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INDEX
1. - Contextualisation .................................................................................................................... 1 2. - Agricultural organisations and their demands......................................................................... 2 3. - Conclusions .......................................................................................................................... 11 4. - Specific proposals on the subject of demands of agricultural organisations ........................ 12 5. - Bibliographical references .................................................................................................... 13
1.- Contextualisation
Agricultural organisations are the primary representation of farming men and women and of country-people. As in all social sectors, farmer should be able to organise themselves freely in independent associations, which are legally recognised at diverse levels: local, national, regional and international, in order to both analyse their socio-economic situation and to allow for the effective defence of their rights and aspirations, conversing with their governments and with specialised international institutions. Bearing in mind the progressive abandonment, with notable exceptions, of agricultural policy and the scant investment in the Family Farming sector in many countries in the world, strong agricultural organisations that condemn these deficiencies and propose adequate policies for the sustainable development of the rural sector, seeking Food Security and Sovereignty for people, are increasingly necessary. At the present time there is a great variety of agricultural organisations with a considerable diversity of aims and means. In the agricultural sector, as at all other social levels, there is a multitude of options and approaches, applicable to democratic societies.
Some factors obstruct the positive development of agricultural organisations capable of assuming a strong level of political influence, these being, for example, unfavourable legislative frameworks, the lack of freedom of association, the political disinterest of governments to converse with civil society, rural exodus, the lack of material means to consolidate farmer associations, etc. The number of agricultural associations has increased in the last few years, although this growth was more quantitative than qualitative. The common problems which farmers' organizations are facing have already been highlighted by the most significant institutions of the sector, and studies over the last decade shows that they have not changed. In order to fully expand their possibilities of influencing and proposing political improvements for rural development, it is vital that they are endowed with sufficient human and material means to be able to fulfil their vital role in the agricultural and rural world, and in society overall. All of this refers to national, regional and international frameworks, in which they must establish their own strategies and the most appropriate alliances for their approaches and objectives.
Inthisdocument,forpurposesofgeneralisation,nospecificdifferenceismadebetweenfarmers organisationsandproducersorganisations,exceptinparticularcases.
long-lasting and relevant since they emerge from specific realities and needs (SARD 2007, AGRITERRA 2011). As specific examples it is possible to mention, among others, movements at a national, regional or international level, such as the Panafrican Farmers Forum PAFFO, the five Regional Farmers Network that comprise it (ROPPA, PROPAC, UMAGRI, EAFF and SACAU), AFA (South-east Asia), CIFA (India) COPROFAM (extended MERCOSUR), the world movement Via Campesina, COPA-COGECA (Europe) and the World Farmers Organisation, more recently created (ActionAid/FoodFirst, Holt-Gimenez 2010, WRF/PROCISUR 2010, WF 2010). At the core of some of these organisations there are still differences in the level of representation of men and women farmers, their participation in decision-making and activities, gender equality, the condition of rendering accounts, strategic potential, professional capabilities, diversity of income and their focus on the development of their community (AGRITERRA 2011). Globally, agricultural organisations find themselves in diverse socio-economic contexts, which can create difficulties for mutual understanding, especially between industrialised countries and developing countries. All of this requires an intense process of dialogue and mutual knowledge, in the interests of advancing towards a more shared and united view of the present and the future of agriculture, as well as the legitimate aspirations of the rural world in all continents. In fact, a variety of documents, research and data about organizations has been published, stating their weaknesses and strengths, however, little has been translated into concrete actions in support over the past decades.
