and long-term sustainable solution, through investment in farm system management, capacitybuilding, production modernization and strengthened linkages between production and market demand.

This four-day event offers a unique opportunity to those seeking to improve the performance of their organizations in promoting and assisting in the development of smallholder farming. Participants will gain insight from experienced GIZ experts from across South and Southeast Asia and will benefit from avaluable exchange of experiences through the joint resolution of participants’ unique challenges.

Click to download the program and registration form….

For more information and registration, please visit their website: www.thai-german-cooperation.info/giz_trainings_agribusiness.html

Click to download/read the pdf…

315 farmers and rural organisations  from 60 countries covering the 5 continents have given their official support to the WRF Campaign in favour of the IYFF. See up-dated list in the WRF website: www.familyfarmingcampaign.net

WRF- who has met several times, in 2009-2010, the FAO staff in relation with our IYFF Campaign- has received, on 11th January 2011, an official letter from the FAO Director General, Mr. Jacques Diouf, granting WRF a liaison status. Taking into account the linkage between WRF and the coordination of the IYFF Campaign, it is a very positive tool to carry out our common goal with more international recognition.

In the coming days will be published the booklets related to the Africa and America continental meetings. They will be available also in the IYFF web.

Once the continental meetings have ended, the first World Consultative Committee-WCC of the IYFF Campaign will be organised with two representatives –our suggestion: to be elected, as in Asia, with gender approach and associative criteria: one woman-one man, one Farmers´ association, one rural NGO- by each Continent. At this moment, the representatives of Africa, America and Europe are undergoing the election process. We hope that, in two month, the WCC will be in place.

WRF has attended, from 5th to 11th February 2011, the World Social Forum in Dakar, Senegal. WRF representative gave a talk linking Family Farming with Food Sovereignty. It was a good opportunity to meet many of the IYFF partners and to promote the Campaign.

The guide highlights successes from Brazil, India and Cote d’Ivoire, underscoring the importance of a favorable policy environment that promotes quality control and certification systems, private sector support, flexible legislation and the legal right for farmers to save and exchange seeds. It also stresses the need for available credit to allow these businesses to take root.

Read about the FAO Policy Guide on the Role of Small Seed Enterprises to Secure Food Security…