" International Trade and our Right to Survive as Farmers"

Final Report : Forum of Farmers from Latin America and the Caribbean

IFAP Regional Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean
Lima, Peru, 2-3 July 2003

1. Opening session

The National Agrarian Confederation, the National Coffee Board and the National Committee of Rice Growers– joint Peruvian hosts to the meeting – extended a warm welcome to around fifty farm leaders from the region who took part in the event organised by IFAP to encourage organisations to coordinate more closely in efforts to defend their common interests. IFAP President Jack Wilkinson invited farmers' organisations to put forward a long-term agricultural policy to defend producers' interests, regardless of the government in power, and to make IFAP's voice heard at the highest levels. He further underlined these comments by stressing the main problem facing any farmers' organisation: the difficulty of influencing government decisions.

The official opening speech of the meeting was given by Congressman Wilmer Renfigo, Chairman of the Peruvian Agrarian Commission.

Once an agenda was agreed, Jack Wilkinson explained the rules for election of the Committee’s officers, in preparation for election in accordance with the statutes of the Federation.

2. Proposal for a study on the agricultural sector in the region

Fabienne Derrien, Coordinator of the regional Committee at IFAP secretariat, presented a proposal for a survey to be carried out by a Canadian intern working for IFAP for a 6-month period. The general theme of the survey will be regional economic agreements; more explicit terms of reference for the survey are to be drawn up in the light of the many constructive comments put forward by members. (Revised terms of reference annexed).

3. Towards greater cooperation between farmers' organisations and the IFAP secretariat

Fabienne Derrien went on to set out the advantages of active participation in the Federation, and the services that the IFAP secretariat is in a position to offer members. It is essential that IFAP members share their expertise, information and documentation with the Secretariat in order for the Federation to carry out its task of representation with accuracy.


4. Outcomes of informal meetings held by the farmers’ organisations within the region

Carlos Simancas, Director of CECORA (Colombia), then presented the results of meetings organised across the region in 2002. The following topics were addressed: trade and negotiations, strengthening farmers' organisations, financing for agriculture and the power of farmers' organisations. The purpose of these meetings was to draw up a working plan to meet farmers' needs and expectations and to examine strategies for a larger representation of the region within IFAP. The results of these initiatives have proved encouraging. Discussions on how to integrate farmers' organisations into IFAP highlighted the following ideas:

· IFAP should be used as a worldwide organisation with a coherent international strategy designed to support the work of its members.

· IFAP members must realise that they decide the activities of the secretariat and, as a result, the agenda for the Federation as a whole.

· It is essential for IFAP to help strengthen farmers' organisations so that they can provide a better defence of farmers' interests.

· Better lines of communication with IFAP must be introduced.

· IFAP must provide follow-up on trade negotiations and their future developments.

· Countries not represented on the Committee (Brazil, for example) should participate in future meetings.

5. Involvement of farmers' organisations in the process of trade negotiations in preparation for the 5th WTO ministerial round (Cancun, 10-14 September 2003)

Presentations on cooperation between farmers' organisations and governments in preparation for the forthcoming round of trade negotiations were given by Jalima Gomez, head of international relations of UNAG (Nicaragua) and by José Garcia Rendon, Chairman of the Board of CECORA (Colombia). UNAG has repeatedly initiated dialogue with the Nicaraguan government but, unfortunately, farmers have never been really involved in the final decision-making. Similarly, CECORA has on occasions been consulted by the Colombian government, but real dialogue and consideration for the views of farmers is non-existent. Unfortunately, these are far from isolated cases in the region. The implementation of proposals by farmers' organisations, even by the most representative among them, depends on the good will of governments: many of the proposals put forward have never been taken up.

These two presentations prompted wider discussions on ways of improving relations between farmers' organisations and national governments:

· Farmers' organisations must include in their programmes the issues of trade and of regional and international trade negotiations, in order to promote dialogue between farmers, encourage reflection on these themes and thus perform their political role more effectively.

