Report of the 2008 global meeting - IFAD

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• Support the development of key alliances with NGOs and other stakeholders to promote policy change • Support the mobilization of FOs at regional and national levels to raise awareness and promote policy change “If you are talking about influence in policy, we must not feel that farmers’ organizations alone would be able to influence policy, even if it is agricultural policy, because agricultural policy affects the rest of the society.” Renwick Rose, Coordinator, WINFA “I think one of the lessons we have learned is the importance of alliances, of working with other civil society organizations. If you are talking about influence in policy, we must not feel that farmers’ organizations alone would be able to influence policy, even if it is agricultural policy, because agricultural policy affects the rest of the society.” Renwick Rose, Coordinator, WINFA • Support mapping of FOs at national level and understand their strengths and weaknesses “One basic point is to know who is out there, what organizations are ready to contribute and participate, what capacity they need for a correct and legitimate participation and how we can build this capacity.” C.A. Gouet Enriquez, Development Programme Manager, IFAP • Provide long-term and flexible support for capacity-building on advocacy and policy to FOs for policy formulation and implementation and for supporting the autonomous development of FOs’ positions on public policies • Support FOs’ involvement in IFAD supported projects to allow policy change triggered by FOs and not by IFAD project managers • Strengthen the linkages between IFAD regional programmes for policy change (such as REAF) and their national ‘chapters’ • Create ‘information desks’ on policy processes ongoing and planned at national and regional levels to allow FOs to get a stake into policy dialogue and change • Promote the inclusion of pastoralists, fishers, indigenous people and other important stakeholders in the rural areas into policy dialogue processes • Promote an increased engagement of women and young people and the most marginalised groups in decision-making processes The working group concluded by stating that in all of its work with FOs, IFAD should support their autonomous development and promote diversity, inclusiveness and pluralism. 4.3 Climate change and smallholder agriculture: perspectives of FOs Issues put forth for group discussion regarded how rural people can be helped to adapt to climate change, and benefit from the funding that has been allocated in relation to climate change issues. Also, the issue of how rural poor people can benefit from current mitigation mechanisms was raised for discussion, with particular emphasis on the possibility of paying smallholders for their environmental services. Moreover, the role of farmers’ and small producers’ organizations in the design and implementation of 40
climate change policies and strategies was explored. Lastly, the role of IFAD and how it can support FOs in this context was looked at. The group was opened with presentations from two member organizations of the Farmers’ Forum Steering Committee 18 – IFAP and La Via Campesina. These presentations offered an overview of the climate change issue, highlighting its systemic nature, which calls for systemic solutions. The IFAP presentation described the major barriers to climate change adoption and mitigation. These include: deterioration of our natural resource base through soil erosion, water logging, salination, land degradation, desertification, increased water use and diminished biodiversity; incomplete policy frameworks that are not mainstreamed and do not have regulations; and rural infrastructures that cannot bear the consequences of climate change. The presentation then focused on mechanisms to enable FOs to adapt to or help mitigate the effects of climate change. These included carbon credits, introducing tax benefits to stimulate farmers to adopt more sustainable farming practices, and establishing appropriate insurance mechanisms, in particular crop insurance guarantees. “I am a great proponent of getting farmer or other groups organized. This is the greatest way to facilitate change because they have a network, a bottom-up platform, a forum where issues are discussed and mandates created. IFAD needs to move further in this direction and with these kinds of groups.” Mr A. M. Vashee, President, Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) and Vice-President, IFAP The Via Campesina presentation described the impact of industrial farming and the current agricultural production model on global warming. It also suggested that the promotion of biofuels is a false solution since biofuels actually contribute to global warming. In this context, small-scale farming has a central role to play in “curing” the planet. Small farmers support sustainable agriculture and cool the planet. Therefore, models need to be developed that allow for the survival and small-scale farming. At the same time, these models are incompatible with agro-industrial systems and industrial farming. The presentation urged IFAD to take an open stance on this model of production. “We have to change the types of production, of transport, of consumption – all of these models. We are talking about systemic problems and we have to face them in this way with radical changes; it is necessary to change our social, economic and consumption habits.” Paul Nicholson, Unión de Ganaderos y Agricultores Vascos (EHNE/UGAV), Spain “You have got to look at this not from the point of view of mitigating the problem or seeking opportunities. We have to change the types of production, of transport, of consumption – all of these models. We are talking about systemic problems and we have to face them in this way with radical changes; it is necessary to change our social, economic and consumption habits.” Paul Nicholson, Unión de Ganaderos y Agricultores Vascos They also provided an overview of other issues related to climate change that are of importance to poor rural people and need to be addressed: deterioration of the resource base, an incomplete policy framework, Paul Nicholson, EHNE, and Taghi Farvar, WAMIP 18 Mr Paul Nicholson, Unión de Ganaderos y Agricultores Vascos (EHNE/UGAV – La Via Campesina), and Mr Ajaykumar Manubhai Vashee, President, Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU), and Vice President, IFAP. 41
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Page 5: Acronyms ACP AFA AROPA ASEAN COPROF
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Report of the 2008 global meeting - IFAD

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