Call to participate in the Social Movements/Civil Society Forum on Climate Change, Agrofuels and Food Sovereignty

Social Movements/Civil Society Forum on Climate Change, Agrofuels and Food Sovereignty

1 June - 4 June, 2008

Città dell’Altra Economia – Ex Mattatoio, Rome

In the past decade we have witnessed increasing natural disasters causing devastating impacts as a result of the climate crisis. The impacts are severe for farmers, peasants, indigenous peoples, pastoralists, and fisherfolk.  The burden of this crisis will be especially faced by poor people, a large part of them living in rural areas in Africa and Asia.

The green houses gases that mostly cause the climate crisis are produced mainly by human activities based on the burning of fossil fuels. In this respect the industrial, corporate-driven model of agricultural production is one of the key causes behind the increase in greenhouse gases (in the agricultural sector) , which itself is said to be responsible for between 17% and 32% of all global human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.

FAO will organize a High-Level Conference on World Food Security and the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy, 3-5 June 2008 in Rome and it is very important that the organizations and social movements representing small-scale food producers are there to articulate their positions and proposals. Peasant-based, low-input agriculture, herding/pastoralism and artisanal fisheries provide key solutions for reducing climate gases because they use very limited amounts of fossil fuels while sustaining livelihoods.

In order to facilitate the development of joint analysis and actions among an alliance of social organisations of food producers, environmentalists, consumers, etc. the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty is organising a forum parallel to the FAO conference (from more information about the organisers, see below).

We cannot leave solutions to the climate crisis to the governments and the transnational corporations!

We, social movements and other organizations from civil society have to mobilize

to play a key role in cooling down the planet!

Goals of the Forum

-    make a joint analysis of the climate crisis (including agrofuels) in relation to agriculture, livestock, fisheries, forest management and food production as well as the role of various actors (institutions, transnational corporations, social movements, etc.)
-    discuss the potential of small-scale food production (farming, herding, fisheries, forests, etc.) to be part of the solution to the climate crisis
-    develop joint strategies and actions, including human rights based strategies
-    develop positions to be transmitted to the High Level Conference and relevant international institutions
-    prepare to monitor the follow up of the High Level Conference

Proposed program

• 30/31 May, Self-organised pre-forum events (women's assembly, right to food group)
• 31 May, Mobilization and opening ceremony
• 1-4 June, Thematic working groups and plenary sessions
• 3-5 June, Participation as observers in FAO Conference (partly parallel to the Forum)

Pre-forum events, parallel events and evening programme

This will be a self-organised space for mysticas, discussions, testimonies, films, etc. and will be open to participation from relevant Italian organisations. Currently, Italian peasant organizations are organizing a debate on May 31 and a wine exhibition 1-2 June. Some international delegates will be invited to participate in the debates. If you would like to organize a side event or a thematic gathering preceding or during the Forum please contact the steering committee (see contact information, below). The theme of the events has to be focused on some aspect of the climate change issue and food production systems.

Proposed thematic working groups

• Models of food production and their effects on the climate crisis.

Which models of agricultural production systems are the best options for cooling down the planet? Why are peasant based agriculture, herding, agroforestry and artisanal fisheries part of the solution to the climate crisis? What contribution can peasants, fisher folk, pastoralists, indigenous peoples, etc. make to help solve the climate crisis? What are the negative effects of the industrial, corporate-led agriculture, livestock and fisheries production? What is the role of the corporate actors in this? How to react on the issue of methane emission by cows and rice fields? What are the human rights obligations of governments related to climate change? What are the responsibilities of the private sector and local elites?

• Energy and agrofuels

What are the negative effects of the large scale introduction of agrofuels? What are the human rights impacts of the agrofuels expansion particularly on the right to food? What are the interests behind the introduction of agrofuels?  Are there conditions under which agrofuels could give a positive contribution and reduce the use of fossil energy? This theme will include an analysis of the use of energy in agriculture, transportation, models of consumption, the effects of agrofuels on land use, agrofuels as an instrument of corporations to gain control, impacts on food production, rural communities, the environment and the enjoyment of human rights.

• Increased land and water conflicts related to the climate crisis

The degradation of land because of erosion and droughts, the flooding of certain coastal areas and the increased pressure to produce agrofuels may lead to more intensive conflicts around land, in particular collective land, water and natural resources. Land use and land use change are key factors to be taken into account in the climate crisis. How do we analyse this issue and what are our proposals? What kind of land use and land use change further exacerbate the climate crisis? What kind of land uses are needed to mitigate climate change? What is the role of land and agrarian reform policies in the context of climate change? How can adequate access to productive resources as a component of the right to food be best secured and protected?

• What policies are needed regarding agriculture, livestock and fisheries in order to respond to the climate crisis?

How can we increase resilience against potential effects of the climate crisis (e.g. the role of agricultural biodiversity, coastal conservation and disaster management, including for instance measures for coping with drought or assisting coastal communities to cope with sea level rises, etc.)? How can we strengthen models of peasant-based production, small-scale herding, agroforestry and artisanal fisheries that contribute to a reduction of climate gases? This theme will include an analysis of the effects in the different regions (in particular Africa,  Asia and small island developing states will be strongly effected).  How can we ensure that policy choices do not violate basic human rights of indigenous peoples, peasants, herders, fisherfolk? How can marginalized producers and rural groups be strengthened and how can we ensure that they are not further marginalized through climate change policies? How can these groups use human rights strategies to present their concerns and defend their rights? What policies do we need at national and international level? What role do we expect FAO and IFAD to play? What is our analysis of the policies envisioned to respond to climate change by the major institutions (such as the World Bank's Climate Investment Fund, ICCC, Kyoto 2. etc)? What kind of accountability mechanisms related to climate change and based on human rights instruments are needed?

