www.asianfarmers.org

Website of the Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development

Archive for the ‘Issue: Farmer’s Empowerment and Solidarity’


Published September 9th, 2010

In the News (Thailand): Editorial: Forced Labor

A conspiracy indictment was brought last week against a Los Angeles company, alleging forced labor on a chilling scale. Six contractors are accused of a scheme to hold 400 workers from Thailand in virtual slavery on farms in Hawaii and Washington State. The Justice Department says it is the largest human-trafficking case ever brought by the federal government. Just as disturbing is how familiar the accusations are.

The company, Global Horizons Manpower, is accused of abusing the federal guest worker program, known as H-2A, in 2004 and 2005 and luring workers with false promises of steady work at decent pay. The workers, poor men from the Thai countryside, took on crushing debt to pay exorbitant recruiting fees, about $9,500 to $21,000. After they arrived in America, according to the indictment, their passports were taken and they were set up in shoddy housing and told that if they complained or fled they would be fired, arrested or deported.

The case, brought in Honolulu, coincides with the sentencing on Thursday of two Hawaii farmers, Mike and Alec Sou, who pleaded guilty in January to a forced-labor scheme involving 44 Thai workers. The Sous worked with Global Horizons before but are linked to the latest case only by the methods they admitted to using.

Read the full story at the New York Times

Published June 10th, 2010

Filipino farmers mark agrarian reform anniversary, death of farmer-leader

Philippine national peasant federation PAKISAMA, a member of AFA, joined various small farmer organizations, non-government organizations, and coalitions in the Philippines in calling for President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to distribute Hacienda Luisita (a huge estate owned by the Aquino clan in the province of Tarlac) under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) within the first 100 days of his administration.

The call was made by the Reform CARP Movement during the commemoration of the 22nd anniversary of CARP in front of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) on June 10.

During the commemoration, PAKISAMA National President Crispino Aguelo said, “We expect more from him (President-elect Aquino III) because he said that he would pushfor serious changes for the sake of the Filipino people.”
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Published June 7th, 2010

AFA, PAKISAMA supports rural residents to be affected by special economic zone

AFA and PAKISAMA supports the campaign of the residents of the town of Casiguran in Quezon province, Philippines (mostly farmers, fishers, and indigenous peoples) who will be displaced by the creation of a special economic zone in the area.

The Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panligal (SALIGAN), together with the Task Force Anti-APECO, held the first of a series of fora on “Addressing the APECO” in Quezon City, Philippines last June 4, 2010.

The activity convened multi-sectoral partners in support of affected residents of Casiguran, Aurora, largely comprised of farmers, fisher folk and indigenous peoples, who will be displaced by the passage of RA 10083 or the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone (APECO) law.
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Published April 30th, 2010

New AFA leaders sworn in

In the recently concluded 4th AFA General Assembly last April 23 in Ping Tung, Taiwan, the new officers of the Executive Committee for 2010-2015 were sworn into office.

The new leaders of AFA are as follows:

Chairperson – Mr. Tsai, Shun-Te, TWADA (Taiwan)
Vice-Chairperson – Ms. Jang, Jeong-Ok, WAFF (South Korea)
Treasurer (appointed) – Mr. Vicente Fabe, PAKISAMA (Philippines)
Secretary General (appointed) – Ms. Ma. Estrella Penunia

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Published April 27th, 2010

AFA crafts new 5-year strategic plan

After a 2-day strategic planning workshop held in Ping Tung, Taiwan which was highlighted by an analysis of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT), a review of its progress vis-a-vis its strategic objectives in the last 5 years (2006-2010), as well as its mission, vision, goals, and 8-point peasant agenda (now 9-point peasant agenda), AFA farmer leaders and staff crafted the broad framework for its strategic plans for 2011-2015.

The framework centers around 3 main strategic objectives of (1) maximizing support of partners (CSOs, government and intergovernmental bodies, other FOs) in the promotion of AFA’s agenda by increasing networking activities and forging concrete partnership projects; (2) strengthening capacities of AFA in Knowledge Management; and (3) building a more sustainable, stronger AFA through a small-farmer centered governance and diversified financing.