· In their meetings with government, farmers' organisations must be able to put forward sound, concrete and achievable proposals that reflect the family farmers’ expectations.

· Whenever possible, farmers' organisations within a same country will benefit considerably from presenting their government with a common vision in the name of the entire national agricultural community. The proposals that stem from this vision will thus constitute solutions with substantial political power. This strategic vision must be defensible, and defended, whatever the political party in power.

· Governments must be made aware of the fundamental role that family farming plays in the economic and social life of a country.

· Dialogue between farmers and the society they live in must be encouraged, so that consumers have a better understanding of the challenges faced by agriculture.

6. How to avoid the price distortions suffered by farmers as a result of subsidies from industrialised countries?

Manuel Antonio Panailillo, Executive Chairman of CAMPOCOOP (Chile), provided a glimpse of the realities of farming in Chile with his explanation of how difficult it is to achieve cooperation between the many structures representing farmers in his country. In response to the concern felt by farmers about price distortions, participants discussed the following subjects:

· Farmers must be in a position to defend their own production and to be aware of their comparative advantages, and governments should support them in this endeavour.

· Farmers' organisations should examine the future implications of the progressive abolition of farming subsidies and reflect on the means available to ensure national food security.

· Defending farmers' income must be the focal point of policy for all farmers' organisations.

· A survey of the competitiveness of the region's production should be carried out, taking into account global markets.

7. Contributions by farmers' organisations to rural development policies as part of integration processes

Following on from the very interesting presentation made by Gaston Rico of the CAF (Uruguay), addressing the challenges of national policies and integration processes for farmers' organisations, participants made the following points:

· Each country in the region should formulate an agricultural development policy specific to its own social and economic circumstances.

· Macro-economic policies should be harmonised across the region to provide a united front against regional economic agreements and to defend Latin American and Caribbean farmers and agricultural production effectively.

· Substantial investment is needed in transport and production infrastructure (quantity, quality, meeting health & hygiene standards, etc.) in order to develop local agricultural production and exports.

· A positive link, centred on common interests, must be envisaged between the encouraging aspects of rural development programmes and strong farmers' organisations.

8. Capacity building for the self-management by farmers' organisations

A number of presentations on this subject gave rise to in-depth discussions by participants. First Jur Schuurman, liaison officer for Latin American organisations of Agriterra, set out the essential aspects of a strong farmers' organisation and the basic strengths that ensure the legitimacy of such an organisation. Next, Fernando Lopez, President of Uruguay's CNFR, gave a presentation on agricultural research and its link with farmers' organisations. Finally, Luis Fernando Londono, Director of Fedepanela (Colombia), discussed national agreements on strengthening organisations.

The following points were among those that emerged from the different presentations:

· Farmers' organisations need to be strengthened for greater understanding and more effective work on international themes; wherever possible, this should be achieved through cooperation and dialogue between organisations.

· Farmers' organisations must build a dynamic of proposing strong and coherent alternatives to the problems faced by the agricultural sector.

· It is important to maintain the diversity of those involved in an organisation that represents the entire farming community, in all its great variety.

· Farmers' organisations must separate their activities from the "party politics" of their country in order to guarantee their political independence over the long term.

· Agricultural research should target technology appropriate to family farming in order to help improve the economic and social situation of small farmers.

· It is important to promote integration within existing agricultural structures, to avoid creating new organisations which fragment representation of the sector.

9. Women farmers and their representation in the sector

Lucila Quintana, a Peruvian woman farmer, made the first ever presentation to the Committee on the situation of women farmers in the region, and the barriers which rural women encounter on an everyday basis. She also mentioned the recent implication of women into agricultural and political structures. Her presentation clearly illustrated the difficulties faced by women in farming and the initiatives they are adopting to overcome those difficulties.

