We’re a bit proud to say that we had a little hand in the production as WRF entrusted us with the design and layout of the booklet.

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Learn more about the Campaign for the International Year of Family Farming

The aim of the Continental meeting is to discuss issues related to the IYFF Campaign: how to involve more and more governments and civil society, how to reach a common understanding of the main issues and challenges of Family Farming, and the probable outstanding activities and benefits of the IYFF, once it is declared by the UN General Assembly.

About the Organizers

The Association for Development World Rural Forum –WRF-, is a worldwide network, a non-profit making entity whose main objective is the promotion of sustainable family agriculture and the rural environment in the context of globalization.

The WRF is coordinating the worldwide campaign for an International Year of Family Farming –IYFF- (www.familyfarmingcampaign.net).

AFA -Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development- is a regional alliance of 9 farmer federations in 8 Asian countries, representing 10 million of small men and women farmers.

AsiaDHRRA -Development of Human Resources in Rural Asia- a regional partnership of 11 social development networks and organizations in 10 Asian nations that envisions Asian rural communities that are just, free, prosperous, living in peace and working in solidarity towards self-reliance- is the Regional representative of WRF’s Asian Network in the Board of directors.

CIFA-The Consortium of Indian Farmers Associations, is an organization created to represent the farming sector, before the Government of India, the Planning Commission and other related authorities. Their aim is to promote adequate rural policies and the allocation of a significant budget for agricultural development, based on its contribution to the National GDP and also on the basis of the significance and importance of the total rural population.

Philippines
Mr. Luis Caballero Jr., Vice Chairperson of Zamboanga Sibugay High Value Marketing Crop, presented their community’s experience in maintaining food safety and quality standards for calamansi. In terms of maintaining product quality, this involved the processes before planting, the maintenance requirements during planting season, as well as the safeguards during picking, sorting, and storage. Mr. Caballero enumerated the following issues and challenges: (1) Some farmers / pickers do not follow the guidelines in size and maturity of calamansi during picking; (2) Branches dry out due to excess water and fungi; (3) Regular monitoring of an accredited agriculturist is needed; (4) An official monitor is needed during sorting; (5) Some farmers, especially those who live far from farm-to-market roads, tend to go back to old farming practices.

Cambodia
Mr. Noun, chicken producer from FNN, presented Cambodia’s experience in marketing dressed chicken. He related that chicken feed during the dry season are not sufficient. They also experience difficulty in transporting the product given the great distances of markets from the farms. Because of these, the traders are able to really push down the price. They buy live chickens and slaughter them after three days. This situation has led to questionable claims about hygiene and safety that affects the credibility of dressed chicken as a product.

Vietnam
Representatives from Vietnam reported the following issues and concerns with regard to their product, tea: limited farmers’ access to knowledge and information about food safety and product quality; poor processing techniques and equipments; limited quality management and limited access to product quality certificates; and difficulties in trade market development.

Indonesia
Mr. Haryono, explained that their organization consists of 60 cooperative groups of farmers in the forests of Sumatra that have 30 member-households each. The cooperatives help in the marketing of ten tons of organic rice per month by ensuring that market demands are met and by lending to farmers in need. Since they process rice manually, the main obstacle is in drying seeds especially during the wet seasons. As small farmers, they face obstacles in marketing and product quality, and would like to have some information on the practices in food safety and product quality in other countries. They also have 50 farmer-members who are into honey production. This could be expanded to include a greater number but the organization’s capacity to organize them is limited at the moment. They are now starting to market the honey to Binadesa outlets even as the product quality is not yet fully developed.

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They visited various agencies providing significant support to farmers towards improved agricultural productivity through training, research and extension services. Some of the agencies they visited are National Training Institute for Farmers’ Organization, Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station Council of Agriculture and of course the Council of Agriculture. The group also had the chance to visit regional centers providing services to southeast Asian farmers like the Food & Fertilizer Technology Center and the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center.

The event was very beneficial to AFA as it gained recognition as a regional farmers’ alliance at an international gathering, provided AFA leaders and members with a venue to enhance their advocacy skills, established contact with other regional farmers’ organizations like ROPPA, and EAFF, various NGOs, and IFAD and FAO officers. AsiaDHRRA as a strategic partner of AFA and a promoter of peasant movement building also saw the event as an opportunity to interact with like-minded organizations in Europe and to establish cooperating links with IFAD on common agenda.

The Farmers’ Forum is an emerging, bottom-up process of consultation and dialogue between small farmers and rural producer organizations, IFAD and governments, focused on rural development and poverty reduction. Last year, six national consultations were held in preparation for this first Farmers’ Forum. PAKISAMA attended the Philippine consultation. Also, an Asian regional consultation was held in Manila in December 2005 which was attended by AFA and some of its members like Sor Kor Por, VNFU, and PAKISAMA. AsiaDHRRA also joined the regional consultation.

The group visited various rural communities in Sorsogon, Albay, and Camarines Sur. They were warmly welcomed by local PhilDHRRA members and were oriented on their community based efforts. The group experienced rural life as they stayed in the homes of farmers’ families in an agrarian reform community in Pecuaria, Bula, and Camarines Sur. The students also enjoyed their time with the Fatima Center where they generously shared their skill in origami to the Center’s orphan children. On top of this, the group enjoyed the scenic and tourist sites in the countryside

The visit strengthened the ties between the two DHRRAs as they were able to discuss and share experiences on various development issues significant to both countries. To deepen their understanding on issues, orientation was also given by a resource person from the Department of Education and a Health expert. They were also warmly welcomed by the Secretary of the Department of Land Reform and were given a brief on the government’s AR program. The study tour was capped with a dialogue with academics and economists from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Economics to broaden their understanding of the macro-economic situation in the Philippines, including Japan –Philippine trade relations.

1. AFA’s WTO advocacy work for year 2005
2. sustaining the sustainable rice campaign through mainstreaming of the systematic rice intensification (SRI) in selected countries and
3. continuation of the capability–building project as supported by its main partner, Agriterra.

The first part of the FEV was the first celebration of AFA Day, held February 28, at a village in Sattahip, Chonburi, Thailand. During the celebration, AFA members shared one kilo of organic rice variety brought from their country; these were mixed and then cooked for lunch. This activity symbolized the coming together of farmers’ organizations for solidarity, support, and nourishment to each organization’s avowed causes and concerns.

The second part of the FEV was a civil society consultation and dialogue with government negotiators, held March 1-2 ( see related article above).

The third part of the FEV was a visit to sustainable agricultural technologies being practiced by members of NFAD (North Farmers Federation for Development) Sor Kor Por’s member in Chiang Mai province. Participants stayed with host families for two days, and visited areas with integrated farming, diversified farming, production of organic bio-gas fertilizers, and organic vegetable farming. A village university and two Kings’ projects on integrated farming located in Chiang Mai and Chiang Dao were also visited.

The fourth part of the FEV was a refresher course on the basics of WTO, held March 7. Participants played games to check how far they understood some basic jargons and concepts on WTO. They also had a debate on whether agriculture should be excluded from WTO or not.

The fifth part of the FEV was a sharing session on the various sustainable agricultural practices being employed by their organizations and/or by themselves as farmers in the area.

A monograph on the Thailand FEV will be published soon.

After the field visit a capacity building session focusing on the “Review and Deepening of Understanding of WTO” will be conducted through the use of various games and structured learning exercises.