PROJECT DESCRIPTION In this project, AFA will strengthen its Advocacy role within the Asia region by: (1) collecting and analyzing the voices – situation, initiatives and proposals - of small scale women and men farmers at the national level through guided national consultations; (2) consolidating and transforming these voices into concrete policy proposals at the regional level through AFA-organized regional consultations; and, (3) presenting these consolidated voices and concrete policy proposals in regional and international consultations, fora and negotiations organized by regional/international intergovernmental bodies and NGOs. Using participatory field techniques, AFA will generate and capture knowledge from the experiences of its members and the broader farmers’ movement that can lead to policy changes and innovations at national and regional levels. New or relevant knowledge may include successful and unsuccessful initiatives (advocacy, livelihood, traditional practices, coping strategies) on the ground, as well as industry analysis of major crops (organic rice, selected fruits and vegetables, sugar, coconut) that have potential for enterprise development. These can be packaged and shared as various knowledge products such as policy papers, case studies, video presentations, etc. AFA will also strengthen partnerships with NGOs, and academic/agriculture-related institutions at national levels by involving them in the various national and regional activities to be organized by AFA. It will also strengthen its base support by involving and collaborating potential members as well as other farmers’ organizations at the national and regional levels. It will strengthen the capacity of its members in policy advocacy, knowledge management, network building, and organizational expansion at national and regional levels in the course of its advocacy activities. Care will be taken that AFA representation has gender- and national- balance, as well as good representation of young farmers. AFA is adhering to at least 40% affirmative action for women. PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS 1. ADVOCACY A. to influence national, key inter-governmental regional and international decision-making bodies on common agriculture issues affecting small scale women and men farmers Target institutions and policy issues will include: • ASEAN – operationalization of the framework on food security and climate change • FAO – food price volatility, climate financing, land rights/voluntary guidelines on the rights to land • IFAD – same as above • UNFCCC – climate financing • WB-GAFSP – investments for sustainable, agro-ecological approaches directed to small scale women and men farmers Performance indicators/outcomes will include: • AFA members express appreciation that they are able to use favorable international policies and frameworks in their advocacy work with governments • AFA’s members express more active involvement in policy issues related to land rights, food price volatility and climate financing as a result of the project undertakings • AFA gets the support of partner NGO's and academici in the crafting of the policy proposal or statement. • AFA's key positions and interventions are at least considered, at best captured, in final texts, policies during negotiations at national and intergovernmental levels. • Concrete policies and programmes to help small scale farmers participate more in the value chain of focused industries are developed B. To assess the existing situation, describing the issues on productivity and sustainability and analyse the impact of trader elated policies to five agro-industries (food crops) and eventually provide strategic options and policy recommendations directed to national and intergoervnmental bodies. Performance indicators/outcome include: • Agro-Industry analysis for the following crops: organic rice, organic sugar, coconut • policy/issue paper per industry 2. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT A. Document key responses or initiatives of AFA members on policy issues and capture lessons learned from these initiatives. Performance indicators include the production of knowledge products All documentation and knolwegde products shall highlight the peculiar situation, initiatives and recommendations of women and young farmers.

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.

In the next two years, AFA will become a key regional farmers' group articulating Asian small farmers' concerns and perspectives. Target institutions are (a) ASEAN on pro-small farmer regional integration processes; (b) WB on pro-small farmer empowerment processes; (c ) GATT-WTO-AoA on pro-small farmer global agricultural trade and ( d) IFAD on truly empowering farmers' forum processes. To enhance membership development and to build strong, capable, credible and far-reaching national farmers' organizations AFA wil organize leadership trainings and workshops and facilitate technology transfer between AFA members. The internal organisation will be strengthened by improving AFA's organizational systems and structures, enhance leadership and governance and strong coordination between and among members, secretariat and partners.

ASA, the Asian Farmers's Alliance for Sustainable Rural Development, was formally formed in February 2004 with the conduct of the first General Assembly. AFA as a regional alliance of farmers in Asia has established initial linkages with some key players in regional advocacy work such as the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP), ASEAN Foundation, Focus on the Global South, Third World Network (TWN), Southeast Asia Committee on Food Security and Fair Trade (SEACON), Asia ?Japan Partnership Network (AJPN). Many have seen the potential of AFA to be a strong farmers' voice in Asia. AFA members have built their knowledge on regional and international issues like the GATT-WTO-AoA and the Millennium Development Goals and the situation of farmers in Asia. AFA has initiated a sustainable rice campaign with the conduct of two rice fora which resulted in an August 2005 declaration on rice, conduct of two rice celebrations (in Depok, Indonesia and Chonburi, Thailand). It has convened a session on MDG and farmers, held during the Asian Civil Society Forum in November 2004. It has initiated country-level focus group discussions and dialogues with government WTO trade negotiators in Cambodia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. It has helped organize a regional level dialogue with government WTO agricultural trade negotiators from Cambodia, Philippines, South Korea and Thailand. AFA members have started to have bilateral cooperation, such as between VNFU and Laos. VNFU has entered cooperation with the Laos government and LCDA, a Laos NGO, to form a national farmers' organization in Laos. VNFU has also conducted a Farmers' Exchange Visit with KAFF and BFA, AFA member in South Korea.

The Asian Farmers´Alliance for Sustainable Rural Devt. (AFA) was formed in March 2001. The alliance is envisioned to be the farmers´vehicle to lobby, link up and play active role in rural devt in Asia. It is composed of five national peasant federations from Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines. Other farmer leaders from Cambodia, Malaysia, Japan,Taiwan, Nepal, Laos and Myanmar sit as observer and are working for their eventual membership to the AFA. The Project has four main components, namely (1) Peasant Agenda Building, Advocacy and Solidarity Formation- (2) Rural Leadership Development (3) Research, Advocacy and Communication (4) Appropriate Technology Exchanges This project will increase the capacity of AFA to actively and strategically participate in regional policy formulation and deliberation on crucial regional issues affecting the Asian peasant sector.