The right to foodmake it happenmake it happenmake it happenmake it happenmake it happen

RAP PUBLICATION 2007/23

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONSREGIONAL OFFICE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Bangkok, 2007

The designation and presentation of material in this publication do not imply theexpression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country,territory, city or area of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of itsfrontiers and boundaries.

All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this informa-tion product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorizedwithout any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided thesource is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this informationproduct for sale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without writtenpermission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should beaddressed to the Meetings and Publications Officer, FAO Regional Office for Asiaand the Pacific, Maliwan Mansion, 39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailandor by e-mail to RAP-publications@fao.org.

For copies write to: Diderik de VleeschauwerInformation OfficerFAO Regional Office for Asia and the PacificMaliwan Mansion, 39 Phra Athit RoadBangkok 10200THAILANDTel: (+66) 2 697 4000Fax: (+66) 2 697 4445E-mail: Diderik.deVleeschauwer@fao.org

Photo credits:Cover – FAO/A. Kimoto. Page 2 – FAO/J. Isaac, FAO/Dan White; page 4 – FAO/A. Kimoto; page 5 –Kesara Aotarayakul; page 16-17 – FAO/Voravute Lapsombune.

� FAO 2007

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Contents

World Food Day theme 2

Address by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn 4

Message of the FAO Director-General 5

Statement by He Changchui, Assistant Director-General 6and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific

Keynote speech on Right to food in Asia and the Pacific – 7The worm's point-of-view, by Leonardo Q. Montemayor,National President, Federation of Free Farmers (Philippines)

Model farmers – awards for outstanding achievements 12

Photo gallery 16

Annexes

Annex 1 Media coverage 19

Annex 2 List of guests 24

Annex 3 Organizing secretariat 27

Annex 4 Publications distributed 28

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The right to food is the inherent humanright of every woman, man, girl and boy,wherever they live on this planet.

The choice of The Right to Food as thetheme for 2007 World Food Day and TeleFooddemonstrates increasing recognition by theinternational community of the important roleof human rights in eradicating hunger andpoverty, and hastening and deepening thesustainable development process.

Background

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of1948 first recognized the right to food as ahuman right. It was then incorporated in theInternational Covenant on Economic, Social andCultural Rights (Article 11) adopted in 1966 andratified by 156 states, which are today legallybound by its provisions. The expert interpreta-tion and more refined definition of this right arecontained in General Comment 12 of theCommittee on Economic, Social and CulturalRights (1999). The Voluntary Guidelines toSupport the Progressive Realization of the Rightto Adequate Food in the Context of NationalFood Security – the Right to Food Guidelines –were adopted by the FAO Council in 2004 andprovide practical recommendations on concretesteps for the implementation of the right tofood.

The right to food is a universal right. It meansthat every person – woman, man and child –must have access at all times to food, or to

The right to foodMake it happen

means for the procurement of food, that issufficient in quality, quantity and variety tomeet their needs, is free from harmful sub-stances and is acceptable to their culture. Onlywhen individuals do not have the capacity tomeet their food needs by their own means forreasons beyond their control, such as age,handicap, economic downturn, famine, disaster,or discrimination, will they be entitled to receivefood directly from the state, according toGeneral Comment 12.

This definition is based on the assumption thathunger and malnutrition are caused not just bya lack of available food, but also by poverty,income disparities, and lack of access to healthcare, education, clean water, and sanitary livingconditions. The principle that all human rightsare interrelated and interdependent is alsoacknowledged. This means that the right tofood cannot be implemented in isolation fromother human rights, i.e. right to education,right to work, right to health, freedom ofassembly and association.

The right to food is increasingly being inte-grated into national constitutions and legisla-tion, and there are several cases in the courtsaround the world where this right, or some

World Food Day/TeleFood2007 theme

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aspects of it, have been upheld and enforced.However, despite progress in some areas, 59years after the Universal Declaration of HumanRights, the right to food remains to be realizedfor 854 million human beings.

Human rights and development

Increasingly, it is recognized that human rightsand sustainable development are mutuallyreinforcing. Human rights are based on theinherent worth of every human being. Achiev-ing human rights for all is an overridingobjective in itself. Development is not an end initself per se – it also aims at expanding rightsand freedoms. Human rights can help topromote growth and ensure the long-termsustainability of development. People whoseright to food is realized are more productiveand invest more in their longer-term livelihoodstrategies. Human rights add a qualitativedimension to development strategies, empow-ering the poorest to participate actively insociety, seek redress for violations of theirrights and hold government accountable for theuse of available public resources.

The right to food and food security

A right to food approach complements foodsecurity considerations of availability, access,stability and utilization with concerns for humandignity and cultural acceptability, and forempowerment by means of participation, non-discrimination, transparency and accountability.This enables individuals, particularly the hungryand marginalized, to actively look for means ofrealization of their right to food and to holdgovernment accountable for food securitycommitments it has taken. They becomesubjects of legal rights instead of being objectsof assistance.

The right to food: make it happen

States have the primary duty for the realizationof the right to food. They must take steps, tothe maximum of their available resources, torealize progressively the full enjoyment of theright of every person to adequate food, withoutdiscrimination of any kind. The three-fold set ofobligations applies: states must respect existingaccess to food of their population and abstainfrom taking measures that prevent such access.They must protect the right to food frominfringements by third parties through mea-sures ensuring that enterprises or individuals donot deprive others of the access to adequatefood. States must also fulfil the right to food

through facilitating individuals' ability to accessfood by their own means and through providingfor those who cannot feed themselves.For example, states should follow a " twin-trackapproach", which on the one hand seeks tostrengthen productivity and livelihoods, and onthe other to build social safety nets for thoseunable to provide for themselves. This ap-proach should be complemented by measuresaiming at strengthening the ability of individu-als to participate in the development processesand decisionmaking through appropriateeducation, training, promoting tolerance, aswell as developing and strengthening institu-tional structures.

While only states have the legal obligation togive effect to human rights, all members ofsociety – individuals, civil society organizations,NGOs and the private sector – have responsi-bilities with regard to the right to food, whentheir activities could have an impact on the freeexercise of the right to food of others. Inparticular, civil society organizations and NGOsare important factors for the implementation ofstate policies and programmes. They assistpopulations in realizing their right to foodthrough, among other things, dissemination ofinformation, legal advice and training.

The 1996 World Food Summit produced aglobal commitment to cut the number ofhungry and malnourished by half by 2015. TheMillennium Declaration also sets a human rightsbased agenda for hunger reduction. Today,many international organizations and develop-ment agencies, with FAO and other UNagencies at the forefront, assess impact of theiractivities on human rights, promote policies andprojects that have a positive impact on therealization of the right to food and avoid thosethat could have a negative impact on it. Theyalso actively support the realization of the rightto food at national level. The Right to FoodGuidelines provide the agreed principles andpractical guidance needed for concrete steps tobe taken by states for the realization of theright to food. They demonstrate how thedifferent agencies dealing with food securitycan work in a coordinated manner with the fullparticipation of all stakeholders.

Ensuring that every girl, boy, woman andman enjoys adequate food on a perma-nent basis is not only a moral imperativeand an investment with high economicreturns: it is the realization of a funda-mental human right.

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Address by HRH PrincessMaha Chakri SirindhornI am delighted to be able to join you all onceagain at the FAO Regional Office for Asia andthe Pacific, to celebrate this year's World FoodDay. The theme The right to food is mostappropriate for our times and deserves thesupport from each and everyone of us from allwalks of life.

Though we live in a world of historicallyunparalleled wealth and in a region that has ledthe globe in terms of economic progress andpoverty reduction, we are far from fulfilling thegoal of food for all, which was the main aim forthe creation of FAO some sixty-two years ago.According to FAO's State of Food Insecurity(SOFI 2006) report, the Asia-Pacific region stillaccounts for more than 60 percent of theworld's undernourished.

The right to food concept is important not onlyto human beings but living beings as a wholesince food is the basis of life. Because foodpervades and influences all aspects of life, theissue of the right to food is complex and multi-dimensional. It should not therefore be limitedto the right to have and to gain access to food.Nor should it be stressed just on providing foodto the needed in difficult times. It should beconstructive and proactive not only to thosewho provide but also to those who need food.We should strive to enable them to producefood for themselves and thereby become self-reliant and self-sufficient. Only on these termsthat we can achieve food security and eliminatehunger. In Thailand His Majesty the King'sphilosophy of the "Sufficiency Economy",

which aims at building small reliable economyunits self-sufficient in terms of food and otherbasic needs, serves as a good example.

In this context the Voluntary guidelines tosupport the progressive realization of the rightto food are a welcome additional tool forcountries in the region wishing to use it toenhance their food security situation. Theimplementation of the guidelines will directlybenefit the most marginalized and vulnerablesections of society since they cover the fullrange of actions to be considered by govern-ments at the national level in order to build anenabling environment for people to feedthemselves in dignity and to establish appropri-ate safety nets for those who are unable to doso. They can be used to strengthen andimprove current development frameworks,particularly with regard to social and humandimensions, putting the entitlements of peoplemore firmly at the centre of development. I amoptimistic that the theme, the right to food andthe tool will help us immensely in reducinghunger in the immediate future.

I join you all in congratulating FAO on thisauspicious day and wish to convey the solidarityand support of the Thai citizens for swiftimplementation of this year's World Food Daytheme – The right to food.

Thank you.

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Message of theFAO Director-GeneralAs we have often stated, our planet producesenough food to adequately feed its entirepopulation. Yet tonight, 854 million women,men and children will go to sleep on an emptystomach.

