On the second day, September 7, 23 representatives from ASEAN Senior Officials and Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (SOM-AMAF) from eight (8) ASEAN member States (AMS) joined the representatives of private sector to discuss and learn about the issues that were identified by participants from previous day’s workshops.
Ms. Sylvie Doutriaux of the US Agency for International Development welcomed the participants to the workshop.
Dr. Tahlim Sudaryanto of SOM-AMAF gave a brief introductory remarks and provided the participants an overview of AMAF’s Private Sector Dialogue initiatives that started two years back in June 2010 held in Singapore.
Dr. David Dyer, again presented the rationale of the Preparatory Workshop to the 2nd AMAF Private Sector Dialogue scheduled on September 27, 2012 in Ventiane, Lao PDR. He reiterated that a well-prepared participation to the 2nd AMAF Private Sector Dialogue will result to more meaningful and responsive outcomes.
Mr. Andrew McConville, Head of Corporate Affairs Asia Pacific of the Sygenta Asia Pacific Ptc. Ltd. gave inputs on Sygenta’s initiative on Rice Bowl Index. The Rice Bowl Index is a tool that assesses how robust a country’s capacity is to address the challenges of food security and identifies areas for intervention as food security is high on governments’ policy agenda and is increasingly complex while food production landscape in Asia is rapidly changing.
Current food security debate is fragmented, problem-centric and opinion-driven. The Rice Bowl Index facilitates a shift of focus of the debate from problem-focused to solution-driven supported by an evidence-based dialogue, supports positive and productive multi-stakeholder dialogue, collaboration and action and as a platform to support partnerships with government, food value chain, NGOs etc.
The Rice Bowl Index consists of 1) a quantitative component: a modular diagnostic platform examining key enablers and disablers of food security and 2) a qualitative component: a ‘white paper’ which interprets the data and identifies areas which require increased attention in terms of:
- Development of appropriate policy solutions;
- Investment in technology and infrastructure to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability;
- Creation of economic opportunities for farmers as well as food- and agribusinesses.
Mr. Roel Ravanera and Mr. George Fuller, workshop moderators for the CSO and Business Groups processes, respectively, presented the highlights of the break-out sessions before the SOM-AMAF representatives.
The national and regional participants of the CSO grouping came from:
- Non-Governmental Organizations
- Agriculture and rural based cooperatives
- Farmers and fishers organizations
On agricultural productivity
Mr. Ravanera, opened his presentation by sharing some of the initiatives of CSOs in addressing challenges on the area of agricultural productivity. CSOs work in areas that include:- Ensuring control over productive resources (land tenure, titling and ownership)
- Promoting sustainable technologies to reduce vulnerability
- Strengthening farmer/producers’ organizations
- Facilitating marketing support
- Advocating for supportive agricultural policies
- Protection of lands for food production; implement land use policies, asset reform
- ASEAN learning exchange on sustainable agriculture policies and programs
- Enabling legal framework for farmer organizations/cooperatives
- Regulatory function on contracts, etc.
- Technical support e.g., pricing, marketing information
- Adoption of regional standards
- CSR to support farmers/small producers efforts to adopt and enhance sustainable agricultural production technologies, and “partnership farming” contracts, etc.
- Explore pilot cooperative projects between farmer cooperatives and corporations
- Explore adoption of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) by CSOs and US-ASEAN Business Council
On access to agricultural credit
Some of CSO Initiatives on agricultural credit- Cooperative micro-credit programs (e.g., Philippines, Vietnam, etc.)
- Training of Farmers’ orgs to manage and maximize investment/credit, governance, sound management
- Make credit more accessible to small farmers with lower interest rates (comparative to many countries in other continents)
- Guarantee Fund
- Production insurance for farmers/fishers due to vulnerability from climate change
- Capacity Building and Monitoring
- Provision training and technical support for credit management and organizational development
- The need for Monitoring of updates and status of Policy Recommendations and Implementation
- Knowledge Sharing of Working Models
- Document successful and innovative experiences in micro-finance/micro-credit in agricultural production
- Initiate learning exchanges on innovative micro-financing on agriculture
On Role of Women in Agribusiness
- Re-affirmation of the important role of women in broader agriculture context
- Important role of women should be translated into meaningful participation of women in decision-making
- Doing agribusiness in the context of women empowerment
- Recognize right of women over land, credit, decision-making and need for social protection for women and families (i.e., settlements, education)
- Document and share various initiative of governments on role of women –e.g. programs, policies, budget allocation for women, setting specific monitoring indicators
- Capacity building for women, especially women in agri-extension.
