FARMERS, NGOs BUCK CGIAR'S AGENDA, PRESENT ALTERNATIVES

Manila, Philippines - 30 October 2002

Farmers' and Non-Government Organizations from different parts of the world converge in Manila to discuss alternatives to the modern biotechnologies in agriculture pushed by members of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), an informal grouping of agriculture resource centers like the International Rice Research Institute, which is having their Annual General Meeting in Manila since 26 October up to 2 November.

"The input-intensive, formal technology-driven agriculture being promoted by the CGIAR should undergo a major rethinking to respond to the needs of small farmers who are currently suffering from perennial poverty, vicious indebtedness, low productivity and high cost of inputs brought about by the green revolution," said Ms. Elenita Daño, Executive Director of the South East Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment, one of the key organizers of the farmer-led activities that will shadow the key activities of the CGIAR here in Manila.

A major agenda of the CGIAR meeting is on the ongoing reforms within the CGIAR and the shift of focus to water, bio-fortification and genetic engineering.

The kind of modern agriculture promoted by the CGIAR would mean the introduction of genetically-modified crops and more intense adoption of high-response varieties and hybrid rice which are very dependent on chemical inputs like fertilizers and pesticides."

This trend will happen amidst the ongoing reduction of land area devoted to food crops and the reduction of government support measures to the farmers due to the adoption of liberalization policies in agriculture brought about by the Agreement on Agriculture of the WTO.

Farmers' groups and NGOs, coming from different parts of the world will conduct a series of protests and teach-ins in the vicinity of the Shangri-la Makati, the venue of the CGIAR meeting to highlight alternatives to this misguided approach to modernization of agriculture in developing countries. ***