February 2001
By Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific

Over 150 farmers, academics, government officials, university students, the general public and members of the press attended an all day seminar on November 18 in Solo, Indonesia, held as part of the People’s Caravan 2000 – "Citizens on the Move for Land and Food Without Poisons!"

The one day event was held by Jaringan Pendamping (JARNOP), a farmers organisation and Gita Pertiwi, a non government organisation (NGO) collaborating with over 7 000 farmers working towards sustainable agriculture in Indonesia.

The seminar—"Strengthening Farmers and Systems of Sustainable Agriculture in the Free Market Era in Indonesia"—informed participants of the agricultural policy of the Indonesian government within the context of globalisation and trade liberalisation. The impacts of globalisation on Indonesian agriculture, particularly on women agricultural workers, were outlined. The need to build and strengthen the people’s and the farmer’s movement against hazardous pesticides and agrochemicals was emphasised as was the important role played by women in sustainable agriculture. The cancellation of Indonesia’s membership within the World Trade Organisation (WTO) was called for, as was a legislative process towards agrarian reform.

Activities in support of the People’s Caravan in Korea also focussed on the globalisation of agriculture. Demonstrations were held in 171 towns and cities and the leaders of 21 national farmer organisations went on a hunger strike in protest of the biased and exploitative trading system pushed by the WTO in concert with governments, corporations and multilateral organisations.

Over 150 farmers, academics, government officials, university students, journalists and the general public attend an all day seminar on the globalisation of agriculture. Photo by: Gita Pertiwi.

The crowd in Indonesia was told that the globalisation of agriculture has resulted in a rapid process of restructuring agriculture globally. This restructure has followed a corporate agenda placing little value on the promotion of sustainable agriculture or achieving food self-sufficiency. In fact, the globalisation of agriculture in developing countries is destroying traditional farming practices and livelihoods relegating farmers to hunger, poverty, malnutrition and landlessness.

In his seminary speech chairperson of the Asia Pacific Research Network (APRN) Tony Tujan said, "Traditional and safe farming systems which are mainly subsistence in character are being pitted against a corporate agricultural system that is run mainly as a business. In the equation, subsistence agriculture is considered ‘backward’ and ‘unproductive’ compared to so called ‘advanced’ industrial agriculture underpinned by the use of chemicals like pesticides and fertilisers, and now the use of genetically modified crops."

According to Tujan, globalisation—promoted by the WTO, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)—gives license to Transnational Corporations (TNCs) to aggressively exploit the markets of developing countries.

"The WTO is about corporations profiting through unfair advantages…It is really a system of imperalist control that combines governments, corporations and multilateral organisations and instruments, all at the service of monopoly capital," he said.

Gita Pertiwi Executive Director Agus Dody Sugiartoto said NGOs in Indonesia would like to see a fundamental shift in government policy on agriculture away from the corporatised industrial model towards support for sustainable agriculture.

In his presentation, Idham Samudra Bay, Centre of Agriculture Policy Studies, said we must push for agrarian reform as the basis of national development based on sustainable, equitable agriculture. The concept of ‘growth with equity’ has to be changed to ‘growth through equity’. He said, "In order to improve the institutional capacity in the agriculture sector, farmers must be strong."

Farmer leader Albertina Hendrastuti with the Women’s Farmers Group Network, Central Java, said women must be brave in their struggle for their rights and their involvement in agriculture. She called for farmers to be united in order to criticise government policies and work towards sustainable agriculture.