10. The FAO Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS)

The Coordinator of the Committee, Fabienne Derrien, reported on the progress of IFAP cooperation with the FAO on the SPFS. An agreement is in preparation to involve farmers more fully in SPFS national programmes. Jaime Durango, SPFS national coordinator in Ecuador, described the SPFS to participants as a project designed to define each national programme and contribute to the formulation of an agricultural policy using the technical support provided by FAO representatives. In response, farmers pointed out that they had great difficulty in making their voices heard by the authorities and by FAO officials in the field. In addition, many resources - whether financial, political or technical – failed to reach farmers. Many organisations expressed a keen interest in the programme, which had not been brought to their attention at the national level.

11. The Peruvian agriculture

Fernando Eguren, President of the CEPES (Peru), gave a detailed presentation of the difficulties, possibilities and challenges facing farming in Peru.

12. Future actions

· Revise the terms of reference for the survey to be carried out by the intern, starting in September.

· Take concrete steps to promote relations within Latin America and the Caribbean and invite those countries not yet members to join the Committee.

· Examine the possibility of a permanent forum for action at regional level: to consider ways of ensuring better representation, greater dynamism and better coordination for the region and to pursue ongoing discussion of farmers' interests.

· The Committee could turn its attention to certain specific topics such as unfair competition or standards of quality for farming products.

· Include gender issues in the discussions of the Regional Committee.

· Each IFAP member has a duty to contribute to all cross-sector policy documents, to the preparation of international publications, conferences and debates, and to the various IFAP specialised Committees, and to respond as fully as possible to requests for information, so as to ensure that the activity of agricultural producers is recognised at the international level.

13. Conclusions

Alvaro Fiallos, President of the IFAP Regional Committee for Latin American and the Caribbean, ended by expressing a hope for greater coordination between farmers' organisations in the region, in the interests of wider discussion of agricultural and economic policies in order to be better equipped to defend the interests of family farmers in the region. He also stressed the need for members to be closely involved in the activities of IFAP and in drawing up its agendas, since the Federation belongs to its members. IFAP President Jack Wilkinson added his voice to these conclusions, stressing the similar situations faced by farmers around the world and hence the importance for family farming in the region to enjoy strong international representation through IFAP.

14. Date and venue of the next meeting

The next meeting of the Regional Committee will be held in Washington DC (USA), at the World Farmers' Congress organised by IFAP from 29 May to 5 June 2004.

15. Elections

The Committee elected Fernando Lopez (Uruguay) as the new President of the IFAP Regional Committee for Latin American and the Caribbean. Dave Persad (Trinidad & Tobago) and Carlos Simancas (Colombia) were elected vice-presidents of the Committee.

SOME CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE MEETING OF IFAP REGIONAL COMMITTEE FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

2-3 July 2003

The Regional Committee recommends farmers’ organisations to…

… Build a long term strategic vision of the role of agriculture with a view to strengthening the defence of family farmers’ interests

… Promote consultation strategies with governments in order to look for the formulation of public policies that meet producers’ aspirations and identify cases in which differential policies are needed for specifically demanding sectors

… Draw up proposals to face the negative impact of the distortions implied by protectionist policies on national production

… Insert in your agendas discussion on trade policy and negotiation of trade agreements, taking into account IFAP’s capacity to obtain and supply information as a way of influencing governments’ positions from CAN to WTO, MERCOSUR and ALCA

… Promote institutional development of the Committee and stimulate the use of IFAP’ s platform to obtain better positioning for farmers’ organisations and be able to influence at national, regional and international levels, optimising the exchange of information and suggestions linked to its institutional activities

… Promote the training of farmers’ organisations leadership so as to gain efficiency in the development of its actions and promote the inclusion of women and young people in the leadership structures to ensure its durability and the preservation of the human values linked to rural society

… Recognise the importance of family agriculture to ensure equity and democracy in society, as well as its important contribution to food security

… Strengthen capacities of farmers’ organisations through productive and commercial complementary strategies in order to face market challenges efficiently

… Promote commercial and technological exchanges between farmers’ organisations members of the Committee and their producers in order to reach an improvement of their income and well-being

In order to follow-up these conclusions, it is necessary to devise a programme of concrete activities to implement the recommendations resulting from the meeting and guaranteeing their diffusion in the different institutional levels.