A. Common Issues
1. Small scale men and women farmers, fishers and indigenous peoples in the rural areas , who altogether form the majority of the people in ASEAN member countries and the poorest in their societies, face the following issues:
a. lack of access and control over natural resources , especially, land, water, seas and seeds. Landlessness is a common issue among small farmers. Control over the fishing ground is an issue for the fisherfolks. Ancestral land rights among IPs are not recognized.
b. marginalization and disenfranchisement of farmers, fishers and IP communities due to unbridled agricultural and fishery trade liberalization and corporate-driven agriculture.
c. increasing loss of biodiversity due to excessive extractive industries, such as overfishing, large scale mining, plantation farming, and extensive chemical agriculture.
d. impending impact of global warming and climate change , along with the mitigation measures such as the rise of biofuels and agrofuels
e. pressures of urbanization and industrialization on the lives and livelihood of the rural sector
f. inadequate government support to the agricultural/rural sector.
2. Women farmers, fishers and IPs bear the brunt of these problems, as they are largely unrecognized, their work undervalued, and they are multiple burdened, as they try to balance their work in the farms , in the home, in the community.
3. Weak and fragemented organizations of small scale farmers, fisherfolks, indigenous peoples, and women in the region.
B.Regional Advocacies : We call on ASEAN to
1. ensure the implementaton of internatonal agreements on access and control of natural resources and people-centered development (e.g. the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples , WSSD, WCARRD, etc) in the different ASEAN countries, world conference
2. establish conflict resolution mechanisms on competing use of natural resources
3. puruse an agriculture, fisheries and a people-centered rural development that promotes the well-being of all, with preferential option for the poor and marginalized. It should be equitable, gender-sensitive, inclusive, sustainable, rights-based, and eventually leads to empowerment of the poor farners, rural women, indigenous peoples, and fishers.
4. institutionalize mechanisms for the regular consultation and participation of farmers, fishers, IPs, rural women, and rural development NGOs on matters affecting their sector (e.g. Basic Sector Council).
C. Regional Actions for ACSC. The participants recognize the diversity and complementation of strategies, actions, and campaigns of various rural development groups. But agree to:
1. continue the work of empowering basic rural sectors through organizing, capacity building, and implementation of appropriate projects , such that they are able to artculate their agenda with relevant decision making bodies at national ,regional ,international levels and build alternative models
2.intensify implementation of programs and projects that helps forward our advocacies
3. establish regional mechanisms and initiate processes for solidarity, exchanges, dialogues, collaboration and coordination among rural development players (e.g. ACSC Working Group on Rural Development)
4. engage UN bodies, particularly FAO and UNEP, and ASEAN, particularly SOM-AMAF, in pushing for our advocacies . Know what specific units and persons to engage with.
5.maximize avenues for advocacy ; there are various official conferences where we can articulate and lobby our interests and positions
6. continue conducting and sharing of information, research and documentation on the situations of the rural sector and policies that have impacts on the sector
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