Farmer's Rights
Asia is a continent of farmers. After decades of economic development and social change, farmers remain the largest employment group in the region and they are custodians of a large part of the Asia’s natural resources. The
roles and rights of farmers, however, have often been neglected by governments and
donors; farmers usually have little or no involvement in the formulation
of policies and the management of the development programmes which affect
their livelihoods.
The Field Alliance is helping Asian farmers to acquire greater
recognition of their roles and rights. The Farmer Field School
(FFS), which is the the learning approach used by the Field Alliance
and Partner Organisations, is not just a means for improving skills in
crop production, it also helps farmers acquire
skills in problem analysis, decision-making and group organising.
Farmers who have graduated from FFS have already put these skills to use
in building networks, engaging in policy debates, mobilizing funds and
organizing their own development activities. In countries as varied
as Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia, FFS alumni are facilitating
planning activities in their own communities, they are negotiating the
provision of better services with government agencies and NGOs, and they
are training other farmers who will be able to do the same thing on a
larger scale.
Documents On-line
Farmers in Indonesia: Escaping
the Trap of Injustice. A paper written by Rahmat Hidayat a leading
member of the Indonesian Association of IPM farmers. The paper describes six
areas where small farmers face injustice. [pdf file, 9 pages, 187
KB]
A Manual to Facilitate
Participatory Planning Activity
Details of 10 planning exercises which can be used with
farmer groups as part of an IPM training programme [doc file,
22 pages, 200 KB].
Useful Websites
La Via Campesino describes
itself as a "world wide movement that unites landless peasants, small
and medium-sized producers, agricultural workers, rural women and
indigenous communities in the struggle against the globalization of the
economy".
FoodFirst Information and Action Network
(FIAN) is an international human rights organisation focusing on the right
to food. FIAN has consultative status with the UN.
The Farmers Rights Information
Service has been established by the Swaminathan Foundation to address
the needs of farmers in India.
Action Aid is an international
NGO with a particular interest in food rights.