"The Right to Food" has been chosen to be thetheme of this year's World Food Day so that thevoice of the disadvantaged may be heard. Thetheme reflects the international community'sgrowing awareness of the crucial role of humanrights in eradicating hunger and poverty.

Since it was first recognized in the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights of 1948, the rightto food has been strengthened by furtherinternational measures. By ratifying theInternational Covenant on Economic, Social andCultural Rights, 156 States accepted the rightto food as a legally binding obligation.

Increasingly, the right to food is being writteninto national constitutions. It also features inlegislative texts, regulations and strategies.Social programmes provide more ways ofclaiming the right to food, thus making it easierfor all citizens to enjoy their rights. In thiscontext, information is a key element. Peopleneed to be aware of their rights and of how toclaim those rights. Officials need to know theirobligations and how to fulfil them. While legalobligations rest with the State, all members ofsociety - individuals, organizations, NGOs andthe private sector - have responsibilities withregard to the right to food.

Freedom from hunger is one of the fundamen-tal goals set out in FAO's Constitution. At the1996 World Food Summit, the Heads of Stateand Government reaffirmed "the right ofeveryone to have access to safe and nutritiousfood, consistent with the right to adequate foodand the fundamental right of everyone to befree from hunger". They also committed to thefull implementation and gradual realization ofthis right in order to ensure food security forall.

It was in the follow-up to this commitmentthat, in 2004, the FAO Council adopted theVoluntary Guidelines to Support the ProgressiveRealization of the Right to Food in the Contextof National Food Security.

These guidelines serve to bridge the legalrecognition of this right and its effectiverealization, by providing governments and civilsociety with a coherent set of policy recommen-dations.

Despite the progress made, putting the right tofood into practice still remains a challenge forcountries and development practitioners.

An implementation "framework" based on theRight to Food Guidelines has been drawn up inorder to implement the right to food in eachcountry. World Food Day provides an excellentopportunity for countries to take stock of thesteps taken and the results obtained. It is alsoan occasion for debate and consensus-buildingon further steps for the gradual realization ofthe right to food.

The right to food calls for a shift in paradigmfrom charity to rights. Ensuring that everyhuman being has an adequate and stablesupply of food is more than a moral imperativeor an investment with potentially huge eco-nomic returns: it is the realization of a basichuman right. And the world has the means torealize that right.

This promise, conceived in the 20th centuryshould come to fruition in the 21st century.That is why, on this World Food Day of 2007, Iinvite you to join me in making the right to fooda tangible reality for all.

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the same extent as richer individuals andhouseholds. The rise in inequality, of incomes aswell as non-income dimensions such as educa-tion and health services, especially in rural areasof Asia, is a major cause for concern.

Clearly there is a need to address the policy biasagainst sectors and individuals in which the poorare engaged in. The low priority accorded to therural sector, in particular low investment inhuman resources in agriculture-related employ-ment opportunities, combined with growingdegradation of natural resources, has led tostagnating productivity and earnings in the ruraleconomy on which a large proportion of Asia'spopulation and even larger proportion of Asia'spoor depend. The situation has further exacer-bated inequalities between the rich and the poor,rural and urban dwellers, creating adverseconsequences for social coherence and harmony.

Circumstance based inequalities, which arise fromsocial exclusion, lack of access to productiveresources, educational services, health care, andlack of access to income and productivity enhancingemployment opportunities for the poor need to betackled urgently. It calls for a focus on improvinggovernance, the improved delivery of basic healthcare and education services to the poor, strengthen-ing social protection programmes and safety nets,and raising significantly the employment opportuni-ties for and incomes of the poor if we are to ensurethe progressive realization of the right to food.

We urgently need visionary economic policiesand a conducive environment that promotespeople-centred development and pro-poorgrowth; encourages reforms related to ruralinstitutions and laws; facilitates trade andinvestment as well as technology transfer thatwould dramatically reduce deprivation in thepoorer countries. There is no better solution forsecuring the right to food for the poor otherthan empowering them with the capacity toenhance productivity and to eliminate poverty.We can no longer afford the gap, let alonefurther enlargement.

As the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right toFood has noted, progressive realization meansthat States must move as expeditiously aspossible towards the realization of the rights. Tothis end they must use "the maximum ofavailable resources," which refers both to theresources available within a State and thoseavailable from the international communitythrough international cooperation and assis-tance. In the Declaration of the World FoodSummit: five years later, adopted in June 2002,world leaders called for an InternationalAlliance Against Hunger (IAAH) to reinforce theefforts of all actors – governments, interna-tional organizations, academics, civil societyorganizations and the private sector – toachieve the World Food Summit target no laterthan 2015. This alliance should be invoked tolaunch an all out war on hunger in Asia, andelsewhere, so that the right to food can soonbecome a reality for all.

On behalf of the Director-General of FAO,Jacques Diouf, my colleagues and on my ownbehalf, I have the special pleasure in welcomingyou all to the FAO Regional Office for Asia andthe Pacific for the commemoration of this year'sWorld Food Day.

This is a special venue. To quote from theplaque outside, unveiled by the then PrimeMinister of Thailand on 16 October 1981, onthe occasion of the first World Food Day:

"These buildings, provided through the gener-osity of the Royal Thai government, symbolize auniversal commitment to the basic human rightto adequate food - a precept enshrined in allliving faiths of our world - so people every-where may rise to more humane standards ofliving in dignity, justice and peace".

We are especially honoured by the presence ofHer Royal Highness, Princess Maha ChakriSirindhorn, whose gracious presence amongstus is a testimony to her and the Kingdom ofThailand's true commitment and inspiration toour collective fight against hunger.

FAO has chosen The right to food as its WorldFood Day theme this year to draw attention tothis essential, yet often overlooked, humanright. Eleven years ago, at the 1996 WorldFood Summit, Heads of State and Governmentreaffirmed "the right of everyone to haveaccess to safe and nutritious food, consistentwith the right to adequate food and thefundamental right of everyone to be free fromhunger". They urged FAO "to propose ways toimplement and realize these rights as a meansof achieving the commitments and objectives ofthe World Food Summit, taking into accountthe possibility of formulating voluntary guide-lines for food security for all."

The "Voluntary Guidelines on the ProgressiveRealization of the Right to Adequate Food in theContext of National Food Security" was adoptedby the members of FAO in 2004. In the sevenyears that it took to arrive at the VoluntaryGuidelines, our Asia Pacific region registeredphenomenal success on the poverty alleviationfront. Between 1996 and 2004, the prevalence ofpoverty in East Asia and the Pacific fell from 16to 9 percent whilst in South Asia it came downfrom 36 to 31percent. However, in spite of suchsignificant gains, Asia is still home to the majorityof the world's hungry people. FAO estimates thatsome 527 million people in our region sufferfrom non-acute hunger and are still deprived oftheir right to food - 300 million in South Asia,163 million in East Asia and 64 million in SouthEast Asia.

The persistence of under-nourishment in theregion, despite rapid economic growth, canmainly be attributed to the growing inequality inincome and consumption in the majority of thecountries in the region. Apparently the rich aregetting richer faster which means that relativelypoor individuals and households are not benefit-ing from or participating in economic growth to

Statement by He ChangchuiAssistant Director-General andRegional Representative for Asia and the Pacific

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It is my great honor and pleasure to join you intoday's regional observance of World Food Dayon the theme of The right-to-food.

All of us, I am certain, are inspired by thepresence of Her Royal Highness Princess MahaChakri Sirindhorn, who has made importantcontributions to the war against poverty andhunger through her work in education andculture, natural resources conservation andrural development.

In 1996, as a member of the Philippine Houseof Representatives, I participated in the WorldFood Summit under the auspices of the Foodand Agriculture Organization of the UnitedNations. At this conference, governmentsadopted a declaration which called for thehalving of the world's hungry population of 842million by the year 2015. In June of 2002, Ireturned to Rome, this time as the PhilippineMinister of Agriculture, to attend the sequel tothe 1996 meeting. As we know, this follow-upSummit led to the adoption in 2004 of the FAOVoluntary Guidelines to support the right ofevery person to adequate food in the context ofnational food security.

I remember that 2002 Summit vividly foranother reason. My father Jeremias died on theday of my arrival in Rome.

My father came from a landed family innorthern Philippines. During his boyhood, hebecame aware of the wide economic, social andcultural gaps between his landlord family andtheir share tenants. His elders told him that thetenants were poor because they were "lazy,ignorant and unwilling to change".

To the surprise of many, my father turned hisback against his family's interests. He devotedhis life to the cause of the Filipino peasantry. Inthe process, he realized that the vicious cycle ofunderdevelopment and impoverishment couldbe broken. But first, leaders had to changetheir attitudes towards the poor.

My father liked to compare what he called "thebird's point-of-view" and "the worm's point-of-view". He said that many would-be leaders andreformers failed because they only saw theworld from their perspective. Like the eagle,they could fly high and quickly across greatdistances. From the air, they could see manythings that the worm on the ground could not.They were critical of the slow-moving peasants,whom they considered timid, backward andmendicant.

His lesson was that, for leaders to be effective,they must understand the actual conditions andmind set of the poor and the oppressed. Theymust learn to learn to depend on the people toidentify and prioritize their concerns andsolutions. Only then can leaders arrive atpolicies and plans that the people will findrelevant and deserving of their support. In ourhost country today, the ability of King BhumibolAdulyadej to listen and to empathize withhuman aspirations has endeared His Majesty tothe Thai people and galvanized their supportfor his programs.

