BACKGROUND
In 2018 and 2017 respectively, 51% of the world’s poorest and 62% of the hungry are in the Asia Pacific mostly in the rural areas. Ironically, the region has 80% of farming families working on two hectares average and producing 60% of the world’s food. Of those engaged in agriculture here, 50% are women (IFAD 2011) while the youth who make up 19% of the total population in Asia (UN ESCAP 2012), specifically rural youth, deviate from farming due to low income.
Many farming families are poor and hungry due to (1) lack of access and control over natural resources- land, water, forests, as well as technological, financial, information, and market resources; (2) degraded ecosystems and vulnerabilities from climate shocks; and (3) insignificant involvement in policy-making processes. Women and youth in agriculture have it worse due to deeply seated cultural norms influencing the legal framework.
The United Nations declared 2019-2028 as the UN Decade of Family Farming. A Global action plan (GAP) with seven pillars that includes youth and women, and addressing land rights issues, was launched. The UNDFF will promote country-driven, inclusive, bottom-up, multi-stakeholder collaboration to develop and oversee an integrated approach to support family farming.
Civil society Organizations promoted the establishment of country-level multi-stakeholder mechanisms, like the National Committee of Family Farming (NCFF), currently existing in the Philippines, Nepal, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, and India. These NCFF’s have members from Government (except India), Family Farming organizations, and CSOs. The Family Farming Initiative (ILC-Asia CBI2) is involved in promoting the UNDFF implementation to ensure land rights and sustainable agriculture across the region. It is within this context that Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), the International Land Coalition (ILC), and the People’s Campaign for Agrarian Reform Network (AR Now!) are convening this regional event. This event is supported by SEI Asia’s Strategic Collaborative Fund, which aims to foster regional cooperation and policy dialogue for sustainable development and environmental sustainability, through capacity building, knowledge sharing, and increased collaboration.
OBJECTIVES
The regional forum aims to promote and strengthen multi-actor partnerships that contribute to positive policy changes in family farming in line with UNDFF. In specific terms, it intends to:
1. Raise awareness and build a common understanding of the:
a. contributions of family farmers and the UNDFF on achieving the SDGs 1, 2, 5, 10, 15 and 17
b. the situation of family farming in Asia
c. the UNDFF Global Action Plan
d. challenges and opportunities faced by family farmers
2. Share viable practices in promoting family farming with a multi-stakeholder approach:
a. current status of NCFFs in Asia
b. good policies, programs, and multi-stakeholder models on land rights (beyond NCFFs) and sustainable agriculture and inclusion of family farmers in policy reform and decision making
3. Develop commitments, plans, and concrete actions and ways forward on:
a. policy priorities to promote land rights and sustainable agriculture at country and regional levels while cognizant of transversal/cross-cutting concerns of women, youth, indigenous peoples, pastoralists, and herders engaged in family farming. The global action plan of the UNDFF includes a pillar each on women (Pillar 2) and youth (Pillar 3)
b. creation and/or strengthening of multi-stakeholder platforms for UNDFF implementation, inclusive of family farming organizations and marginalized groups, particularly women and youth
c. ways of sharing the progress of UNDFF implementation at country and regional levels a common research agenda to support evidence-based policy and advocacy work on the UNDFF
Program of Activities
DAY 1
| TIME | ACTIVITIES |
| Opening program (Plenary) | |
| 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | Video presentation: Pamilyang Magsasaka (Farming Families)
Keynote messages Qu Dongyu, Director-General, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (TBC) Nigel Brett, Director for the Asia and the Pacific, International Fund for Agricultural Development Dr. Agung Hendriadi, Director General of the Agency for Food Security, Ministry of Agriculture, Indonesia (TBC) Niall O’Connor, Director, Stockholm Environment Institute Asia Centre Dewi Kartika, Steering Committee Member, International Land Coalition Asia U Than Swe, Chairperson, Asian Farmers Association for Rural Development Ofelia Dela Cruz, Farmer leader, People’s Campaign for Agrarian Reform Network Event overview Group Photo |
| SESSION 1. Setting the scene | |
| 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon | Session 1.1 The UNDFF and Global Action Plan: Improving family farming to achieve SDGs (Plenary)
Guilherme Brady, Chief of Unit PSPF, UN Food and Agriculture Organization Session 1.2 Family Farmers and the Challenge of Building Sustainable Food Systems (Plenary) Hon. Thanawat Tiensin, Chair Committee on World Food Security Open Forum |
|
12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m.