- Recognize and strengthen the role of women in agriculture value-chain, making them at the center of economic activities, where possible.
Private Businesses & Associations were represented by:
• Private Companies
• Regional Business Groups
– CropLife Asia
– US - ASEAN Business Council
• National Chambers of Commerce
• National Food Business Associations
The results of the workshop discussions were based on the following key questions:
- What are we doing to enhance agricultural productivity
- How can government and ASEAN enhance our work with farmers in improving agricultural productivity
- what possible cooperation strategies can be considered with the civil sector
• Provide Basic inputs
- Fertilizer
- Seeds
- Pest control
• Training
- Safe and effective use of pest control technologies
- Best use of available technologies in holistic cropping system approaches
• Technology and innovation to increase yield per hectare and make best use of existing land
- Safer and more effective pest control
- Higher yielding seeds and seeds that resist biotic and abiotic stresses
- More effective use of water and more efficient irrigation systems
• Partnerships with growers - moving beyond win-lose contract farming
How can government and ASEAN enhance our work with farmers in improving agricultural productivity?
• Services
- Ensure that government supplied are good varieties of high quality
- Upgrade extension services, including with PPPs
- Facilitate farmer cooperatives
- Reliable information to track production for productivity (PPP)
• Policies
- Review laws and policies that hinder development of new technologies and seed varieties.
- Enable greater access to all technology that could help farmers become more sustainable and productive with appropriate regulation to protect health and the environment.
- Better coordination among government departments and ministries
- Prioritization of ASEAN coordination among ministerial groups
What possible cooperation strategies can be considered with the civil society organizations?
• Need all sectors to solve complex food security issues
• Need to include buyers
• Need to recognize national interests
• Need collaboration throughout value chains
• Work for agreement prior to ministerial level meetings
• Emphasis on farmer flexibility and choices
Breakout Sessions
By 11 in the morning, the participants were divided into four breakout groups. The breakout groups were created to facilitate a more intimate and deeper discussion on the issues and recommendations that were presented on the plenary session. Senior Officials of SOM-AMAF joined the group discussions and interact with the CSO and business sector participants.
The moderators were the following:
Mr. Roel Ravanera - Group 1
Mr. John de Silva - Group 2
Ms. Sylvie Detriaux - Group 3
Mr. George Fuller - Group 4
In the afternoon, the same groups came together to further discuss the issues and recommendations with another set of SOM-AMAF Senior Officials. The breakout group discussions provided opportunities for meaningful interaction among participants. It also allowed opportunity for networking to some.
In the culmination of discussions, each group was asked to select at least three (3) priority issues that the sectors would like to bring to the 2nd AMAF Private Sector Dialogue. These were shared during the concluding panel composed of the break-out moderators. One group shared three priority areas for action to include: 1) Institutionalization of an ASEAN Small Producers Council which will be composed of representatives from small farmers and fishers/ producers organizations; 2) Agricultural credit programs that are accessible and affordable or farmer-driven packages that will increase the competitiveness of small farmers, fishers and producers for both intra and extra trading within the ASEAN region; and 3) ASEAN and AMS to strengthen support to joint cooperation and programs that would enhance small farmers, fishers and producers access to markets.
It is expected that representatives from SOM-AMAF in the workshop will report/feedback the issues and recommendations discussed to their respective Agricultural Ministers/Secretaries. As such, Ministers comprising the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry will be able to prepare meaningful response to the issues and recommendations that will be raised during the Dialogue.
On the other hand, the CSOs were also encouraged to meet their respective SOM-AMAF representatives at the national level, to prepare for the 2nd PPD. More importantly, there was a general understanding that the dialogue between and among government and private sectors is a continuing process at different levels. The Bangkok workshop was meant to generate an atmosphere of openness among various partners and create a mechanism for continuing dialogue and cooperation at national level. The CSO participants are in full agreement to the relevance of sustaining the process at the national levels, where the perspectives on issues raised and the recommendations put forward can be further be elaborated and discussed.
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