ICA-AP in collaboration with Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), the National Dairy Development Board in India (NDDB), South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) through its Secretariat and the SAARC Agriculture Center (SAC) and support from the ICA-EU Partnership), attended the Regional Experts Consultation Meeting on Family Farmers Cooperatives to End Hunger and Poverty through Integrated Farming in South Asia. The meeting was organized at the Verghese Kurien auditorium of NDDB, Anand (India) from 22 - 24 July 2019.
The 18th SAARC Summit Declaration, under the section on Poverty Alleviation, recognized the potential of cooperatives in achieving inclusive, broad-based and sustainable economic growth and development, and called for sharing of experiences, expertise and best practices in this sector. The overarching objective of the consultation was to strengthen the farmers cooperatives in attaining the SDGs on no poverty and zero hunger in South Asia, by sharing of good practices, through policy formulation, and support incentives. Around 18 papers were presented from country focal point experts, universities, family farming organizations and cooperatives, regional agencies and development partners.
The ICA-AP office was represented by Mr. Mohit Dave and Mr. Ivjyot Singh in the session on Agricultural Cooperatives Movements, Innovative Good Practices, Enterprise Development and Employment Generation in South Asia. They spoke about how the regional office of ICA-AP works closely with members and development partners at various levels to promote family farmers cooperatives in the region. They emphasized on the role of youth and women in family farmers cooperatives and the contribution of agriculture and allied sectors in the economy; taking cues from the World Cooperative Monitor 2018 report and also ICA’s commitment to engage with the SDGs on the Coopsfor2030 platform. The presentation can be accessed here.
Mr. Mohit Dave makes his presentation during the Meeting.
Throughout the three-day meeting, ICA-AP reaffirmed that the SAARC member states need to take cooperatives into account by carrying out consultations with the sector when developing economic policies and regulations, creating legal frameworks and undertaking administrative decisions on social and economic issues. The joint communique from the outcomes of the meeting recommended to build and strengthen the capacities of concerned government agencies and leaders of family farmers’ organizations in establishing and strengthening family farmers’ cooperatives and their enterprises; encourage and support the strengthening of commodity value chains through enabling government policies; promote access to finance and tax incentives at country and regional levels; and constitute and support a multi stakeholder working group on agriculture cooperatives within the SAC. In terms of next steps, ICA-AP will work closely with the forum participants and stakeholders in South Asia to support the outcomes of the meeting at the regional level. The photographs from the Forum can be accessed here.
Mr. Ivjyot Singh participates in a group discussion during the Forum. Image credit: NDDB
