One of AFA’s thrusts in terms of capacity building for its members is to facilitate technical cooperation and farmer exchanges. In one of its meetings last year, the Execom mandated the secretariat to set up a system where this processes can be facilitated. Last December, an opportunity came up for a study tour to be conducted in the organic agriculture areas of PAKISAMA in the Philippines by staff of Ainoukai from Japan and the staff of an agricultural college in Allahabad, India.
Last December 4-13, 2009, Secretary General Kazuhiro Yamamoto and Ainou magazine editor Ryoko Tsuboi of Ainoukai, an AFA member organization promoting organic agriculture in Japan, are in the Philippines for a study tour on organic agriculture in PAKISAMA member and partner areas.
They were joined by Dr. Tiuro Miura, Mr. Takaya Machigami, Mr. Santosh Kumar, Mr. A.K. Mishra, and Ms. Manmeet Kaur from the Makino School of Continuing and non-Formal Education (MSCFE) in Allahabad, India, who are also practicing organic agriculture.
The study tour was also joined by AFA, where both Ainoukai and PAKISAMA are members.
The tour included meetings with PAKISAMA and AFA in Manila, where initiatives on SRI and other SA practices were presented, and travel to the Bicol region to visit organic farming initiatives of PAKISAMA Bicol, PARAUMA, PECUARIA, FACE, LIKAS, PANGOPOD, among others. Flying back to Manila, the group proceeded to UP Los Banos and IRRI, before they went back to the AFA and PAKISAMA offices for their final meeting and assessment of the study tour.
As a result of the study tour, Dr. Miura and Mr. Yamamoto, in consultation with AFA and PAKISAMA, have drafted a concept paper for a project proposal on sustainable agriculture technology and livelihood dissemination for possible funding support by private organizations in Japan. The project will support technology transfer activities for farmers belonging to PAKISAMA, initially. Later, it can expand to other countries where AFA has members.
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