During the past decade, Asia-Pacific countriesas a whole – and the People's Republic of Chinain particular – have achieved dramatic progressin reducing poverty and hunger. On the otherhand, so much more needs to be done. Interms of the number of poor people in theworld, our region accounts for over half ofthem. Inequalities in economic opportunitiesand incomes are also growing between oururban and rural sectors. The situation is notbeing helped any by declining levels of both in-country funding and Official DevelopmentAssistance for agricultural development andfood security programs.

Poverty in Asia and the Pacific primarily wears arural face. Three out of every four destitute andundernourished persons live in the countryside.Many – if not most – of them are small farmers,pastoralists, forest occupants, fisher folk andother types of rural workers.

In 1973, I heard the legendary Cesar Chavez ofthe United Farm Workers of America address anational convention of American teachers. MrChavez expressed pride over the fact that hismembers were producing the fruits andvegetables that were feeding many Americanswell. Unfortunately, he pointed out, thesesame farm workers were toiling under subhu-man conditions and their families often went tobed hungry.

At the time, I felt as if Mr Chavez was alsodescribing the difficult plight of small farmers,fishers and agricultural workers in the Philip-

Right to food in Asia and the Pacific– The worm's point-of-view

Keynote address

Leonardo Q. MontemayorPresident of the Federation of Free Farmersand Chairperson of the Federation of Free FarmersCooperatives (Philippines)

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Coconut-producing countries should extract thenumerous health, nutrition, and bio-energy by-products from coconut water, nectar, sugar,white meat and milk. The technology exists formaking coconut milk – a highly nutritious drink.In the case of virgin coconut oil, some clinicaltrials and historical accounts suggest itseffectiveness against viral diseases like SARSand HIV-AIDS.

Without closing our eyes to problems in theurban areas, I believe that we can overcomemass destitution by addressing its rural rootsand enlisting the active involvement of the ruralpoor. As one Filipino peasant leader puts it,"The farmer is the problem, but he is also thesolution!"

What does the small rural producer need toovercome poverty and food insecurity?

Many small farmers, including women, do nothave secure access to and control over land. Tothem, land ownership (or at least securetenure) is vital for several reasons. It enhancestheir sense of self-worth, their social standingand their credit worthiness. It gives them andtheir families a strong psychological andmaterial incentive to work harder, invest morecapital and to care more for their naturalresource endowments.

Over the past several decades, a number ofAsian countries have carried out rent-reductionand land-to-the tiller programs. The decrease inland rentals alone have brought up the incomesof sharecroppers-turned-leaseholders. In China,agricultural reforms begun in the late 1970sstimulated rural growth and incomes by givingsmall holders greater control over theirindividual land holdings and output. Since anyproduction in excess of the fixed land rental orprocured production quota would belong to thesmall farmer, he now had a greater economicincentive to maximize his farm output andproductivity by adopting improved technologiesand putting in more labor and resources.

In this connection, I would like to acknowledgethe leadership of the FAO, which organized theWorld Conference on Agrarian Reform andRural Development in Rome in 1979. Unfortu-nately, the critical role of agrarian reform in thefight against underdevelopment and povertybecame muted during the last two decades.But recent events, such as the 2006 Interna-tional Conference on Agrarian Reform and RuralDevelopment in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where the

pines. Sad to say, the situation of many ruraldwellers today remains largely unchanged.

Except for those in countries like Malaysiawhich have properly funded settlementschemes, many small farmers throughout Asia-Pacific have mostly been left to fend forthemselves. Despite this, hundreds of millionsof them have managed to develop theirlandholdings and communities – using theirown money, sweat and know-how. Individually,their inputs look miniscule. But collectively, theeconomic value of their investments woulddwarf the budgets of governments and thecapital of the biggest corporations.

Based on my organization's half-century ofexperience, we believe that the small farmholding model can better enable a poor ruralfamily, and society as a whole, to withstand theshocks arising from major economic, social andeven political crises. Given adequate supportand linkages to agro-industries, the smallholdersystem can help stem the massive outpouringof rural residents from the farms to the cities,forests and fragile eco-systems. Moreover, adiversified farming operation can do a betterjob at meeting the essential dietary require-ments of a smallholder household than alargely export-dependent, single-crop plantationcan for its agricultural workers.

Let us take the case of coconut. In 2005, theAsia-Pacific accounted for 10.691 millionhectares, or 89 percent, of the global coconutarea of 12.167 million hectares. The regionproduced 50.961 billion nuts, or 86 percent, of59.569 billion nuts world-wide. Millions ofpeople depend on the industry for theirlivelihood and income.

Ironically, farmers who rely on this "tree of life"are among the poorest of the poor.

And yet, many examples abound on what canbe accomplished to defeat poverty and hungerin coconut lands. Firstly, the areas betweencoconut trees can be devoted to multi-storeycropping, livestock raising and honey produc-tion. This will multiply farm incomes and createjob opportunities in the villages. Additionally,the potential of the coconut as a base for theprocessing sector should be fully exploited.Scores of consumer and industrial products canbe derived from the nut and the tree itself. Forexample, the husk can be made into carupholstery and bed mattresses, geo-textiles andother useful and environmentally friendly by-products.

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Rain-fed areas account for a major portion ofimpoverished and undernourished people inAsia and the Pacific. Farmers in these landsrequire farm- and community-level watercatchments and shallow tube wells, which arecheaper, easier and faster to set up. They wantscientists to develop crops that are sturdier, lessinput-dependent and better-yielding. They alsoneed sound advice on sustainable farming andagro-forestry practices, plus marketing supportfor their products.

Two years ago, I visited the village ofKothapally in Andhra Pradesh in India. TheAdarsha integrated watershed managementproject therein is a good example of a partici-patory, farmer-centered approach to sustain-able development and natural resourcesconservation in semi-arid zones. Using small-scale water impounding as its point of entry,the project has energized rural households,especially women, to go into diversifiedcropping, production of vermiculture-basedfertilizer, raising of water buffaloes and otherlivelihood activities. It demonstrates theexcellent collaboration among rural residentsand their associations, the state and localgovernments, NGOs, local research andextension institutions, and the InternationalCrops Research Institute for the Semi-AridTropics (ICRISAT), which is based in the state.The project is now being replicated in otherwatersheds in Andhra Pradesh and in severalAsian countries.

While relying on the native wisdom andcontributions of small rural producers, we canfurther enhance rural incomes and foodsecurity by motivating the private sector toinvest in the countryside. There are ampleopportunities for joint ventures and othercommercial arrangements between business-men and rural workers and their organizations,based on respect for farmers' rights and givingthem a genuine stake in the business enter-prise.

The magnitude of remittances from citizens ofAsia-Pacific countries working abroad isenormous. (In the case of the Philippines, thiscould be as much as one-half of the nationalgovernment budget.) This fact poses a chal-lenge on how to channel these substantialinflows into profitable agri-business projectsthat will provide more jobs and more food.

The rights-based approach to individual andnational food security will succeed if there is

FAO played a prominent part, has once againhighlighted the importance of the issue.

Due to their crushing debt burden, unfavorableterms of trade and/or weak governance, manydeveloping nations in our region are unable toprovide essential farm infrastructure likeirrigation, feeder roads, and post harvestfacilities for drying, storing and processingagricultural and fisheries produce. Furthermore,despite the rapid advances and reduced costs ininformation and communications technology,most farmers in these countries still lack accessto timely advice on markets, technologies andservices. Rain-fed, hilly and up lands areespecially affected, because – historically –public investments have been focused on themore physically accessible and politicallyinfluential lowlands. In recent years, theperiodic episodes of El Nino and other severeweather disturbances have compounded theseproblems. The situation is even more difficultfor archipelagoes like Indonesia, the Philippinesand the Pacific states, where port and shippingfacilities are severely inadequate and wheretransport of agricultural and fisheries commodi-ties is generally accorded lower priority.

These deficiencies, coupled with trade-distorting agricultural subsidies and non-tariffbarriers by industrialized countries, make for agrossly uneven playing field in internationaltrade and undermine the food security ofdeveloping nations. Not surprisingly, there hasbeen a rising clamor against the seriousimbalances in the WTO's agriculture-relatedagreements and a hardening of position bydeveloping country governments and theircitizens during the current Doha Round.

All this points to the wisdom of supporting theobjective of self-sufficiency of farming house-holds for their basic food, nutrition and evenhealth needs. Malnutrition in a farming areashould be deemed inexcusable. Many house-holds can be assisted easily to establish afamily garden for vegetables, legumes, rootcrops and medicinal plants. Moreover, familymembers can be taught how to process theirsurplus produce for home consumption insteadof letting them rot in the field.

A similar approach can be adopted in schoolgardens and in idle urban lands. It can alsoapply to small fisher folk, many of whom arefarmers by day. In addition, their income fromcapture fisheries can be augmented throughthe introduction of fish cages, seaweed farmingand other aquaculture operations.

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political will from above and from below.Reform-minded leaders need the firm proddingand backing of strong grassroots organizationsof the poor, especially in the face of oppositionfrom those who are resistant to change.

Incorporation of the right to food and otherbasic human rights into national constitutionsand laws, while important, will not be enough.Their realization on the ground will be blockedor hampered, unless the poor demand andwork for their effective implementation. Toachieve this purpose, the rural poor mustharness their numbers into an organized forcefor their empowerment. This will require a goodorganizational philosophy and program,responsible leaders, capable managers andactive members.

The precise form of organization will vary,depending on legal, political and socio-eco-nomic factors and priorities in each country. Itcould be a small self-help group engaged inlending or production, a cooperative marketingits members' produce, and so on. My owninclination is toward organizations of the farmor trade union type, consolidated and net-worked from the village up to the national level.This farm union model allows an association totake up a variety of roles and services at localand national levels, ranging from membershiprepresentation and policy advocacy to manage-ment of social and economic ventures. Ideally,an organization should be guided by theprinciples of solidarity and subsidiarity. Solidar-ity ensures that all members support eachother and follow a common purpose anddirection. Subsidiary encourages initiative, self-help and flexibility from the bottom level of theorganization, upwards.