Methodology

Working groups will be formed on each of these themes. These are the themes currently proposed by the steering committee; they are still open to some changes and any proposals would be welcome. However, the steering committee proposes to limit the number of working groups to about 4 for logistical reasons.

Each working group will produce a summary analysis of the issues, develop a strategy and plan of possible joint actions, as well as one or two paragraphs for a final declaration. Participants will work with a methodology based on a few plenary sessions at the beginning of the Forum to share key information and at the end to present and decide on conclusions. In between participants will participate in one of the four working groups (participants should remain in the same working group during the Forum).

For each thematic area/working group a preparatory document will be prepared by the steering committee with the support of resource persons and a more specific methodology will be developed on how to organize the discussion.

Based on the conclusions of the workings groups a final declaration of the Forum will be drafted and then submitted to the FAO High-Level Conference.

Date and venue

The Forum will take place 31 May to 4 June 2008 at the CITTA DELL'ALTRA ECONOMIA in Rome, Italy.

Funding

We estimate about 80 participants. Limited funds are available to prepare the Forum and to cover the travel costs of a small number of delegates: we expect to be able to cover the costs for tickets, food and accommodation for 20-30 participants. The steering committee will decide which applicants will receive support from these funds based on the relevance of their work and experiences to the issues of the Forum and the possibilities open to them to find their own funds. All other participants (the majority) will be expected to cover their own costs. 

Self-financed participants

The purpose is to have participation that is representative and balanced based on geography and sector, and not based on who can afford to pay. This means that a request for participation will be judged by the steering committee against the quotas as described below. Moreover, self-financed participants will also be asked to finance on a one-to-one basis persons from the rural social movements organized in the IPC.  Self-financed applicants must send their request to participate to the Forum's steering committee with a copy to IPC secretariat in Rome. If their application is approved they can contact the IPC secretariat for help in securing hotel accommodation on a first-come first-serve basis for up to 80 participants.

Participation quotas

In order to guarantee a balanced representation of different constituencies and regions in the Forum, the steering committee proposes the following quotas for participation based on 80  delegates:

According to regions:
Asia 30%,  Africa  30%, Latin America 20 Europe 10%, North America 5%, West and Central Asia and North Africa 5%.

According to Constituencies:
Farmers and Landless: 35%, Indigenous Peoples: 15%, Fisherfolk: 15%, Pastoralists 10%, Environmental organisations: 10%, Consumer organisations: 5%, NGOs and others: 10%

According to Gender:
Women: 50%, Men: 50%

According to these quotas, the IPC Focal Points have been asked to prepare a list of participants from their regions and constituencies, indicating which delegates can fund their travel and stay and which delegates need funding.

Staff support for the Forum

The IPC will build a staff team with volunteers and staff from the participating organisations in order to support with logistics, press work, interpretation during the Forum and the translation of texts.

About the Forum organisers: What is IPC?

The International NGO/CSO Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC) is a facilitating mechanism for social movements and NGOs/CSOs concerned with food sovereignty issues and programmes. Representatives of social organizations are part of it, representing peasants, small farmers, landless peasants, fisherfolk, Indigenous Peoples, agricultural workers and NGO networks with particular expertise and a long history of lobbying, action and advocacy on issues related to food sovereignty and agriculture. The IPC mechanism has international focal points for each sector and theme and regional focal points in South Asia, South East Asia, West & Central Asia and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, North America and Europe.

The IPC has established a political steering committee made up of representatives of different types of social movements  and social organisations to organise the Forum on Climate Change, Agrofuels and Food Sovereignty. The steering committee is open for participation to IPC members; representatives of organisations that are not part of the IPC but do work actively on the climate change issue related to food, fisheries and agriculture can be invited by the steering committee.

Currently, the members of the steering committee are:

Via Campesina (Alberto Gomez), International Indian Treaty Council (Saul Vicente), International Collective in Support of Fisherworkers (Chandrika Sharma), Kenyan National Federation of Agricultural Producers (John Mutunga), World Forum of Fisher Peoples (Herman Kumara), Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (Razan Zuayter), CENESTA  (Maryam Rahmanian), FIAN (Sofia Monsalve), FOEI, APNEK (Karim Akrout), ROPPA (Ndougou Fall), \ PANAP (Sarojeni Rengam), Greenpeace International (Jan van Aken), IPC international focal point (Antonio Onorati) and support from the IPC Secretariat (Beatriz Gasco).

For more information please visit the web page: foodsovereignty.org.

For more information regarding participation (including requests to participate) please write to the IPC secretariat tc@foodsovereignty.org with copy to the following IPC members who are also part of the steering committee of the Forum:  Maryam Rahmanian   and Antonio Onorati

Once the steering committee has approved your participation in the Forum you will receive further information (place where you will stay, if necessary a visa invitation, further logistical information).