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Published April 20th, 2010

AFA holds 4th General Assembly

The Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), held its Fourth General Assembly, with the theme “Sustaining our Gains, Nourishing our Work” on April 20-23 at the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) in Taiwan.

The event was hosted by the Taiwan Wax Apple Development Association (TWADA) in cooperation with NPUST.

The highlights of the General Assembly was a review of AFA’s 2006-2010 strategic plan, as well as the crafting of its 2011-2015 strategic plan.

Published March 23rd, 2010

WRF organizes IYFF Asia Continental Strategy Meeting in New Delhi

The WRF, together with AFA, AsiaDHRRA, and CIFA as the host partner, are organizing an IYFF Asia Continental strategy meeting, to be held in New Delhi, March 23-24, 2010. The participants will be Asian Farmers’ organisations supporting the IYFF Campaign as well as representatives of national and international policy makers.

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.

Read the full story at AsiaDHRRA

Published March 5th, 2010

In the News (Japan): Hokkaido’s female farmers toil away in countryside couture

Farm clothes are not known for their sartorial elegance, but a group of Hokkaido women are staging their own catwalk shows with a new line of outdoor farmwear they are calling “Agri-Fashion.”

The women behind “Agri-Fashion,” which sounds similar to “ugly fashion” when pronounced in Japanese, are even touting it as a movement with the potential to attract younger people to careers in farming.

“I always wanted cute working clothes that were more fashionable,” says Kimiko Ikawa, 56, who launched the new line. “I thought by using bright colors and lots of patterns, I could make a new brand of farmwear that hasn’t been made before.”

Ikawa, a fashion school graduate, married a farmer and followed him to the town of Biei, Hokkaido, where the absence of younger residents has become a serious problem.

Read the full story at The Japan Times

Published February 15th, 2010

AFA Secretary General pleads for more support to women at Global Farmers’ Forum

AFA Secretary General Estrella Penunia is in Rome to attend the Third Global Farmers’ Forum from 15 and 16 February 2010 in conjunction with the Thirty-third session of IFAD’s Governing Council. The Forum will bring together more 70 farmers’ leaders from around the world, representing millions of smallholders and rural producers from all over the world who will interact with IFAD staff and selected partners. The Forum will be opened by the President of IFAD, Kanayo Nwanze. Its closing session, in the afternoon of Tuesday, 16 February, will be open to the members of IFAD’s governing bodies.

The following is an excerpt from IFAD’s social reporting blog:

Estrella Penunia, gave a passionate keynote address, in which she said: “Women farmers will not remain victims, we’re key solution providers, nothing about us without us”. She made a plea to move away from gender stereotypes and reminded the participants and audience that women should be at the forefront of the agriculture. She said: “If we earn more, we can spend more on food, education, health.” Estrella then continued to say “Women perform magic to put food on the table”.

In her keynote address, Estrella shared with the gathering that “in many developing countries women cannot owe land, yet we are the one who cultivate the land and take care of land.”

She continuted to say that “50-90% of work in farms is done by women and women ensure food security when crops fail.”

Estrella Penunia and other women leaders such as Elisabeth Atangana, Kati Partanen and all the women farmer leaders showed passion in their interventions. Elisabeth remarked: “If women don’t have economic power, they can’t do very much. Women need access to financial resources, and access to land”.

As Estrella said: “Women work with personal touch, we need to help more women farmer leaders to further unleash their potential”.

Read more at at the IFAD Social Reporting Blog

Published February 5th, 2010

In the News (Vietnam): Nation’s best farmers honoured

Ten most outstanding farmers in the country were presented the “2009 Farming Genie” prize at a ceremony in Hanoi on January 31.

The awardees representing over 50 million farmers nationwide have production models that bring high economic values.

Read the full story at Nhan Dan