To illustrate, may I share the experience of myown organization, the Federation of FreeFarmers. In 1982, after several years of intenselobbying, the FFF convinced the Philippinegovernment to institute an Integrated SocialForestry Program. Unlike in the past, when theywould be driven away, landless and shiftingforest occupants were now offered long-termleases over denuded public forest lands up toeighteen percent in slope, provided that theywould follow sustainable agro-forestry cultiva-tion and environmental conservation methods.

In several towns of the central Philippineprovince of Bohol, farm settlers belonging tomy Federation have transformed – mainly on aself-help basis – close to a thousand hectaresof previously deforested lands into productive

agro-forest communities. By planting variousforest, fruit and coconut trees, they regener-ated dry springs, which have enabled them togrow rice, vegetables and fish. The farmersalso raise their own chickens, goats and otherlivestock. With counterpart funding secured bythe FFF, our members built public schoolclassrooms for their children. Likewise, theyinstalled a water distribution system, which hasspared household members, especially thewomen and children, from carrying heavy loadsof water over long distances to fetch water forfamily use. They secured national governmentfunding to construct a gravel road linking theirmountain villages to the national highwaysystem. Today, the main concerns of ourmembers are the setting up of a small coopera-tive sawmill and a mini-hydro-electric plant.They are also concerned about small reptilesand monkeys that try to steal their chickensand crops!

Stricter environmental standards and thecontinuing rise in petroleum prices havetriggered much interest in bio-fuels. Whiledemand for bio-fuels will help stabilize theprices for raw material producers, the shift fromfood to fuel crops production could endangerfood security. One alternative would be to limitthe production of bio-fuel feedstock to marginalor idle lands. Another would be to encouragethe cultivation of crops with both food and bio-fuel uses. A good example is sweet sorghum,which can be used for food, feed, fuel and fiber.

Bio-technology is another subject where theconcerns of small farmers and consumersshould be fully addressed. Farmers ask thatresearch and development, especially by thepublic sector, give priority to their needs, suchas the improvement of crop varieties that areimportant for their livelihood and food security,but which may not be financially attractive toprivate bio-tech companies. Farmers also wantto be sure that seeds and other products of bio-technology will not only give them decentreturns but are safe for humans and theenvironment.

With the more frequent occurrences of severeclimatic changes like El Nino and La Nina, ourregion must give beef up our capability topredict these phenomena with better timelinessand precision. Hand-in-hand with an earlywarning system, we need to work closely withsectors and institutions in vulnerable areas inorganizing the logistical network, with whichthey can deal with future relief and rehabilita-tion problems. In this regard, buffer-stocking of

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food staples will be helpful at local, nationaland even supra-national levels, as in the caseof the ASEAN and the East Asian EmergencyRice Reserve programs.

Small farmers support food aid programs incases of emergency. Food assistance can alsobe tied to other objectives like improving schoolattendance and nutritional levels of childrenfrom poor families, and with alleviatingjoblessness through food-for-work schemes.However, farmers feel that these programsshould not undercut their livelihood by loweringprices of local farm produce. Moreover, food aidshould be done in a manner that is supportiveof local producers. For example, food aidsupplies can be sourced internally from areaswith surplus production or stockpiles. Schoolfeeding programs can offer a ready market forlocally produced like milk and rice. In food-for-work projects, priority must be given to theconstruction and maintenance of infrastructurethat will improve agriculture productivity.Incidentally, the successful dairy developmentprogram of India shows how foreign food aidand other commodity assistance programs canbe transformed from short-term, charitableactions into sustainable national programs withwide-ranging beneficial impacts on foodsecurity, livelihood creation and rural develop-ment.

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Md. Abdul Kalam Azad, model horticul-ture farmer, Bangladesh

In 1990, after nine years of honourable servicein the Bangladesh Air Force, Corporal AbdulKalam Azad suddenly found himself discharged.The reason – a medical examination revealedhe was colour blind.

With his education and military service, hemight have followed in his father's footstepsand become a government official. Instead, hereturned to his town of Adarsha Sadar andchose to become a farmer.

Mr Azad knew virtually nothing about farming.But the urging of a neighbour, coupled with aRotary Club training course in aquaculture,convinced him that he just might be able tomake a living at it.

He started with some fish ponds, and begangrowing vegetables around their borders. Laterhe would also grow rice.

Adarsha Sadar in Comila district is not a badplace to be a farmer. Situated on high ground,it rarely suffers the devastating floods thatplague most of Bangladesh, taking lives,destroying crops and creating food shortages.

Yet most of the farmers in the sub-district,about 100 kilometres east of the capital Dhaka,were poor. The reason - most were illiterate.They had no knowledge of modern farmingmethods that could improve their productivityand their lives.

With his education, discipline and work ethic MrAzad was the natural choice for secretary of thefarmer's association. He took the job seriously.

He worked with government officials to learnnew farming techniques and technologies,experimenting with new vegetable crops, andalso a hybrid strain of rice called "Hira" thatdoubles the yields.

Then he shared his knowledge with his fellowfarmers. “I want to teach and encourage them,”he says. “My motto is ‘our country free fromhunger.’”

With their bounty of vegetables, increased riceyields and growing aquaculture output, thefarmers of Adarsha Sadar will play an importantrole in the government's efforts to eradicatehunger by 2015.

And working as farmer, Mr Azad says, he'searning five times his Air Force salary.

But if the salary was low, the Air Force taughthim some valuable lessons: That there is noreal success unless it is shared by all. And thatthere is no shame in any work.

In fact, becoming a farmer has led to one ofthe proudest moments in Mr Azad's life – beingnamed an FAO Model Farmer.

Upon learning he was selected, Mr Azad said,“for me, this award is as good as winning theNobel Prize”.

Nget Sareng, model aquaculture farmer,Cambodia

Mrs Nget Sareng of the village of TrapaingTrach in Cambodia is a woman with little formaleducation and yet she's taught others how tobe better farmers.

Farming isn't easy in a place like TrapaingTrach, located in Takeo province not far fromthe border with Vietnam. Mrs Sareng's smallrice field, less than a third of a hectare, onlyyields enough to feed her family for five monthsof the year.

And so, Mrs Sareng's husband Khieu Samwould have to go work as a day labourer alongthe border, hoping to make enough to feed hiswife and two daughters and two sons.

While at the border, however, Khieu Samnoticed that some villagers were feeding theirfamilies and earning a living through aquacul-ture. He sent Mrs Sareng 100 000 riel (about

Model farmersAwards for outstanding achievements

Five model farmers – fromBangladesh, Cambodia, Mongolia,Samoa and Thailand – werehonoured by FAO's regional officefor Asia and the Pacific for out-standing achievement, and forproving that the right to food canpay off, although even more can beaccomplished if the right policiesare in place to address the prob-lems faced by small farmers.

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$50 at the time) and told her to buy fingerlings.

Before she could actually do it, a local officerfrom the Fisheries Administration chose hertake part in a pilot project for aquaculture. Thefingerlings were now free.

She was chosen because her family was poor,she had just enough land and already had asmall pond, she was an extremely hard worker– and she knew how to listen and to learn.

With close instruction and monitoring fromgovernment fisheries experts and local authori-ties in Takeo province, Mrs Sareng started byraising common carp, Silver carp and Tilapia.Around her pond she began growing vegetablesand herbs used in traditional Khmer food andmedicines. Soon she was selling them atmarket.

She did so well that she began to expand.Today, she has 26 fish ponds breeding commoncarp, Indian carp, Silver carp, big head carp,Silver barb, Tilapia, frogs and prawns. And theponds were all built with her own hands.

Recently, her family has traded in their thatchand wood house for a two-storey homepartially built from concrete.

But it's her giving spirit that makes Mrs Sarengtruly shine. She's taught her neighbours andlater farmers and students from provinces allover the country how to improve their livesthrough aquaculture and the necessary skillsand techniques.

With her earnings from aquaculture, thiswoman who never saw the inside of a class-room has now sent her oldest daughter, SokDany, to university – the first in her family toattend.

She is enrolled at Build Bright University inTakeo where she is studying rural development.

“What I've learned has improved my life andthe lives of my family,” Mrs Sareng says. “Butwhen we all learn, we can help improveCambodia.”

Ochirbat Ganzorig, model agribusinessfarmer, Mongolia

Not long ago, Ochirbat Ganzorig and his familywere simple herders on the steppes ofMongolia. The past decade, however, has seen

great changes, both for Mongolia and theGanzorig family.

The changes haven't always been easy. Duringthe 1990s, this mainly rural country shiftedfrom a centrally-planned to a market economy.The transformation was jarring. Businesseswere disrupted. Jobs were lost. Food suppliesbecame scarcer, even in the capital UlaanBaatar.

Once a self-sufficient food producer, todayMongolia imports over 70 percent of its food,and Ganzorig says the quality of that food isn'tvery good.

During the same time Ganzorig and his familysaw their herds of sheep and cows steadilygrow. As the people of Ulaan Baatar struggledthrough hard times, Ganzorig, who has adegree in Agronomy from Mongolia's Agricul-ture University, saw opportunity in adversity -opportunity to help his countrymen, andopportunity to help his family.

In 2002, with assistance from his father andolder brother, he founded Holstein Mongolia. Itquickly became the leading agribusiness in thecountry. Beginning with 900 sheep and 100cows, today Holstein has 1 300 sheep and 300cows.

