National Consultation Forum for Farmer (NCFF), 18-19 December 2018, Cambodia

Co-Organizers:

• Facilitation Association of Economy for Cooperatives (FAEC)
• Farmer and Nature Net (FNN)
• Farmer and Water Net (FWN)
• Federation of Cambodian Farmer Organizations for Development (FCFD)
• Association Sustainable Agriculture Communities (ASAC)
• Cambodian Farmers Association Federation of Agricultural Producers (CFAP)

Background

6 Federations and Associations of the Farmer Organizations (FO) at national level, including FAEC, FNN, FCFD, CFAP, FWN and ASAC, have affiliated together for organization of “National Consultation Forum for Farmers” which it was held on 18-19 December 2018 in Phnom Penh. All affiliated Federations and Associations are formally registered with the Ministry of Interior (MOI) and whom have most experienced in working with to support the FO members in Cambodia. The group of organizers has the common goal to create friendly environment and empowerment for factors in the social accountability context so that the supply sides including the state actors at national and sub-national levels and other relevant stakeholders should propagate to be reached the farmers about their dynamic efforts of provision and responsibility in themes of water resources, seeds, diversifying agricultural technique, capital & fund, agriculture cooperative law, market & price, gender & youth in agricultural sector, and democratic development platform of sub-national councils for the farmer. This is an initiative way that empower farmers for engagement with a chain of social accountability to demand their needs and appeal to change what they do dissatisfaction within the provisions from the service providers. This is an opportunity for linkage each other between FO and supply side in a context of social accountability in Cambodia.

It seems rarely, when the farmers in Cambodia are empowered to lead the forum at national level and it’s first time for the supply side sees the farmer’s forum organized by FOs. Actually, the group of organizers is representing up to 75% of FOs in Cambodia. Many representatives of Agriculture Cooperatives (ACs) who are currently the Board of Director Members and the Executive Committee Members of these Federations/Associations are empowered for facilitations in this forum and also expressing their opinions and needs in order to reach the supply sides. 120 ACs that equal to 15% of all ACs from 25 provinces in Cambodia will be participated the forum.

The linkages between farmers and supply sides will be not dissolved when this forum closed but it’s will be continued essentially until they have reached the expected results which have been promised by the supply sides. It is all promises are collected then integrated into a real form of plan for furthermore monitoring. A model of watchdog system will be set, and the farmer is the watcher and he/she involve in evaluating and scoring with provision of his/her satisfaction scale to the work performance committed by the supply sides.

General objective:

The general objective of this forum is to provide information to farmer organizations about their responsibilities and rights.

Specific objectives:

There are 3 specific objectives of this forum as following:

1. Universal rights of global peasants, which it is being proposed by the farmers in the world to the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights is known publicly by both parties including government agencies and relevant stakeholders and farmers in Cambodia;
2. Farmers are empowered fully raising their common concerns and basic needs in the themes of water resources, seeds, capital/funds, markets & prices, AC law enforcement, diversifying agricultural techniques, democratic development platform of the sub-national councils for the farmers and these reached to the supply sides;
3. Farmers obtain the essential provisions and positive responsibilities from the supply sides and relevant stakeholders within the specific policies for sustainable solutions and long-term benefits for the peasants in Cambodia.

Location and date:

The forum was held at Himawari Hotel in Phnom Penh on 18-19 December 2018.

Participants:

1. 11 Government ministries/institutions: Council of Ministers (CoM), Ministry of Commerce (MoC), Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery (MAFF), Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MoWRaM), Ministry of Women Affairs (MoWA), Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Ministry of Economy and Finance (MoEF), National Bank of Cambodia (NBC), Rural Development Bank (RDB), National Committee for Sub-National Democratic Development Secretariat (NCDDS), National Leagues of Sub-National Councils (NLC), CARDI.
2. 11 Micro-finance institutions and private companies: ACLEDA, AMRET, KREDIT, PRASAC, SATHABANA, LOLC, NIRON, HATHAKAKSEKOR, VISION FUND, CRF
3. 12 Donor agencies: IFAD, UNDP, FAO, EU, USAID, AUSAID, AFD, ADB, World Bank, DCA, ICCO, Oxfam
4. 15 IOs/NGOs: PACT, SILAKA, LWD, API, EWMI, DPA, ForumSyd, Action Aids, GIZ, GRET, ALiSEA, Eclosio, CIRD, ICCO Cooperation.
5. 120 Agriculture cooperatives: 68 AC members from FAEC, 12 AC members from FNN, 12 AC members from FCFD, 12 AC members from CFAP, 12 AC members from FWN, 4 FO members from ASAC
6. 6 Organizers: FAEC, FNN, FWN, FCFD, CFAP, ASAC.

Key-proposed activities in the event:

1. Display printed poster which mentioned briefly about historic background of each federation and association;
2. Display printed posters of 6 succeed stories which have been selected from 6 FO members;
3. Provide opening remarks of farmer representative to the participants, which mention about the general objective, specific objectives and characteristic and manner of the event;
4. Provide opening speech of government’s representative who comes from CoM about the general scope and platform of government for the farmers;
5. Present the drafted document of the International Convention of Peasants’ Right in Khmer version to participants (by farmer representative). This document will be distributed in 2 versions to all participants;
6. Issue color cards and markers to all participants to be listed down their negative and positive opinions which reflect to the peasant’s rights in Cambodia. All cards will be collected, and their opinions will be listed down into the Computers for presentation;
7. Dissolve the presidency and honorable guests;
8. Present the succeed stories (natural fertilizer, chicken breeding, cucumber crop, contract farming and agroecology) which have been collected from the FO members;
9. Present the models, policies and platforms which being developed or being supported to the farmers on specific themes of Water Resources, Seeds, Diversifying Agricultural Techniques, Gender & Youth in Agriculture Sector, Access to Finance, Access to Market, Agriculture Cooperative Law Enforcement, Democratic Development Platform of Sub-National Councils for Farmers;
10. Conduct group discussion amongst the farmers to raise their current issues, common concerns and challenges and additional needs in the themes of Water Resources, Seeds, Diversifying Agricultural Techniques, Gender & Youth in Agriculture Sector, Access to Finance, Access to Market, Agriculture Cooperative Law Enforcement, Democratic Development Platform of Sub-National Councils for Farmers;
11. Present the results of group discussions and color cards collection to the participants and supply sides;
12. Answer by the supply sides to the questions raised by the farmers;
13. Wrap up and all collected answers then integrate them into the form of monitoring plan;
14. Give closing remarks by the farmer representative and government’s representative.

Further-proposed activities after event:

1. Prepare the draft report and submit to the relevant ministries and institutions for feedbacks;
2. Form the committee (as a mechanism that should be participated by the supply side and demand side) for follow up and finding new ways in addressing the needs which requested by farmers;
3. Organize coordination meeting to finalize the report of forum and refreshing the schedule and strategic plan for monitoring the responsibilities of supply sides;
4. Disseminate the finalized results of forum to be reached the publics and medias;
5. Follow up and coordinate (with relevant the supply sides) to reach their promises;
6. Seeking the comments and satisfaction of farmers to the scale of responsibilities of supply sides (to completing their promises);
7. Conduct coordination meeting for solutions to fighting the obstacles;
8. Conduct press releases about the satisfaction of farmers to the responsibility scale (results) of the supply sides (involve by demand sides and supply sides);
9. Evaluate and find new ways for advocacy (by demand side).

Agenda is available here

Presentations are available here