Message of the IFAP President

to the “IV Encuentro Cafetalero Andino”

(Coffee event in the Andes region)

delivered by Lorenzo Castillo on behalf of Jack Wilkinson

Lima, Peru, 15-16 February 2007

organized by Junta Nacional del Cafe (JNC)

 

 

Dear Leaders of the Coffee producers in the region,

It is a pleasure for me, as the President of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP), to bring greetings to this event of Coffee Producers. IFAP is the world farmers’ organization that brings together 115 national farmers’ organization’s from the five continents of the world. Our network represents 600 million farm families throughout the world. And we are very proud that JNC is part of this network.

Since the creation of IFAP, coffee issues have been an important part of the agenda in the sense that it represents many of the problems that primary commodity producers are facing worldwide. IFAP officially established a Group on Tropical Products at the World Farmer’s Congress in Egypt in 2002 to deal with issues relating to coffee, cocoa and cotton. It was set up as an international forum where farmers from different countries come together to share knowledge and experiences to think about long-term solutions to the instability of international commodity markets. It is important that farmers have a voice in any initiative to manage the crises in the tropical commodities markets.

In a general sense, IFAP believes that sustainable agriculture and rural development must be given the priority it deserves in resource allocation to lead the fight against poverty, hunger and economic stagnation especially in developing countries.

But investing in agriculture is not enough. We need to invest in our farmers for it is they who are the central actors driving the development of rural communities. Farmers need investment that gives them access to different tools to improve their production. As you mention in the objective of this event: promote capacity development to improve living conditions of coffee producers. As farmers, we are convinced that the only effective way to eliminate hunger and poverty is to adopt this “farmer-centred approach”. Development efforts must be focused on people and their organisations.

You have an important agenda for this event: strategies and commitments for the sustainability of coffee production and analyzing policies for coffee in the different countries that are participating in the meeting. We congratulate that effort because one of the keys to a successful fight against under-development is having well-organised partners to work with, especially farmers’ organisations. Increasing the capacity of farmers' organisations must therefore constitute a central pillar in any future agricultural development strategy. This is critical to ensure social and economic empowerment of the family farmers.

Farmers not only produce food, but they also to play a pivotal role in sustainable development. When farmers organise themselves in the market, they are able to improve the incomes of their families. Two pillars, sustainable production and sustainable income, are required to make progress. The facts speak for themselves: when farmers work together, we have progress, when they do not we do not have progress. In this sense we see the progress you are making in the region: you are taking the challenge to strengthen your farmers’ network by improving your competitiveness; analyzing your local, national, regional and international context to understand it but to take advantage of it in the coffee production.

However, farmers cannot achieve food security and rural prosperity alone. They need to their government and public institutions to support them in the fight for market opportunities, fair prices for agricultural products, appropriate technical support to meet quality and traceability standards, and a favourable political, agricultural and commercial environment.

At the last World Farmers’ Congress held in Seoul, Korea in May of this year, IFAP adopted a World Farmers’ Charter that is a statement of 10 principles to facilitate the full contribution of farmers to society. With this Charter, farmers from all over the world call on national governments, donor agencies, international institutions and other stakeholders to join with them in a spirit of solidarity to work together to implement these 10 principles for the development of family farm agriculture worldwide. 

We take this opportunity of your important event that takes together different countries within the Latin-American region to remember these principles and work together for them:

1. Recognize the importance of agriculture and the central role of farmers.
2. Involve farmers’ organisations as essential partners.
3. Create opportunities for farmers to earn a fair income.
4. Provide equal treatment for rural communities and urban areas.
5. Promote diversity and sustainability in agriculture.
6. Eliminate hunger, malnutrition and rural poverty.
7. Establish fair and equitable rules for agricultural trade.
8. Balance power in the agri-food chain, and ensure that markets work competitively.
9. Address the special needs of women farmers and young farmers.
10. Promote international cooperation.

 

This is our way to be with all of you here with all of our respect and excusing us for not being present in person.

We wish you fruitful discussions and the best results for coffee producers from this IV Encuentro Cafetalero Andino and I shall be looking forward to hearing the conclusions.

 

Jack Wilkinson

IFAP President