Each day, his cows provide 800–1 200 litres ofmilk for markets in the city. And each year,Holstein Mongolia provides 20 tonnes of meatfor consumers.

But Ganzorig's farm doesn't just produce meatand dairy products. He has also branched outinto vegetable farming, working with thegovernment on irrigation systems to turnrough, difficult terrain into fertile fields, despitethe country's harsh climate.

Today, the Ganzorigs are growing a variety oforganic vegetables for the people of the capitalcity, and also maize, sunflower, ruthenica,barely and oats to produce feed for theirlivestock and those of other farmers andherders.

“Food is essential for our people. My country-men have to pay so much for imported food,and the quality of the food is poor. That bothersme, and I think what we are doing can help,”Ganzorig says.

The Ganzorigs also help in other ways, hostingstudy tours for students and other farmers so

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that they can learn from his company.

While that might create competition for his ownbusiness, Ganzorig says he doesn't mind at all.More important is doing good work and seeingthat his fellow Mongolians are getting the foodthey need at prices they can afford. Moreimportant than worrying about competition isbuilding a better, healthier future for hiscountrymen. “I want to play a role in that,”Ganzorig says. Undoubtedly, he will.

Ponifasio Ricky Westerlund, model homegardening farmer, Samoa

Ricky Westerlund's father told his son not tobecome a farmer. The Westerlund family hadbeen farming for generations in the Alaisadistrict of their Pacific island country Samoa.But Ricky was highly educated and alreadyworking as a civil engineer. That's rare inSamoa, where about 90 percent of the peopletill the land.

Ricky, however, is definitely a man with a mindof his own. He saw opportunity where othersonly saw hardship. Most farmers in Samoa aresubsistence farmers. They cultivate enough tosurvive, but not much more than that.

Ricky saw a better way. With his engineeringbackground he believed that if farmers mecha-nized their operations they could becomecommercial farmers – prospering by selling abounty of goods to markets.

He knew becoming a farmer would be risky,but, he says, “When I decide to do something,nothing can stop me. I wanted to be a farmer,but in a big way”.

Starting with five acres of leased land, he usedhis meagre savings to buy an old used tractorfrom Polynesian Airlines. Mechanizing his farmmade him more efficient and earned him moreprofits. And so he leased more land, andbought more tractors and other equipment.

He was also smart in what he chose to grow:vegetables. Subsistence farming and a high-fatdiet have left many Samoans either malnour-ished, obese or even both. Ricky grew toma-toes, cabbages, all sorts of beans, lettuce,capsicum, bak choi, corn and ginger.

Today, his 45-acre farm is the leading supplierof vegetables in Samoa. He supplies hospitals,hotels and markets. At the same time, the

government is promoting vegetable consump-tion to improve the health of the people.

Other farmers in Samoa now come to learnfrom Ricky. “I teach them modern farmingmethods. I teach them to become commercialfarmers,” he says. While few have made thetransition, he's confident that in time more will.“If you want to reap, first you must sow,” hesays.

That's important to Ricky. Because this farmer,who is also a preacher, regards it as part of hismission to help his countrymen become freefrom malnutrition, disease and poverty.

And so while here in Bangkok, he's been outshopping for seeds to grow heartier strains ofvegetables, and researching organic farmingmethods and even fish farming. There are fewlimits to what a man can achieve when hisspirit is strong.

“God wants us to live in abundance,” Ricky sayswhen talking about his vision for the future ofSamoa. “When we have abundance we are notat the mercy of others. When we have abun-dance we are free.”

Pramuan Charoenying, model communityforestry farmer, Thailand

Like many Thais, when Mrs PramuanCharoenying and her family began farming theymainly grew rice. But her home province ofBuriram is typical of many areas in northeast-ern Thailand: Drought is a problem. When therains came, the family did well. When the earthwas cracked and parched, they suffered.

Then one evening about 15 years ago, MrsPramuan listened as His Majesty the Kingaddressed the nation on television. His Majesty,who has dedicated himself to uplifting hissubjects, and especially rural people, outlinedwhat he called his “New Theory”. It urgedfarmers to divide their land and diversify theircrops, by planting vegetables, fruits and diggingponds to raise fish and irrigate fields. In thisway, farmers could become more sufficient andprotect themselves against the uncertainties ofclimate and other misfortunes.

Mrs Pramuan followed the King's advice. “He isa great teacher, and a model for everyone,” shesays. Today, her family always has food on thetable, thanks to the diversity of crops and thefish they raise. And her vegetable gardens,

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irrigated from the fish pond, never lack forwater. Her family cultivates enough rice to sellon the market.

His Majesty the King's philosophy has beenbroadened over the years into the “SufficiencyTheory of Economics”. Among its principles arevaluing community and using resources wisely.

Those are things Mrs Pramuan knows some-thing about.

Her small village of Khoakok borders a forestcalled Pha Kok Kruat. The forest is part of thesufficiency structure of the community. Itprovides villagers with food and its plants andherbs are used as traditional medicines.

But forests have been steadily disappearing inThailand. A few years back, it looked as thoughPha Khao Kok would be lost too. Companiescame to clear the land and build poultry farms.Other villagers were cutting trees to claim fieldsfor crops.

Mrs Pramuan knew something had to be done.She organized her community and confrontedthe company and the villagers. At first she wasafraid. Some villagers threatened her. But sheand her neighbours persevered.

When the company saw the community wasunited, it decided to find a new location. Andslowly the villagers came to understand thatMrs Pramuan and her neighbours weren't tryingto keep the forest for themselves, but werepreserving its bounty for everyone.

Because of her wisdom, courage and determi-nation, she has been elected twice to theTambon Council, a local government body. Sheis the only woman officer in the Committee onNatural Resources Management for theNortheast.

Mrs Pramuan says she doesn't serve for thesalary. “We need the forests for our lives, andso I am working for society,” she says. “Theforest is for everyone, and it is our duty toprotect it. I hope more will join us in ourefforts.”

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11 October – Announcement on the Thai Government webside ofWFD Observance in Thailand

16 October – Announcement of WFD observanceRadio Thailand 07:00 o'clock news (Thai)

Live interview with He Changchui on WorldFood Day celebration (07:30 hrs)

17 October – DPA report on WFD celebration in Thailand

– 20:00 hrs. news report on WFD celebration atFAO Regional Office on all Thai TV Channels – 3, 5, 7, 9,11 and TITV

– Thairath Newspaper report on World Poverty Day activitiesand 62th anniversary celebration of the founding of FAO

18 October – The Nation report on WFD celebrations

19 October – Thailand Public Relations Department news report on WFD celebrationin Bangkok, HRH Princess Maha Chakri Siridhorn address and conferring ofawards to five model farmers from Asia

– Photo of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Siridhorn arrivingat FAO for WFD celebration, Thairath Newspaper

21 October – A short Thairath report on WFD celebration

22 October – Director General's message read at national WFD celebration

5 November – Matichon photo report on national WFD celebration and candlelight vigil

Media coverage Annex 1

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กระทรวงเกษตรฯ ร่วมกับ เอฟ เอ โอ จดังานวนัอาหารโลกwww.thaigov.go.th – Thursday, 11 October 2007

กระทรวงเกษตรฯ จับมือเอฟเอโอ และกทม. จัดงานยักษ์รำลึกวันอาหารโลก พร้อมเน้นย้ำความเท่าเทียมในการได้รับอาหารที่ปลอดภัยและเพียงพอดีเดย์ 22 ตุลา จุดเทียนพร้อมกันทั่วโลก ณ ลานคนเมืองกรุงเทพมหานคร นายพินิจ กอศรีพร รองฆษกกระทรวงเกษตรและสหกรณ์ เปิดเผยว่าในโอกาสที่องค์การอาหารและเกษตรแห่งสหประชาชาติได้กำหนด ให้วันที่ 16 ตุลาคม ของทุกปี เป็นวันอาหารโลก ซึ่งขณะนี้มีประเทศสมาชิกกว่า180 ประเทศทัว่โลกโดยจะพรอ้มใจกนั จดังานเฉลมิฉลองวนัอาหารโลก เพือ่รำลกึถงึวนัจดัตัง้องคก์รและรณรงคถึ์งความสำคญัของอาหารที่มีต่อมวลมนุษย์ การแก้ไขปัญหาความยากจน และขจัดความอดอยากหิวโหยที่กระจายไปทั่วโลก ทั้งนี้ ในปีนี้ เอฟ เอ โอ ได้กำหนดหัวข้อการรณรงค์วันอาหารโลกว่า "สิทธิที่พึงได้รับอาหาร" ของประชากรโลก เพื่อเน้นถึงสิทธิในการได้รับอาหารที่ปลอดภัย และเพียงพอเนือ่งจากปจัจบุนัประชากรโลกยงัประสบปญัหาความแตกตา่งดา้นชวิีตและความเปน็อยู ่สภาพแวดลอ้ม และสงัคม สง่ผลใหม้จีำนวนประชากรโลกที่อดอยากหิวโหยกว่า 800 ล้านคน และกว่า 500 ล้านคนอาศัยอยู่ในภูมิภาคเอเชีย นอกจากนี้ ในวันที่ 22 ตุลาคม 2550 ซึ่งทั่วโลกจะจัดงานเฉลิมฉลองวันอาหารโลกพร้อมกัน โดยกระทรวงเกษตรฯ จึงกำหนดจัดงานขึ้นเช่นกัน โดยร่วมกับเอฟ เอ โอ ประจำประเทศไทย และกรุงเทพมหานครจัดนิทรรศการ การมอบประกาศนียบัตร และการบรรยายพิเศษ ณ ลานคนเมือง เสาชิงช้า ตั้งแต่เวลา 15.00 น. และในเวลา 17.30 - 18.30 น.จะมีการจุดเทียนร่วมรำลึกในวันอาหารโลก ซึ่งจะมีการจุดพร้อมกันทั่วโลก จึงขอเชิญชวนประชาชนชาวไทยร่วมงานดังกล่าว พร้อมใส่เสื้อเหลืองร่วมจดุเทยีนรำลกึถึงวันสำคญัของประชาชนโลกดว้ย

More than 150 countries to mark World Food Day todayGulf Times – Tuesday, 16 October 2007

ROME: More than 150 countries are scheduled today to observe World Food Day by kicking off a series of events includingsports contests and a global candlelight vigil, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said.

