Tuesday, 15 February 2005
15.30-18.30 hours
Palazzo dei Congressi • Piazzale J. F. Kennedy 5 (EUR), Rome

Meeting room A (first floor)

Participants include farmers' organizations from:

• International Federation of Agricultural Producers
• Network of Peasant Organizations and Producers in West Africa
• Via Campesina

Participants include 35 representatives of farmers' and rural producers' organizations from around the world, many of whom are members of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP), the Network of Peasant Organizations and Producers in West Africa (ROPPA) and Via Campesina.

The seminar will serve as a forum for exchanging experiences relating to the empowerment of organizations of small farmers and rural producers in developing countries in terms of: (a) agricultural and rural development policy processes; and (b) the market, at the local and global level.

Each topic will be addressed by a panel of representatives of three farmers' organizations.

Presentations will discuss specific cases of institutional empowerment for effective pro-poor policy engagement on policy issues that affect the rural poor and for pro-poor market initiatives in domestic and international markets. The panel presentations will be followed by a general discussion.