It is also important to highlight that the majority of farmers' organisations provide services of extension, advice, training and research. They rely on the dissemination of information through networks and communication technology (IAASTD 2009, IFAD 2010a). On a strategic level, if we compare individual farmers (men and women) with the organisations, the latter have greater possibilities of exercising political influence in order to participate in the decision making processes at local and national government levels. The greater the representativeness of the organisations and their level of institutional development, the greater will be their level of impact, depending also in part on the predisposition of the government to their demands (Wennink/Nederlof/Heemskerk 2007, IAASTD 2009, IFAD 2010A, IFAD 2010b). In general, the majority of the organisations strengthen the cohesion of the rural community and contribute to rural development as they invest in the area and curtail rural exodus by providing better conditions for farmers and the community in general (health, education, infrastructures, etc.) (Abaru/Nyakuni/Shone 2006, Wennink/ Heemskerk 2006, IFAD 2010b). It should be noted that, for governments, a good development of agrarian organizations is convenient due to several reasons: At economical level. These organizations generate real wealth and rural development through economies of scale, the production of food that is consumed locally o sold, reducing the necessity to import food and, therefore, augmenting Food Security and Sovereignty. Furthermore, they support better techniques of commercialization, create local employment and develop human capital. Since farmers can pass over from informal to formal economy, they generate tax income and resources that benefit the whole community, such as infrastructures which could be used in projects of collaboration between the government and the organizations. At political level. Organizations with good operational modus represent a big share of the rural population and can articulate their desires much better than other interlocutors. Hence, these organizations can play a pivotal role in the intermediation between local o national governments and the rural population in general, since they focus on concrete demands and suggestions. They can be important interlocutors and advisers when elaborating rural policy and meeting rural needs. Thus, decentralized structures can be created which offer channels of articulation and participation of the population. At social level. Often, rural and agrarian organizations are involved in offering certain services such as education and health care which are not completely
developed in the locality. Therefore, governments can take advantage of already created structures and boost them in order to not duplicate efforts and guarantee a better distribution of these services. In short, agricultural organisations that work well not only provide technical and practical services to support farmers, they also create a dynamic approach to rural development through empowerment, strengthening cohesion and a sense of community (LEISA 2007). They are, in addition, the intermediaries throughout the production chain, for governments, etc. taking active part in decentralization processes (IAASTD 2009). For instance, at a workshop in Costa Rica, the members of some local agricultural organisations formulated the following criteria in order to carry out relevant work (Faure 2004): Generate income for a decent standard of living. Help to sell good quality products and generate added value. Stimulate autonomy to reduce risks. Generate rural employment. Strengthen the social fabric. Manage natural resources. Generate services for the society. Strengthen the processes of rural development. These and other criteria must be reflected in the work of the organisations and in policies of support to the same.
However, there are also weaknesses, such as the lack of solidarity, of including women, young people, landless farmers or those without resources in the organisations themselves or in their decision making processes. In addition, many groups promoted from the outside do not take into consideration the social, cultural and economic context and therefore do not manage to consolidate themselves over time (Abaru/Nyakuni/Shone 2006, Wennink/Nederlof/Heemskerk 2007). There are outstanding differences of representativeness and in some cases their legitimacy, governance and transparency can be questioned (Diaz et al, 2004, IFAD 2010a, IFAD 2010b). One opportunity of peasant organisations is their power of change through political impact and improvements at a local level to increase the sustenance of a large number of farmers (IAASTD 2009, Rondot/Collion 2011). In spite of many internal and external problems, they represent the interests of poor men and women farmers better than any other external actor (IFAD 2010a). In Asia, the number of people who form part of an agricultural organisation is increasing, while in Latin America and Africa the number is at a standstill. However, it is possible to denote an improvement with regard to interrelations with other actors, the creation of networks, providing their own research and internal levels of democracy (SARD 2007, AGRITERRA 2011). Greater inclusion of more vulnerable actors could increase participation and representativeness in the core of the organisations and contribute to rural development and the reduction of poverty (Wennink/Nederlof/Heemskerk 2007). Social learning, social capital and collective action are the keys to facing up to these challenges (Kruijssen/Keizer/Giuliani 2007). In any case, current social, political and economic conditions such as the volatility of prices, the liberalisation of agricultural markets, etc. tend to restrict their power of influence and action and impede the transfer of successful experiences to other sectors or regions (Smith/Avila/Abdi 2004, IAASTD 2009, WRF/PROCISUR 2010, AGRITERRA 2011). Agricultural organisations that represent family farmers (men and women) still lack the necessary political, economic and social support at national and international level (HoltGimenez 2010).
Legislative guarantee and de facto liberty of association and participation. Their recognition as intermediaries who represent family farming men and women and their active participation in formulating agricultural and rural development policies through spaces for dialogue and consultation, as the case may be, at a local, national and international level. Give preference to the demands of family farmers. Recognition of the organisations of disadvantaged groups (family farmers, women farmers, indigenous peoples, the landless etc.) and their special involvement in the formulation of policies. Their support in terms of practical and strategic needs (training, involvement in networks, research, financial services etc.) to peasant organisations. Therefore, an explicit financial support to rural and agricultural organizations through national budget and cooperation. Their involvement through participatory budgeting and other forms of consultation and participation in decision making.