"This year's World Food Day theme, 'The Right to Food', highlights a basic human right that is often ignored as severe foodinsecurity continues to afflict more than 850mn people," the Rome-based UN agency said in a statement......A global candlelight vigil will begin the evening of October 22 in Samoa and move across the world's time zones throughvarious cities including Yokohama, Japan, Yerevan, Armenia, Lusaka, Zambia, Bratislava, Slovakia, Quito, Ecuador and Rome,where the a vigil will be held at the Colosseum.......Thailand will celebrate World Food Day with a regional symposium attended by Crown Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, whileJapan will organise a TeleFood television fundraising concert in Yokohama. - DPA

วนัขจดัความจนโลกไทยรัฐ – วันพุธที่ 17 ตุลาคม 2550โรม: องคก์ารอาหารและเกษตรแหง่สหประชาชาต ิ(FAO) จดักจิกรรม “วันขจดัความจนโลก” ซึง่ตรงกบั 17 ต.ค. โดยมเีปา้หมายเพือ่ตอ่สูก้บัความหิวโหยทั่วโลก และยังเป็นการฉลองครบรอบ 62 ปี ของการก่อตั้ง FAO องค์กรซึ่งมีสมาชิกกว่า 150 ชาติ โดยมีการจัด “วิ่งเพื่ออาหาร”ในกรุงโรม อิตาลี และในหลายประเทศทั่วโลก รายงานระบุมีประชาชนราว 854 ล้านคนทั่วโลก หรือทุก 1 ใน 7 คน อยู่ในสภาพขาดแคลนอาหารFAO ตัง้เปน้ลดจำนวนผูหิ้วโหยลงปลีะ 31 ล้านคน จนถงึป ี2558

His Majesty the King's Sufficiency Economy Cited as a Good Example for Eliminating HungerThailand Public Relations Department news – Friday, 19 October 2007

His Majesty the King's philosophy of Sufficiency Economy has been cited as a good example for people to achieve foodsecurity and eliminate hunger.

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on October 17 joined the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific to celebrate this year's World Food Day. FAO has chosen the Right to Food as its WorldFood Day theme this year to draw attention to this essential, yet often overlooked, human right. She also took part in theglobal "Stand Up against Poverty and Hunger."

In her address, the Princess pointed out that the issue of the right to food is complex and multi-dimensional. It should not belimited to the right to have and to gain access to food. Nor should it be stressed just on providing food to the needy in difficulttimes. It should be constructive and proactive, not only to those who provide but also to those who need food. She also saidthat we should strive to enable them to produce food for themselves and thereby become self-reliant and self-sufficient. InThailand, His Majesty the King's Sufficiency Economy philosophy, which aims at building small reliable economy units self-sufficient in terms of food and other basic needs, serves as a good example.

On this occasion, Her Royal Highness presented FAO awards to five Asian farmers for their outstanding achievement. Theywere from Bangladesh in the area of horticulture, Cambodia in aquaculture, Mongolia in agribusiness, Samoa in home

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gardening, and Thailand in community forestry. The citations were read during the award ceremony.

Mrs. Pramuan Charoenying, the award recipient from Thailand, lives in the northeastern province of Buri Ram. One evening,about 15 years ago, she listened as His Majesty the King addressed the nation on television. His Majesty, who has dedicatedhimself to uplifting his subjects, especially rural people, outlined what he called his "New Theory." This concept urged farmersto divide their land and diversify their crops, by planting vegetables, and fruits and digging ponds to raise fish and irrigatefields. In this way, farmers could become more sufficient and protect themselves against the uncertainties of climate and othermisfortunes.

Mrs. Pramuan followed His Majesty's advice. She said that His Majesty is a great teacher and a model for everyone. Today, herfamily always has food on the table, thanks to the diversity of crops and the fish they raise. And her vegetable gardens,irrigated from the fish pond, never lack for water. Her family cultivates enough rice to sell on the market. His Majesty theKing's philosophy has been broadened over the years into the "Sufficiency Theory of Economics." Valuing the community andusing resources wisely are among its principles.

ไทยรัฐ – วันอาทิตย์ที่ 21 ตุลาคม 2550ใครรู้บ้างว่า ประชาชนราว 854 ล้านคนทั่วโลก หรือทุก 1 ใน 7 ทั่วโลก อยู่ในสภาพขาดแคลนอาหาร นี้เป็นตัวเลขในรายงานขององค์การอาหารและเกษตรแห่งสหประชาชาติ (FAO) ในวันฉลอง 62 ปี ของ FAO เมื่อวันที่ 17 ต.ค. ที่ผ่านมา เลยตั้งเป้าจะลดจำนวนผู้หิวโหยลงปีละ31 ล้านคน จนถึงปี 2558

World Food Day 2007WFP Relief Web – Thursday, 25 October 2007

Kabul: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) celebrates World Food Day (WFD) each year on 16October, the day the Organization was founded in 1945 in Quebec City, Canada. This year's World Food Day theme is "TheRight to Food." This year's World Food Day theme, "The Right to Food," highlights a basic human right that is often ignored assevere food insecurity continues to afflict more than 850 million people.

The right to food, according to international law, is the right of every person to have regular access to sufficient, nutritionallyadequate and culturally acceptable food for an active, healthy life. It is the right to feed oneself in dignity, rather than the rightto be fed. Since the 1996 World Food Summit, FAO has worked with governments and communities worldwide to gainrecognition for this basic human right.

The FAO in collaboration with Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) celebrated the WFD on Thursday, 25th October2007, at 10:00 - 12:00 am at Knowledge Centre of Badam Bagh farm in Kabul City.

The FAO Representative in Afghanistan, Mr. Tekeste G Tekie read the message of the FAO Director General for World Food Dayon "The Right to Food" in which he mentioned "The Right to Food" has been chosen to be the theme of this year's World FoodDay so that the voice of the disadvantaged may be heard." He added, "This context, information is a key element. Peopleneed to be aware of their rights and of how to claim those rights. Officials need to know their obligations and how to fulfilthem." "Freedom from hunger is one of the fundamental goals set out in FAO's Constitution." "World Food Day provides anexcellent opportunity for countries to take stock of the steps taken and the results obtained."

His Excellency Obaidullah Rameen, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock mentioned in the his message ""This yearWorld Food Day is being celebrated while Afghanistan together with Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nationsand all the countries of the world that the food security situation of the country has significantly improved as a result of effortsof the Islamic State of Afghanistan. The total crop production has been estimated 5.6 MT in the current year, considering thelocal requirement of 6.1 MT indicates 92% self-sufficiency. Likewise, estimation of wheat production in 4.5 MT which incomparison to the local requirement of 4.9 MT it shows 92% self-sufficiency. ".

UN Agencies, International NGOs, Ambassadors, donors, the representatives of Governmental authorities, Afghan farmers andnational and international media were invited to the celebration.

An exhibition of agricultural projects and activities of Ministry of Agriculture and FAO took place and a short film was showedwhich highlighted this year's WFD theme. The ceremony ended with distribution of agricultural inputs to the farmers.

Bangladeshi farmer wins FAO model awardNew Age – Thursday, 18 October 2007

Dhaka – Abul Kalam Azad, a Bangladeshi horticulturist, has been among the five 'model farmers' in the Asia-Pacific regionawarded this year for their outstanding achievement in farming.

The regional office of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations has given the awards to encourage farmersof Asia and the Pacific, home to majority of the world's hungry people, in spite of significant progress in poverty alleviation.

Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presented the five Asian farmers with the FAO awards in a ceremony on the occasion of the62nd anniversary of the UN body in Bangkok on Wednesday.

Azad, the secretary to the local farmer's association in the Comilla district headquarters, was honoured as a model horticultur-ist representing South Asia.

After he had been discharged from the air force for being proved colour-blind in 1990, Azad chose to become a farmer andstarted with some fish ponds, and began growing vegetables along the pond banks. Later he also grew rice.

Azad learnt farming techniques and technologies, experimenting with new vegetable crops, and also a hybrid strain of ricecalled Hira that doubles the yields, said a release issued by the UN body.

The organisation believes there is no better solution to securing the right to food for the poor other than by empowering themwith the capacity to enhance productivity and to eliminate poverty.

'The rise in inequality, of incomes as well as non-income dimensions such as education and health services, especially in ruralareas of Asia, is a major cause for concern,' said He Changchui, the UN body's Asia-Pacific chief.

The global body maintains that there is a need to address the policy bias against sectors and individuals in which the poorare engaged.

Four other awarded are Pramuan Charoenying of Thailand for community forestry, Ponifasio Ricky Westerlund of Samoa forhome gardening, Nget Sareng of Cambodia for aquaculture and Ochirbat Ganzorig of Mongolia for agribusiness.

