| description |
 AFA is a regional organisation with nine member organisations in Southeast and North Asia (Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan ROC, Thailand, Vietnam). The organisation is exploring to attract new members in countries such as Laos, East Timor, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. A few of AFA’s individual (...more...) |
| description |
AFA is a regional organisation with nine member organisations in Southeast and North Asia (Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan ROC, Thailand, Vietnam). The organisation is exploring to attract new members in countries such as Laos, East Timor, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. A few of AFA’s individual member organisations, VNFU, SorKorPor, Pakisama implement projects in cooperation with Agriterra.
This project will be a continuation of the advocacy and lobbying activities implemented in the just concluded AFA-Agriterra cooperation in project 4864.
Through this project, AFA would like to address the need of AFA members to build their capacities to engage and benefit from opportunities from the mainstream and alternative markets. The clamor for services in this area have been strong, and AFA is challenged to respond to this demand from members.
Like in the previous project, the activities covered under this project will mostly be undertaken at the national level, although synchronised, coordinated and standardised at the regional level. The advocacy and capacity building work of AFA will focus on advocacy for land and food security through sustainable agriculture , and equitable share in market opportunities. (...less...) |
| results & observations |
During this period AFA realized diverse activities related to representation at international level as well as national level, networking, lobby and advocacy, and organisational activities.
The activities carried out were:
AFA participated in 12 regional and international conferences carried out in 11 countries (Switzerland, Thailand (2), India, Korea, Italy, Mexico, (...more...) |
| final results & observations |
During this period AFA realized diverse activities related to representation at international level as well as national level, networking, lobby and advocacy, and organisational activities.
The activities carried out were:
AFA participated in 12 regional and international conferences carried out in 11 countries (Switzerland, Thailand (2), India, Korea, Italy, Mexico, France, Canada, Ireland, Belgium and Laos). These activities were organized by Civil Society Organisation. The participation of AFA was related to the following issues: gender dimensions in food security and climate change, promoting empowerment and leadership by women, problems that farmers are facing in different contexts in Asia, use of biotechnologies in development countries, sustainable agriculture, food production and value chains, food reserves, and lobby and advocacy in benefit of small farmers in general and AFA members.
At national and regional level AFA participated in seven activities, some of them were: village and district consultations among women farmers in Laos in relation to AFA’s participatory gender study on climate change and food security, national consultations between people’s organisations in The Philippines organized by ASEAN about disaster management and emergency response. AFA joined PAKISAMA in the march from Bulacan to Manila in order to dramatize their demand to return the land to the farmers.
Activities organized by AFA and AFA’s members were: Press conferences on GMOs in Mexico during the Biotech conference, because a major tv network daily program, an AM radio station, and an online new magazine covered the conference. Video clips of the testimonial of the affected communities from APECO, an economic zone protested by farmers and indigenous people due to the impact on their livelihood. AFA together with WOCAN and PAKISAMA organized the leadership course for “women and men supporting gender equity”. The training has two parts, the training to trainers and a leadership course for a large group. In total 42 persons participated (19 women).
Regarding the networking and linkage building AFA maintained active participation in regional formations, namely Solidarity for Asian People’s Advocacy (SAPA), Rural Development Working Group (RDWG), and EU-ASEAN FTA Campaign Network. AFA maintained communications with some international organizations such as WOCAN (Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management), IATP (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy), GGCA (Global Gender Climate Alliance). As a member AFA continued to receive information about the various issues AFA is concerned with (ASEAN, free trade agreements, climate change, etc).
Aside from these regional formations, AFA is an active member of a national formation called Trade Advocates Group (TAG), whose basis of unity is the advocacy for a National Trade Agenda, formulated in 2008. The membership in TAG has helped AFA secretariat understand ASEAN trade policies as it affects a member country.
AFA sustained its information dissemination and communication with members and partners through the regular update of its website and sending of its electronic bulletin. One hundred sixty three articles, 897 photos, and 6 videos were uploaded to the website. There were 10,310 visitors from 19 countries. One weekly e-bulletin was sent out to around 2,000 contacts.
AFA took advantage of the popularity of social networking sites to take its networking and advocacy activities online. AFA now has a Facebook and a Twitter account, where news and information from the website are regularly linked to. The AFA Facebook account has 384 friends, while the Twitter account has 15 followers. The social networking accounts led to more exposure for AFA, more contacts, and more information shared. It also served as a useful informal means of communicating with members and partners.
AFA organized a field visit for its members during the Strategic Planning and 4th AFA General Assembly in Taiwan. The visit included sustainable production and marketing initiatives of TWADA farmers, onion museum and distribution center, and composting center. The field visit was a venue for observation and learning of successful initiatives of Taiwanese farmers on the ground.
AFA, through Esther, is coordinating the WOCAN rural women leadership project being implemented in PAKISAMA areas.
A Special Execom Meeting was held in Taiwan back to back with the Strategic Planning and 4th General Assembly. During this special meeting, the draft 2009 Audited FS, draft 2010 Operations Plan and Budget, and the Application for Membership in WRF were approved.
AFA successfully completed its strategic planning exercise that resulted in a new 5-year strategic framework. AFA’s VMG was reviewed and revised, as well as its peasant agenda and strategic objectives. The proceedings of the strategic planning is being finalized, as well as the more detailed strategic paper.
AFA conducted its 4th General Assembly where a new set of Execom officers were elected, the strategic framework as well as the regular membership of AINOUKAI and WAFF.
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