Until now, in sub-Saharan Africa, only very few research- and agricultural training institutions have made a move towards the demands of ordinary farmers to review their research and education programme (IFAD 2010a). In Latin America the movement Campesino-a-Campesino began to create a network of selftraining in which innovative and sustainable techniques are taught by the farmers themselves (Hocde et al. 2000, Holt-Gimnez 2010, Rosset et al. 2011). Research centres, which are engaged in training, such as CIPCA (Centro de Investigacin y Promocin del Campesinado) in Bolivia, CATIE and IICA (Instituto Interamericano para la Agricultura) in Costa Rica, CEPES in Peru, RIMISP in Chile are closely linked to the needs to family farming men and women. On the other hand, there are universities such as the Universidad Pontificia Javeriana de Bogot en Colombia which promotes applied research (www.cipca.org.bo, www.catie.ac.cr, www.iica.int, www.cepes.org.pe, www.rimisp.org, http://puj-portal.javeriana.edu.co). In Asia, Farmer Field Schools showed very good results not only in terms of reducing the use of pesticides but also at a strategic level of generating a greater sense of control over life itself by the participants (Braun et al. 2007, IAASTD 2009, IFAD 2010a). In Europe there are various agricultural research centres that are directly linked to the needs of farmers, such as the FiBL (Switzerland, Germany and Austria), the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute, CIRAD (France) etc. At university level, the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain) is quite important. (www.fibl.org, www.iamz.ciheam.org, www.upv.es, www.cirad.fr).
organisations have already taken action against this deficiency. In Rwanda , for example, there are organisations that have 50% presence of women in their governing bodies. However, the introduction of quotas does not resolve the structural problem of underestimation of the economic, social and cultural contribution of farming women, so, it is the rules of the game and the discriminating stereotypes that need to be overcome. In the case of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa, women are taking over a variety of formerly male jobs and are occupying their posts in agricultural organisations (Wennink/Nederlof/Heemskerk 2007, IFAD 2010b). It is not only women who are not adequately represented but also the poorest farmers and those with fewer resources, young people, the disabled, the landless etc. who often do not form part of the agricultural organisations or who do not occupy leadership positions, generally due to the high costs entailed in such commitments and the low social prestige associated. Systems of quota payment might favour farmers with greater financial weight as they supposedly contribute more to the development of the organisation. (Wennink/Heemskerk 2006, SARD 2007). Not all organisations mention in their articles of association the reduction of poverty or social inclusion. Greater access of farmers, excluded up to now, would increase the capacity of innovation of the organisations and their contributions to the development of the community (Wennink/Nederlof/Hemmskerk 2007). Organisations such as Via Campesina at an international level, AFA (Asia), CONTAG (Brazil) etc. show a greater sensitivity in this matter.
Countrywithoneofthehighestratesofgenderequality(SocialWatch2007).
Within the international institutions and also within the peasant organisations there is widespread debate on the most sustainable agricultural models in terms of the use of natural resources.
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3.- Conclusions
Based on successful experiences, there is a need to encourage self-organisation of family farmers (men and women) at a local (decentralised), national and international level in order to contribute to sustainable rural development and pressurise governments to implement better agricultural policies. In many rural areas agricultural organisations are the only instances of services provided for the local population. By creating an economy of scale, they contribute to an improvement in the economic conditions of their members, they offer training, advice and financial services, they contribute to greater cohesion, they curtail rural exodus etc. Furthermore, they are important actors for research and for achieving a change in focus towards sustainable agriculture: fair on people and friendly with the environment. These strengths and opportunities need to be exploited to the full. But the associations need support to strengthen their service- and operating structures, especially with regard to amplifying their social base as well as promoting inclusion, equity and professional capabilities. Faced with agricultural policies that are non-integrating and that obstruct the development of Family Farming at a local, national and international level, the agricultural organisations are appropriate actors to make a political impact and propose substantial improvements, but to do this they need more areas of recognition by the public authorities, through dialogue and influence in public decision making. There are many examples of successful and innovative organisations, and it is necessary to learn from them through the creation of networks.
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Develop programs in order to strengthen local organizations at national and international levels. Include special budget for all the points mentioned above.
Many agricultural organizations themselves are aware of the need to redefine their internal structures in terms of criteria of equity, participation, democracy, justice and sustainability and therefore the promotion of women, youth, landless farmers and indigenous peoples will be an important issue. The organizations will have to mainstream gender in all their activities for instance regarding the schedule, quotas for female representation, women's leadership and so on. Moreover, it will be necessary to ensure criteria of financial, technical and political transparency within the organizations, enhance coordination between them and provide spaces and resources for networking, demand and take advantage of opportunities of influencing through participatory budgeting, consultations policies etc. Finally, it should still improve communication so that all farmers know what is being done for them. Agricultural associations are and will be the great protagonists in the future of Family Farming.
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