IFAP Committee results "United in empowering Mediterranean farmers"

From September 22-26, 2009, the Italian Confederation of Farmers (Confederazione Italiana degli Agricoltori - CIA)  will meet the IFAP Committee for the Mediterranean in Catania, Sicily, in order to discuss the disquieting evolution of the agricultural crises and their negative effects on the rural populations, the impact of climate change and water management in Euro-Mediterranean Region, food security and sustainable development on the threshold of the creation of integrated Euro-Mediterranean Free trade area by 2010.
In addition to the meeting of the IFAP Committee for the Mediterranean, that took place on September 22-26,  a seminar workshop on Promoting the Participation of Mediterranean Women in Farmers' Organizations and the meeting of IFAP Development Cooperation Committee were held on September 22-23.
These meetings represent a platform to exchange ideas and experiences as well as  a place where farmers and their Euro-Mediterranean representatives at various levels met to discuss about price instability, have knowledge about some experiences on strategic management in order to develop shared strategies to get euro-Mediterranean farmers at international market level. Moreover, farmers could get international market by strengthening cooperation policy and innovating strategies and tools, thus increasing the participation of women and young people in the agricultural market. 
The topic of the workshop seminar "Promoting the Participation of Mediterranean Women in Farmers' Organizations" was about the empower of the leadership role of women into agricultural organizations, more active participation in farm management and development of entrepreneurial ability by using the experiences of observers for women entrepreneurs in the Mediterranean (eg.: ONILFA, Nowar).

As a result of these meetings, some needs and targets are identified and reached from IFAP Committee for the Mediterranean:

  • Explore the opportunities for collaboration between farmers' organization and regional development agencies;
  • Define and improve mutual arrangements between producer organizations and the agri-agencies operating in the region;
  • Assert the voices of producers in agricultural policies linked to risk management in agriculture, water resources, climate change and rural employment;
  • Define the priorities for reinforcing the capacities of women leader in the Mediterranean;
  • Defining the main conditions to be met by farmers' organizations to enable women leaders to effectively demonstrate their leadership.

The meeting in question welcomed representatives of the entrepreneurial agricultural sector from Mediterranean basin, international organizations, including the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Agri-agencies and members of AgriCord,  the International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies CIHEAM,   as well as representatives of Italian Rural Network, Coldiretti National and Regional institutions.