Family farmers’ organizations (FOs) in the Philippines celebrate the first year of the UN Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF) during the Knowledge Learning Market and Policy Engagement 2019 held in 13-14 November 2019 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP, Quezon City, Philippines. With the theme “Celebrating the International Decade of Family Farming: Strengtheing the Role of Youth in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development“, the event was also participated by representatives from the agriculture departments, academe, and development partners.
During the opening programme, Wopsyjenn Peñas, a young farmer from PANAW Sumilao, member of PAKISAMA, delivered a keynote message where she highlighted the significant roles of youth in agriculture.
Members of PAKISAMA and FOs under the AFOSP-MTCP2 Programme consisted majority of the 350 delegates of this year’s KLMPE. The delegates actively participated in the discussions on pressing issues in agriculture and rural development and proposals to address these issues.
Successful initiatives and models including cases from PAKISAMA on the five (5) themes–asset reforms in agriculture, fisheries, forestry and ancestral lands, agri- enterprise development, agri- cooperative governance, climate resilient agri-fishery-forestry, and gender and age-sensitive family farming–were also presented. AFA, through Mr. Espacio, facilitated the session on gender and age-sensitive family farming where cases highlighting initiatives of youth and women farmers were shared.
One of the highlights of the KLMPE 2019 is the in depth discussion of the seven (7) pillars of the Global Action Plan. AFA Young Farmers’ Agenda and UNDFF Coordinator Lanz Espacio provided an overview of the pillars, after which, the participants discussed and provided their inputs. These were then presented to officials of concerned government agencies for the development of the National Action Plan.
This year’s KLMPE also featured a photography contest. Earlier, photographers from the Philippines were invited to submit entries showcasing family farming. Over 70 entries were received and the finalist photos were displayed at the venue. View the winning photos here.
By the end forum, the farmer participants urged the public to support Filipino farmers by buying local rice and urged the government to provide concrete solutions to the challenges they currently face.
During the two-day event, knowledge materials and publications from AFA and its projects and programs were showcased and distributed in through its knowledge learning booth. Click here to view photos of this activity.
In support to the decade-long campaign to promote family farming, the KLMPE is a venue for farmer and fisher organizations, the government, CSOs and development partners to share their success stories, good practices, initiatives and innovations, and discuss current issues, policies and programs that promote family farming and inclusive rural transformation. The KLMPE aims to stimulate active policies for sustainable development of agricultural systems based on farming families, indigenous groups, cooperatives and fishing families.
The KLMPE is a multi-stakeholder platform managed by Agriculture and Rural Development Knowledge and Policy Platform (ARDKPP), a technical working group composed of representatives from the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA), ASEAN Farmers’ Organisations’ Support Programme (AFOSP)-The Medium Term Cooperation Programme Phase II (MTCP2), Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PhilDHRRA), Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Asia (AsiaDHRRA), Trias, and We Effect. ###
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