Farmers’ organisations could play a larger role in rural development, according to one Asian farmers’ representative, who would like to see donors working more closely with farmers’ groups and even make direct funding allocations to support Capacity Development of such bodies.
Esther Penunia is the Secretary General of The Asian Farmers’ Association, or AFA. Speaking at a recent Hot Topics in Agriculture seminar in Brussels this summer, Ms Penunia explained the merits of a regional alliance of national farmers’ organisations and how she believes such groups could play a larger role in rural development.
“We want to be a strong voice for farmers in Asia,” said Ms Penunia, Secretary General of the AFA, “a strong voice at the national, regional and international level.”
The AFA is a regional organisation that brings together farmers from developing and developed countries in Asia. And according to Ms Penunia, this bringing together of farmers and countries operating at different levels of economic and social development allows for improved information sharing and offers a framework of opportunities for farmers in the less developed member countries.
Indeed the distinction between farmers from developed and developing countries is not cast in stone. Some farmers have moved from one world from another in only a generation.
“I remember our member from Taiwan said: ‘We want to be a member of AFA because 20 years ago our situation was like your situation in Cambodia, your tools are tools that are now displayed in our museum and as farmers we want to help you’,” Ms Penunia recounted.
These days a farmer in Taiwan is relatively well off for Asian standards, living in storied houses and driving cars explained Ms Penunia.
While the organisation wants all the region’s farmers to improve their livelihoods and boost their incomes, they also want them to be able to do this in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.
And donors can help with these processes, said Ms Penunia.
“Big donors can set guidelines with governments, guidelines that will be favourable for farmers and our groups,” said Ms Penunia. “For example setting conditions that government s should consult farmers’ groups, or that governments should ensure the participation of farmers’ organisations in all phases of the programme from planning to implementation to monitoring and evaluation.”
Donors can also help to encourage gender equality and address issues surrounding land tenure, said Ms Penunia, as well as in sharing of expertise that can help farmers in Asia be more creative and innovative in their practices.
Ms Penunia recommended that a part of financing goes to the capacity development of farmers’ organisations.
“We believe farmer’s organisations can be a very good partner in rural development, can even be a very good partner in social development and economic development of a country,” said Ms Penunia. “And if we are assisted in building our capacities for advocacy for economic activities, and capacity to organise ourselves as strong farmers’ organisations – if we are helped with financing of these things – farmers’ organisations potential as a partner in development will be very much ensured.”
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