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World Food Day 2007 celebrated at Dungkar Primary School, LhuentseBhutan Ministry of Agriculture news

This year the theme for World Food Day was "The Right to Food" and it was hosted by Dungkar Primary School, Kurtoe geog,Lhuentse Dzongkhag which is one of the remotest communities in Bhutan. Dungkar is one of the most historically importantplaces being the origin of the Royal Family in Bhutan.

The World Food day is internationally celebrated by the member countries as the founding day of FAO. It was first founded in1945, in Quebec city, Canada. This is the 62nd anniversary of foundation. Bhutan being a member country joins to celebratethis important day every year. This is the 22nd year Bhutan has been hoisting this day as partner of UN. This day is marked tohonour the farming community, donors and policy makers who are involved in the agriculture development.

In Bhutan WFD is hosted every year in schools with school agriculture program. Ministry of Agriculture has been identified asthe focal agency to organise the WFD in collaboration with FAO Bhutan. As a part of WFD program, the School AgricultureProgram has awarded national level prizes to the outstanding schools under SAP.

As many as 400 people including school children and public gathered in the school ground of Dungkar Primary school to joinhands for World Food day celebration. The day was marked with debates on importance of farming in schools by two Highschools of Lhuentse (Tangmachu MSS and Phuyum HSS), Quiz competitions on RNR/health and cultural programs. Farmersfrom the community also displayed and sold the local RNR products to the visitors. Dasho Dzongdag of Lhuentse graced as theChief Guest along with the dignitaries of MoA and other agencies. The message from the Director General of FAO was read outto general public by Asst. Resident Representative of FAO in Bhutan.

India committed to ensure food security for every citizen: PawarDaily India/ANI – Tuesday, 16 October 2007

New Delhi: Union Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Sharad Pawar today said the countrywas committed to ensure food security for every citizen.

Addressing the World Food Day celebrations here today, Pawar said the Right to Food Approach complements food security interms of food availability, accessibility and utilization with human dignity and cultural acceptability.

"We have been following a twin-track approach in this regard to strengthen productivity and livelihoods at one level andimplementing social safety nets for those unable to provide for themselves at another level," he added.

Keeping in view the challenges of growing population and the need for food security, two major programmes have beenlaunched recently to augment food production and availability in the country, he said.

The first one is the 'National Food Security Mission' targeted to push both production and productivity of stable food grainssuch as wheat, rice and pulses on a mission mode. The other programme 'Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna' provides for additionalassistance by the Centre as 100 percent grant to incentivise states to take up agriculture development on priority and in acomprehensive manner with definite action plans.

He expressed the hope that with such major initiatives, there would be enough production to take care of the country's foodsecurity requirements.

Pawar said that towards ensuring social safety net for food and nutritional security for our citizens, the States interventionscover the Targeted Public Distribution System. Under this, subsidized food grains are being distributed to the poorest of thepoor families under the Antyodaya Anna Yojna.

Under various welfare schemes, more than 50 lakh tonnes of food grains were distributed last year. To ensure that there is noadverse impact on food security in the country, the government maintains the required buffer stock of food grains as pernorms, procures food grains at minimum support prices from the farmers and also imports wheat when required from abroad.

The Minister pointed out that the Central Issue Prices of food grains distributed under the targeted public distribution systemhave not been increased over last six years.

Kantilal Bhuria, Minister of State for Agriculture, Dr. Daniel Gustafson, Country Director, FAO and Dr. P.K. Mishra, Secretary,Department of Agriculture, Dr. Mangla Rai, DG, ICAR also addressed the gathering.

World Food Day is observed every year as an International Day on October 16, the founding day of Food and AgricultureOrganisation. The theme for this year is 'The Right to Food'.

Nepal experts call for right to foodXinhua – Tuesday, 16 October 2007

Beijing: Nepali experts and officials called for treating right to food as a basic human right prior to the World Food Day, localnewspaper The Rising Nepal reported Tuesday.

The National Network for Right to Food Monday demanded right to food be treated as a basic human right with nearly 20percent of Nepalese living on a single meal every day.

The network on the eve of the World Food Day has appealed to the general people to join its three-day campaign to startTuesday to mount pressure on the concerned authorities to deal with hunger as a state of emergency.

Prior to the World Food Day which falls on Tuesday, the network has voiced that the state should ensure that the people areempowered and given control over the means of production.

It has also asked the government to ensure all the rights of the citizens to fight against hunger and starvation.Addressing a press conference organized by the network Monday, team leader of Action Aid, Ila Sharma, said 800 millionpeople were starving in the world. Right to food is a basic human right, she said.

Secretary General of All Nepal Peasants Federation Prem Dangal said 31 percent of people live below the poverty line in Nepal.Nepali Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives Chhabilal Bishwokarma Monday said the government was effortful to step uppeople's access to safe and nutritious food, as Nepal has endorsedthe "right to food" as a fundamental right in the InterimConstitution promulgated on Jan. 15.

Minister Bishwokarma was speaking at a seminar jointly organized by Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and Food andAgriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in observance of World Food Day.

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FAO representative to Nepal Bui Thi Lan said that access to food was essential for human survival, development and dignity.

The right foodMindanao Times Editorial – Tuesday, 16 October 2007

The Right to Food is a right that should be claimed by 854 million people across the world. The commitment of countries that aresignatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948, have been regrettably slow,especially in poor countries riddled by war and other calamities.

FAO said that "three quarters of the world's one billion extremely poor people live in rural areas, many already suffer fromhunger and malnutrition, but new and growing challenges such as climate change are making them all the more vulnerable. Thisis why now, more than ever, the world has a pressing moral obligation to invest in agricultural development to combat hungerand restore dignity to the poor."

FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf asked: "if our planet produces enough food to feed its entire population, why do 854 millionpeople still go to sleep on an empty stomach?"

Some countries in Africa, oftentimes besieged by war and economic sanctions, suffer intolerably. Tanzanian President, JakayaMrisho Kikwete, in Tuesday's celebration, stated that "40,000 children die every day throughout the world due to malnutritionand related diseases. These are the people who are being denied the right to food. These are the people who are the subject ofthis year's World Food Day." The ultimate solution, he said, lies in improving agriculture.

FAO said that 11 years after the 1996 World Food Summit the "number of undernourished people in the world remainsunacceptably high, with 820 million in developing countries, 25 million in countries in transition and 9 million in industrializedcountries. As a result, promoting the right to food is not just a moral imperative or even an investment with huge economicreturns, it is a basic human right."

In the Philippines, despite the glowing figures of economic growth and the strengthening of the peso, hunger continues to stalkthose who are already living in the margins. Food security in the rural areas has something to do with ownership of the means ofproduction. Government has to address this to ensure food security for all.

FAO hails Vietnam's achievements in poverty reductionVietNamNet Bridge – Sunday, 14 October 2007

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Representative in Vietnam Andrew Speedy said that the SoutheastAsian nation has already succeeded in achieving the first UN Millennium Goal of halving the proportion of the poor well ahead ofthe 2015 target.

"Rapid economic growth combined with direct government action to assist the poorest households and communities havedramatically reduced the incidence of poverty and hunger, and improved the living standards of most Vietnamese people,"Speedy told a Vietnam News Agency reporter on the occasion of the World Food Day (October 16).

According to Vietnam's Ministry of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs, the poverty rate in Vietnam reduced from more than 58percent in 1993 to over 18 percent in 2006 and may reduce to some 15 percent by the end of this year.

"There is still a need to address the poor and hungry in remote areas, among ethnic minorities and the poorer sections ofsociety," Speedy noted.

"Rice exports have contributed to economic growth. However, rural development should not be based on agriculture alone;opportunities for diversification, added value and small industry should be exploited to raise incomes," he added.

The UN official continued to say that FAO has had a "special relationship" with Vietnam since the post-war years. FAO has beeninvolved in the implementation of some 400 projects in sustainable agricultural development, nutrition, food security, forestryand fisheries.

FAO is heavily involved with partners World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNChildren Fund (UNICEF) and others in the programme to assist with the control and prevention of highly pathogenic avianinfluenza (HPAI) and the recovery of natural disasters.

Speedy hinted that FAO is currently developing its five-year priority framework together with Vietnam's Ministry of Agricultureand Rural Development and the other UN agencies with a view to further collaboration and the provision of high quality technicalassistance in the fields of food safety, animal and plant health, as well as general agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

The UN official also spoke highly of the Southeast Asian nation's assistance to Laos, Senegal, Benin Madagascar, and theRepublic of Congo and Mali in poverty reduction, irrigation, cultivation and livestock breeding.

"Recipient countries have expressed their strong appreciation for the inputs from Vietnam," Speedy said.

He said that the theme of this year's World Food Day is "The Right of Food", so that the voice of the disadvantaged may be heard.

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The following is a list of selected guests who attended the regional observance of World Food Dayat the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific on 17 October 2007.

