AsiaDHRRA’s Secretary General, Ms Marlene Ramirez, participated in World Rural Forum’s (WRF) 8th Global Conference Family Farming: Sustainability of our Planet, held at Europa Palace, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, on 19-21 March 2024.  Ms Ramirez spoke at a special event on the Economic Sustainability of Family Farming, Value Chains, and Associativism and shared the experience of Matulatula Agrarian Reform Community Cooperative (MarCCO), a partner Farmers’ Organization (FO) located in Pola, Mindoro Oriental, Philippines.

AsiaDHRRA has been an agri-agency partner with MarCCO since 2016-2023 under the Farmers Fighting Poverty (FFP) and Farmers’ Organization for Asia (FO4A) program.  Ms Ramirez highlighted MarCCO’s effort to integrate into the value chain, its response to environmental, societal, and governance calls, and the priority policies needed to scale up and green its operations as the next challenge for the FO.

MarCCO has shown achievements in clustering its production, adopting technology, consolidating its members’ produce, and collectively processing and marketing its products. GlowCorp is the primary channel that reaches mainstream markets. The FO scaled up its operations from various public programs with the continuous development of governance and management systems. They aim to operate a greening operation through bio-composting and develop a new business stream of processing production waste to feed compost and fertilizers. The FO is a member of Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA).

AsiaDHRRA, as an agri-agency partner, will continue to support MarCCO in elevating and achieving its economic, environmental, and societal sustainability and lead the development of its territory in Mindoro Oriental.

The Global Conference Family Farming was established and organized by the WRF and attended by high-level representatives from the governments, international organizations, National Committees on Family Farming, research institutes, FOs, and NGOs from five continents.

The objectives of the forum are:

• Raise recognition of the fundamental role of family farming in transforming food systems, promoting the planet’s sustainability, and reducing inequalities.
• Promote a more comprehensive reflection on effective and innovative interventions favoring family farming to strengthen the interconnection with other agendas.
• Increase the role of family farming in climate change and biodiversity protection strategies.
• Promote reflection and commitment to the future of family farming based on the inclusion of youth, gender equity, and the empowerment of rural women.
• Encourage new commitments, collaborations, and alliances with other actors.

FO4A is AsiaDHRRA’s program supported by AgriCord and funded by the EU through IFAD.