The Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), an alliance of millions of farmers from ten Asian countries, will hold a Seminar-Workshop on “Developing AFA’s Concept on Pro-Small Farmer Marketing and Tradingâ€, to be hosted by Ainokai, this coming July 3-10, in Aichi and Mie, Japan.
This seminar will hopefully result in the development of AFA’s concept paper on engaging in pro-small farmer marketing and trading. This is in line with the 2006-2010 strategic plan of AFA, which aims to provide programs and services to members in the area of alternative trade, among others.
The global agricultural trade liberalization brought about by the current rules in WTO-AoA and various bilateral free trade agreements coupled by lack or inadequate national governments’support have seriously damaged the livelihoods of small farmers in many Asian developing countries. The current “free trade†system is dominated by big national and trans-national agricultural corporations who benefit more from the system, rather than small farmers and producers.
AFA as Asian Farmers Association would like to study and observe marketing and trading systems which can be considered as possibe alternatives to the current dominant “free tradeâ€rules. At the end of the seminar-workshop, the participants will be able to: (1) increase their understanding of the existing practices, issues, concerns, prospects and challenges in marketing and trading of agricultural products of small farmers from developing countries; (2) learn about initiatives on alternative marketing and distribution system of environmentally friendly farm products in selected Asian countries, particularly the initiatives of AFA member Ainokai in Japan: history, systems and practices, issues and challenges faced, lessons. outline AFA’s framework, principles, parameters/guidelines, roles, responsibilities and immediate action points that AFA will take in engaging pro-small farmer marketing and trading.
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