AsiaDHRRA assisted the ASEAN Secretariat and the US-ASEAN MARKET Project in mobilizing a strong CSO participation in the Preparatory Workshop so that CSO perspectives are appropriately incorporated in the action agenda for the 2nd AMAF-Private Sector Dialogue (PPD) on Food Security scheduled on September 27, 2012 in Vientiane, Lao PDR.
At the opening, Mr. David R. Dyer, MARKET Project Chief of Party, said that the Workshop is aimed at preparing the private Sector inputs to the 2nd PPD. The event was to serve as a platform to meet, discuss, and consolidate food security issues towards arriving at focused and clear recommendations to the AMAF during the dialogue. He noted that the dialogue process which is meant to allow more space for participation by the private sector, will not end in Vientiane, with the MARKET Project's commitment to seeing through the deepening of the discussions or debates on relevant issues between CSOs and business groups, and other stakeholders, at the national level. It is part of the process that has been discussed with AsiaDHRRA who serves as focal point for a broad-based CSO participation in the PPD.
The workshop is part of the continuing process of ASEAN dialogue with the private sector which started in the ASEAN Food Security Conference: Role of the Private Sector held in Singapore in June 2010. This was followed by the Public-Private Consultation on Sustainable Fisheries in ASEAN in June 2012 in Bangkok, then the ASEAN Food Security Conference: Improving Access, Advancing Food Security held in Manila in July 2012 and the 1st AMAF Private Sector Dialogue on Food Security held in Jakarta last October 2011. For the CSOs, the dialogue process with ASEAN through the PPD is a continuity of their various engagements with ASEAN the past five years on issues confronting food security, agriculture, and rural development.
A separate workshop among private business groups commenced in the afternoon of the first day with the same agenda of identifying key issues, potential areas of cooperation, and recommendations on the three workshop themes of agricultural productivity, access to agricultural credit and role of women in agribusiness. The highlights of the parallel private sector workshops were presented in the concluding plenary for an initial sharing of views and perspectives. While there were differences on where each sector is coming from, commonalities in some of the understanding and calls to government and ASEAN were also observed.
Summary of Issues from the CSO Representatives Workshop
On Agricultural Productivity
The CSO representatives arrived at a consensus that agricultural productivity is a complex challenge because it is not limited to yields but includes people, productive resources, markets, policies and the environment. The current challenge is now even greater with the declining resources (e.g. land, water) and the changing rainfall and climate patterns.
On Agricultural Credit
Access to agricultural credit by small farmers and small producers in some ASEAN countries is constrained by legal restrictions of banks. There is a need for a legal stature that would govern credit support to small farmers. There are available funds from both public and banks but these banks are not able to extend credit to small farmers because of the absence of responsive policies.The loan collateral system is “loan barrier” for most small farmers and producers. This system perpetuates an environment that promotes the loss of productive assets of small farmers and producers especially in agriculture where risks are very high. There is a need to find innovative collateral system for agricultural credit.
There is a need to minimize risks (climate change) by increasing opportunities for agricultural insurance (to include insurance for fish cages and other fishing gears, animals which are not covered by mainstream crop insurance), credit subsidies and rebates, including incentives for food production.
Minimizing risks and enhancing higher rate of success of agricultural credit would also mean government providing infrastructure, effective training and extension services and post-harvest facilities.
Farmers organization can help banks (private and public) process and administer agricultural credit and ensure that loans are utilized for farmers investments in agricultural production. Viet Nam Farmers Union provide banks assistance by certifying farmer-members the compliance of appropriate requirements, e.g. undergone training, formulated plan, and utilizing low risk in agricultural production technologies qualifies for a loan. VNFU submits this certified endorsement and proposal to the Bank so loans can be processed and approved.
In many cases, government loan/financing packages include items that are not needed or appropriate for small farmers. The small farmers are forced to accept these packages if one needed money to finance production. There is a need to find innovative and farmer-driven loan packages, where farmers will have a choice. ASEAN can provide a sharing-learning opportunities on innovative credit modalities where farmers will have a choice.
On Agricultural Credit
On the Role of Women in Agriculture
The original concept of agribusiness has a specific nuance/connotation because agribusiness is a concept which perpetuates the marginalized role of women. In the discussion, however, it is appreciated in the context of women empowerment. It is also not simply about mainstreaming gender, but putting women at the center of economic activities in agriculture.
According FAO study (FAO at Work, Women Key to Food Security) if women are given the same access to productive resources as men, they would produce 20-30 percent more food and their families would enjoy better health, nutrition and education. If women are given equal access to agricultural resources and services, food security would be greatly improved. If men and women had equal access to productive resources in agriculture, food output in developing countries would increase by between 2.5 and four percent – enough to pull 100-150 million people out of hunger and help achieve the Millennium Development Goal number 1 on hunger and poverty reduction.
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