Guest of HonourHer Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn

Guest speakerLeonardo Q. Montemayor, President of the Federation of Free Farmers

Model farmersMd. Abul Kalam Azad, model horticulture farmer, BangladeshNget Sareng, model aquaculture farmer, CambodiaOchirbat Ganzorig, model agribusiness farmer, MongoliaPonifasio Ricky Westerlund, model home gardening farmer, SamoaPramuan Chareonying, model community forestry farmer, Thailand

Office of the Privy CouncillorsH.E. Ampol Senanarong, Privy Councillor for Royal Agricultural Project

Royal Thai GovernmentMinistry of Agriculture and CooperativesH.E. Thira Sutabutra, Minister for Agriculture and CoooperativesJaranthada Karnasuta, Permanent Secretary, Office of the Permanent SecretaryPinit Korsieporn, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Office of the Permanent SecretaryPrajuab Lumubol, Advisor to the Minister, Office of MinisterSongkram Thammincha, Secretary to the Minister, Office of MinisterTheerapat Sutabutra, Office of MinisterThanai Sutabutra, Office of MinisterBoonyawat Somtat, Office of MinisterChapakom Prakorbsub, Office of MinisterCharnwut Jaitham, Office of MinisterDuanghatai Danvivatthana, Deputy Secretary-General and National FAO Committee, Office ofForeign Agriculture Relation DivisionKasem Prasutsaengchan, Senior Policy and Plan Analyst, Office of Foreign Agriculture RelationDivisionYupadee Hemarat, Chief Protocol Sub-division, Office of Foreign Agriculture Relation DivisionJarunee Agwonnoung, Office of Foreign Agriculture Relation DivisionSaifon Nirantarat, Administration Staff, Office of Foreign Agriculture Relation DivisionPornprom Chairitchai, Office of Foreign Agriculture Relation DivisionKorntip Seneewong Na Ayudhaya, Director, Division of International Organization, Office ofAgriculture EconomicsSaowanee Worapanich, Director Bureau of International Agriculture Economics, Office of Agricul-ture EconomicsMontol Cheamchareon, Deputy Secretary-General, Office of Agriculture EconomicsChamnan Pongsri, Office of Agriculture EconomicsSaranya Busaparoek, Chief, International Cooperation and Special Project Group, Department ofAgricultureMagaret C. Yoovatana, Policy and Plan Analyst, Department of AgricultureChawee Lomlek, Policy and Plan Analyst, Department of AgricultureChatprapa Srisawat, Agricultural Information DivisionTheerapat Kemthong, Department of AgricultureChumnarn Pongsri, Department of AgricultureWiroj Saenbanka, Director, Department of Agricultural ExtensionAth Intalak, Deputy Director-General, Department of Agricultural ExtensionBoppha Mongolsilp, Senior Subject Matter Specialist, Department of Agricultural ExtensionSrisuda Taechasan, Senior Subject Matter Specialist, Department of Agricultural ExtensionOrasa Dissataporn, Director of Vegetable, Flower and Herb Promotion Division, Bureau of Agricul-tural Commodities, Department of Agricultural ExtensionPramoj Thaworn, Deputy Director-General, Cooperatives Promotion Department

Annex 2List of guests

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Prasert Kosanvit, Director-General, Rice DepartmentSakchai Sriboonsue, Director-General, Department of Livestock DevelopmentLaddawalaya Ratananakorn, Senior Veterinery Expert, Department Livestock DevelopmentNantana Apiwattanakul, Agricultural Land Reform OfficeWimol Jantrarotai, Senior Experts on Fisheries Foreign Affairs, Department of FisheriesSutheewat Somsueb, Fishery Biologist, Department of FisheriesOrthai Silapanapaporn, Director, Office of Commodity and System Standard, National Bureau ofAgricultural Commodity and Food StandardPatrathip Vacharakomolphan, Standard Officer, National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and FoodStandardBusba Vrakornvorawut, Director of Kasetradhikarn Institute,Buakan Wachesataya, Head of Strategic Agricultural Administration Development Sector,Kasetradhikarn InstituteSopa Khongkharat, Head of Technical and Curriculum Sector, Kasetradhikarn InstituteChadet Klinchuen, Head of Administrative Branch, Kasetradhikarn InstituteKhumnung Jaipean, Head of HRD Technology Center, Kasetradhikarn Institute

Ministry of Natural Resources and EnvironmentOankarak Ritthiruth, Forestry Technical Officer 7, Royal Forest DepartmentThira Kwoprasit, Forestry Technical Officer 7, Royal Forest DepartmentNarong Thongrak, Forestry Technical Officer 4, Royal Forest DepartmentWittaya Phumipan, Accompany

Ministry of Social Development and Human SecuritySirirat Ayuwathana, Deputy Director-General, Ministry of Social Development and Human SecurityPhongpenkea Devahusdin, Chief of Foreign Affairs Coordination Group, Ministry of Social Develop-ment and Human SecurityVudhisit Viriyasiri, Director, International Organization Partnership Branch (Multi-lateral), Depart-ment of Thailand International Cooperation and Development Agency

UniversitiesSudip Rakship, Vice President for Research, Asian Institute of TechnologyRosalin Smitabhidu, Assistant Director, Royal Chitralada ProjectMethee Kaewnern, Associate Dean for Planning and Development, Kasetsart UniversitySomsri Pattaratuma, Head of Rural Studies Center, Kasetsart University Research and DevelopmentInstituteSomsakdi Taptimthong, International Affairs Division, Kasetsart University

Other Ministries, Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations and AssociationsSiri Ekmaharaj, Secretary-General, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development CentreSomsong Rungreongsilp, Project Coordination Director, Royal Development Projects BoardAtipa Engtrakul, Board of Director, The National Council of Women of Thailand

EmbassiesBELGIUM Dirk Heuts, Minister CounsellorBHUTAN Karma Phuntfho, First SecretaryCAMBODIA Ouk Sophoin, CounsellorCEC Andrew Jacobs, Counsellor, Head of Operations, European UnionCHINA H.E. Zhang Jiuhuan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Puxiaojun, accompanyHOLY SEE Msgr Dennis Kuruppassery, First SecretaryIRAN Aliakbar Nazari, Second Secretary, In charge of Economic AffairsJAPAN Naoyasu Murayama, First SecretaryLAO PDR H.E. Ouan Phommachack, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and

Permanent Representative to ESCAPMALAYSIA Shamsul Akbar Sulaiman, Agriculture CounsellorMONGOLIA H.E. Yaichil Batsuuri, Ambassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryMYANMAR U Myint Soe, Minister-Counsellor

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REPLUBIC OF Hahn Yong Joo, Counsellor KOREAVIET NAM Vubich Dung, First Secretary

United NationsADB Roykaew Nitihanprapas, External Relations OfficerESCAP Hiren Sarkar, Chief, Development Policy Section, Poverty Development DivisionILO Jiyuan Wang, DirectorUNFPA Viennarat Chuangwiwat, National Program AssociateUNHCR Kitty Mckinsey, Senior Regional Public Information OfficeUNICEF Tomoo Hozumi, RepresentativeUNIDO Gaute Ellingsent, Programme OfficerUNOPS Sunil Bhargava, Regional DirectorWFP Erika Joergensen, Deputy Regional DirectorWORLD BANK Luis Benveniste, (Acting) Country Sector Coordinator of Human Development

Government officers accompanying the model farmersKao Sochivi, CambodiaI. Khanimkhan, Mongolia

FAO Ex-StaffW. HulscherPrapas WeerapatNarong ChomchalowAlistaire Hicks

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Steering committee

Changchui He, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative (Chairperson)Hiroyuki Konuma, Deputy Regional RepresentativeNay-Myo Hla, Chief, Management Support UnitDorjee Kinlay, Economist, Economic and Social DepartmentTarina Ayazi, Meetings and Publications OfficerDiderik de Vleeschauwer, Information Officer (Secretary)

Organizing Secretariat Annex 3

Organizing committees

Invitations, reception and protocolHiroyuki Konuma, ChairpersonDiderik de VleeschauwerKanokporn ChansomritkulVishnu Songkitti (Master of Ceremony)Kanjerat BoonyamanopMonpilai YouyenPanida JongkolUmpaiwan PipatanavilaiRangrong SodamakChanrit UawongkunNavaporn LiangchevasunthornThapanee TayanuwattanaSupajit TienpatiChananut AuisuiNawarat ChalermpaoBongkoch PrasannakarnKanyarat SinghaphunPawadee ChokoonkitNawarat PhayungkijThanomkwan RachtachatOrnusa PetchkulJintana AnunachaDuangporn SritulanondhSunee HormjunyaThamrongsak TechatadakulChuturat DamrongsrisakulNavaporn LiangchevasuntornSuthep RakpanyakaewJaruwan Singhaphanthu

Liaison with Thai governmentHiroyuki Konuma, ChairpersonSomchai UdomsrirungruangPanida JongkolSurawishaya Paralokanon

Liaison with model farmersDiderik de Vleeschauwer, ChairpersonAnton Bontje - BangladeshHelene P. Gunatilaka - CambodiaJo Cadilhon - MongoliaJesper Clausen - SamoaDon Triumphavong - Thailand

Logistics and cateringNay-Myo Hla, ChairpersonSri Limpichati, consultantKevin McKeenWichai NomkhumtodeCristina SriratanaChainarong PalaprasertSuthep CharoenbutrPensri YujangPrasert Huatsawat

Media, publications and photographsDiderik de Vleeschauwer, ChairpersonTarina AyaziApinya PetcharatKanokporn ChansomritkulPrasert HuatsawatNutchaluch PhoowatananusornPrayoon Amaree, photographerVoravute Lapsombune, photographerRobert Horn, writer consultant

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Publications distributed Annex 4

2007 WFD information note

2007 WFD issues paper

2007 WFD poster

The right to food: questions and answers

Address by the guest of honour

Message of the UN Secretary-General

Message of the FAO Director-General

Welcome and introductory statement by He Changchui

Keynote speech on Right to food in Asia and the Pacific –The worm's point-of-viewby Leonardo Q. Montemayor, President of the Federation of Free Farmers,and Chairperson of the Federation of Free Farmers Cooperatives (Philippines)

Citations of model farmers

RAP publication Selected indicators of food and agricultural developmentin the Asia-Pacific region, 1996-2006

CD-ROM of RAP publications 1999 to 2006

RAP publication Rapid growth of selected Asian economies. Synthesis report

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