18 ตุลาคม 2555 สรุปผลการสัมมนาเชิงปฏิบัติการ "เศรษฐกิจสีเขียวและการเปลี่ยนแปลงสภาพภูมิอากาศ: ผลต่ออธิปไตยทางอาหารของเอเชีย"
เป็นส่วนหนึ่งของเวทีประชาชนเอเชียยุโรปครั้งที่ 9 (AEPF 9) ณ กรุงเวียงจัน ประเทศลาว
จัดโดย คณะทำงานโลกเย็นที่เป็นธรรม ร่วมกับ โฟกัส ออนออนเดอะ โกลบอลเซ้าท์
Workshop Title: Green Economy and Climate Change: Implications for Asian Food Sovereignty
Lead Organizer: Thai Working Group for Climate Justice and Focus on the Global South
Date: 18 October 2012
Time: 8.00 – 12.00 hr.
Place: 9th Asia-Europe People's Forum (AEPF 9) in Vientien, Laos PDR
Summary:
The workshop discussed how the three current global crises i.e. financial crisis, ecological/climate crisis, and food security crisis are corresponded and interrelated, and these ongoing crises are leading to uprising and violence around the world. Green economy was then examined since it has been advocated by the UN and many government as a potential new development approach which brings environmental resources into the current capitalist/market system. Payments for environmental services and “offsets” are two main ideas behind the approach. However, it was discussed that this approach would undermine the shift to genuinely sustainable livelihood/self reliance of small-scale farmers. Other solutions proposed under Green Economy includes those new technologies which are unproven and unsafe, including GMOs and synthetic biology, Nano-technology, synthetic biology, biofuels, geo-engineering, etc. which would only benefit large corporations who are already controlling the food system in many parts of the world.
The workshop then discussed European agricultural and trade and investment policies that they are adversely affecting other regions like Africa and Asia; This is due to the approach to source raw materials from these continents which leads to problems of land grabbing and conflicts in natural resources and local communities, to name a few. To change the food system structure we need to change the power relationships between the countries. The EU policies aim to strengthen power of global European corporations hence undermine local small-scale farmers in developing regions.
The workshop then discussed further the issue of land grabbing which is the main factor for food crisis and hunger in many parts of the world. Land grabbing was discussed in the contexts of national investment/policy, bilateral agreements, FTAs particularly within ASEAN and EU-ASEAN countries. Experiences of community-based initiatives to reclaim/sustain food security and food sovereignty and to protect natural resources such as community forests were then shared by speakers from Cambodia and Thailand. In these two cases, people's initiatives have started on their own without governments' support.
Key Recommendations:
Under context of the current climate and food crises discussed above, the following are key recommendations are proposed.
- People should reclaim definition of 'food security' and 'food sovereignty' in their own context.
- The key element within food sovereignty from the communities' perception is the capacity to be self reliant in food.
- Control over the food resource base which includes the land, forest, water genetic resources, coastal resources etc. These are all sources of food.
- Bilateral/multilateral trade agreements and investment contracts that undermine food sovereignty should be cancelled.
- The food system which consists of food production, markets, distribution, needs to be reclaimed back to be in the ownership/direction by the communities.
- Industry's control on food system and land grabbing must be stopped. On the other hand, small-scale sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty should be supported and promoted at both national and regional level.
- Fair policies and legal system should be promoted to ensure farmers' participation and to promote and protect local sustainable food production against chemical agricultural practices.
Rapporteur name:
Faikham Harnnarong, Thai Working Group for Climate Justice (TCJ)
Time 19.00hr
Date 18 October 2012
