Ms. Marlene D. Ramirez, Secretary-General of the Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources for Rural Areas (AsiaDHRRA), participated in the plenary session on the second day of the Asia-Pacific Symposium on Agrifood Systems Transformation organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on 6 October 2022, via hybrid modality, Bangkok.  The symposium had a rich plenary session on FAO’s Four Betters: Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment, and a Better Life, which is at the organization’s Strategic Framework 2022-2031.

Ms. Ramirez delivered a presentation on Better Lives, which revolved around people’s well-being, inclusion, equity, and empowerment while addressing all other aspects and dimensions of agrifood systems across the whole spectrum.  She also highlighted AsiaDHRRA’s goal in the network by empowering rural people’s organizations (RPO) guided by an organization growth ladder where technical and advisory services are designed.  It is made accessible to assist RPOs in scaling up from survival/formation to further phases of consolidation, empowerment, advancing, and enterprising stages.  The soon-to-be-defined sixth stage of leading local development is when RPOs remain active in their chosen roles in the community in the framework of territorial rural development.

She conveyed her key messages on the following:

1. Inclusive agrifood systems transformation is only possible if rural peoples and their organizations are on the frontline of development. Not as beneficiaries but as lead actors.  Do we envision them being on the frontline of development action, going beyond their agenda?  Are we willing to invest, for instance, in transforming FOs into strong agri-cooperatives to flourish in their economic activities?  Are we investing enough to empower rural women and youth?
2. If only around 10-15% of farmers in most countries are organized, and only a few are capable, then the practice of innovations, and new technologies, including digital agriculture, will be extremely low. All these, as we are seeing now, will only end up with those who are well capitalized.
3. Support the empowerment of rural peoples’ organizations. Work with civil society and invest in mainstreaming and scaling up their work.  Let us join hands in transforming rural development and elevating it to a higher pedestal in ASEAN through the first ASEAN Master Plan on Rural Development that will soon be launched.

Mr. Thongdam Phongphichith of SAEDA-LAO, a founding member of LaoDHRRA of Lao-PDR, participated and spoke in person at the Better Productions session focusing on “Innovations for increasing agricultural production.