On the morning of March 12, the participants went on a field visit to Bekasi District in West Java Province, which is 1.5 to 2 hours away from Jakarta (by bus). The area is a paddy field area around 300 hectares (mostly owned by rich people living in the cities).
The Dialogue with the ASEAN Secretariat was held in the afternoon of March 12, at the ASEAN Secretariat also in Jakarta, Indonesia. AFA, AsiaDHRRA, and other partner CSOs met with the Secretary General and some senior officers. His Excellency ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong welcomed the AFA and AsiaDHRRA delegation. Ms. Marlene Ramirez, Secretary […]
March 10, 2007 a. What is your understanding of how regional integration is done in ASEAN countries? How do you feel about it? 1. Regional integration in ASEAN is being done, but the big corporations are the ones who benefit most from the process, to the disadvantage of the small farmers and producers. Regional integration […]
March 10, 2007 a. what is your understanding of the main features of ASEAN FTAs? 1. ASEAN endeavored to push FTAs based on the notion that the member countries have a competitive advantage 2. The agreements contained in FTA look like the WTO agreements entered into by countries at the regional level
March 11, 2007 a. What are your experiences and observations with regards to bio-fuels in your countries? The governments of Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, and Indonesia have started to promote planting of crops which can be used for bio-fuels. In Korea, hydro-powered energy has long been used.
March 13, 2007 ASEAN Secretariat Jakarta, Indonesia We are leaders and members belonging to the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), together with AsiaDHRRA and partner CSOs, gathered here at Jakarta, Indonesia, for the “Regional Workshop on ASEAN: Firming Up Asian Farmers’ Campaign on ASEAN regional integration in Agriculture†, this 10-12th of […]
The 7th World Social Forum was held on January 20-26, 2007 in Nairobi, Kenya. It was attended by AFA through the representation of Esther Penunia, Secretary General. Through its participation in the forum, AFA was able to establish and strengthen contacts with farmers’ organizations in Africa and Latin America as well as with NGOs working […]
Women constitute majority of those represented in food and agriculture production and processing globally. Thus, it is critical to incorporate gender into the debates around food and agriculture in order to identify alternative proposals to the current flawed international trade rules.
