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".
• Food First 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.