Towards the Farmers’ Forum

Important milestones

In October 2004, a Policy Forum¹ was held at IFAD with leaders of eight farmers’ organizations from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe to exchange ideas about the domains and directions of future partnerships.  The meeting launched the idea of establishing a Farmers’ Forum as a permanent feature of IFAD’s Governing Council.

In February 2005, IFAD, in partnership with the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP), La Via Campesina (LVC) and the Reseau des Organisations Paysannes et Producteurs Agricole de l’Afrique de l’ Ouest (ROPPA), organized a workshop immediately before the Twenty-Eighth Session of the IFAD Governing Council. The workshop gathered 34 representatives of farmers’ organizations from all continents to discuss with IFAD staff and FAO colleagues proposals put forward by ROPPA and IFAD’s Policy Division for a Farmers’ Forum at the Governing Council. The participants agreed with and supported the overall project. They also agreed on a brief but precise and far-reaching concluding statement, which serves as the basis of the Farmers’ Forum process as well as its institutionalization within IFAD.

In February 2005, immediately after the workshop, a Steering Committee was formed to review the operational proposal for the Farmers’ Forum and organize the Forum itself.  It was agreed that the global meeting of the Farmers’ Forum would be held every two years in conjunction with IFAD’s Governing Council, with national and regional consultations carried out between each global meeting. However, it was emphasized that the Farmers’ Forum was a process, not an event.

Steering committee members:

• Mr. Jack Wilkinson, President, International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP)
• Ms. Mercy Karanja, Development Policy Coordinator, International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) 
• Ms. Nemesia Achacollo Federacion Nacional de Mujeres Campesinas de Bolivia, La Via Campesina
• Mr. Paul Nickolson, Union de Ganaderos y Agricultores Vascos (EHNE/UGAV), La Via Campesina
• Mr. Olaseinde Arigbede, National Coordinator, Union of Small and Medium Scale Farmers of Nigeria USMEFAN
• Mr. NDiogou Fall, President, Reseaux des Organisations Paysannes et Producteurs Agricoles de l' Afrique de l' Ouest (ROPPA)
• Mr. Alverto Ercilio Broch, Executive Secretary, Coordinadora de productores familiares del MERCOSUR (COPROFAM)
• Mr. Pedro Avandano Garces, Exectuvie Director, World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fishworkers (WFF)

Between October 2005 and January 2006, six national consultations took place in: Burkina Faso, the Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sri Lanka and the United Republic of Tanzania.  One regional consultation took place in Asia, in the Philippines. 

In February 2006, the first global meeting of the Farmers’ Forum was held in Rome in conjunction with the 29th session of IFAD’s Governing Council and with the financial support of the Italian Government.

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1/ Policy Forum is a space to discuss, guide and agree upon the development of IFAD’s policies on rural poverty.