|
Session 1.3 Family Farming in Asia: Progress, challenges and opportunities: Scoping study results several countries, highlights on land rights, sustainable agriculture and family farmers’ involvement in policy making (Breakout session)
Breakout groups (7 minutes presentation from select countries followed by interactive discussions) 1) Southeast Asia Farmer and Nature Net (FNN) – Cambodia Aliansi Petani Indonesia (API) – Indonesia Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA) – Philippines 2) South Asia Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD) – Bangladesh Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) – India National Land Rights Forum (NLRF) – Nepal 3) East and Central Asia Union of the Water Users Association of the Kyrgyz Republic (UWUA) – Kyrgyzstan 4) Pacific Pacific Island Farmers Organisation Network (TBC) |
| 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. | Presentation of highlights per sub-region and open forum (including questions from other channels) (Plenary) |
| 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. | Lunch break |
| SESSION 2. Global landscape for food systems (Plenary) | |
| 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Presentation 1. Sustainable food systems
Agnes Matilda Kalibata, Special Envoy for the 2021 Food Systems Summit Presentation 2. Agriculture and Covid-19 Pierre Ferrand, Agroecology Officer, UN Food and Agriculture Organization Open forum Presentation 3. Land rights and Covid-19 Ward Anseeuw, Senior Technical Specialist at ILC and CIRAD Researcher Presentation 4. Markets and Covid-19 (10 minutes) Ron Hartman, Director, Global Engagement, Partnership and Resource Mobilization Division – External Relations and Governance Department, International Fund for Agricultural Development Open forum |
| 3:30 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. | Break and Video presentation (Food and Agriculture Organization) |
| SESSION 3. The NCFFs in Action: Enabling an inclusive policy environment and fostering multisectoral initiatives to strengthen Family Farming and overcome inequalities (Plenary) | |
| 3:50 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
|
What have we learned so far?
Reaction and open forum |
DAY 2
| TIME | ACTIVITIES |
| 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. | Recap of Day 1 Highlights |
| SESSION 4. Initiatives to promote Sustainable Agriculture, Land Rights and Market Access (Breakout session) | |
| 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 noon
|
Group 1. Land Rights, Food systems and Covid-19
Speaker 1: Nathaniel Don Marquez, Executive Director, Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC) Speaker 2: National Land Rights Forum (NLRF), Nepal Speaker 3: Indonesian Consortium for Agrarian Reform (KPA) Group 2. Sustainable Agriculture and Covid-19 Speaker 1: Normita G. Ignacio, Executive Director, South East Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment (SEARICE) Speaker 2: Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA), Philippines Speaker 3: Government – SEI supported program in Lao PDR Group 3. Market Access and Covid-19 Speaker 1: Asian Development Bank (TBC) Speaker 2: Reginald Lee, Director of Partnerships, Grow Asia Speaker 3: National Federation of Pasture User Groups (NFPUG), Mongolia |
| 12:00 noon -12:45 pm | Presentation of highlights per theme and open forum (including questions from other channels) (Plenary) |
| 12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. | Lunch break |
| SESSION 5. Building Collaboration and Alignment (Breakout session) | |
| 1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
|
Session 5.1 Workshop by country
– Policy priority – Plans in organizing the platform |
| 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
(1 hour) |
Session 5.1 Workshop by sub region
– Policy priorities – Mechanisms to develop the sub-regional action plans East and Central Asia Group Southeast Asia Group South Asia Group Pacific Group |
| SESSION 6. Reaffirming the Path (Plenary) | |
| 3:30 p.m. – 4:10 p.m. | Session 6.1 Presentation of agreed action points and milestones for 2020 (Plenary reporting of results of sub regional discussions) |
| Reading and Endorsement of a Draft Communique of the Event (Plenary) | |
| Response and Closing Program (Plenary) | |
| 4:40 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Response/message (5 minutes per speaker)
Laura Lorenzo, Executive Director, World Rural Forum Pierre Ferrand, Food and Agriculture Organization Hubert Boirard, Country Director, Asia and the Pacific Region, IFAD Mike Taylor, Director, ILC Young Farmers Committee Chair, AFA Anthony Marzan, Executive Director, Kaisahan SEI |
VIEW / DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATIONS:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/h0pq1h9q7sgh67m/AABGYsKnaEdq6Kv5sXxQJk20a?dl=0
WATCH THE VIDEOS OF THE PRESENTATIONS:
English: https://www.youtube.
Hindi subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuiLD2ajbAM&list=PLkxLYRFF4flkRyUc6QvHCE5NATeBu0gWd
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