The Strategy Workshop on Taking WTO out of Agriculture, was held in Penang, Malaysia on July 24-26, 2001. It was jointly organized by PANAP, IBON and La Via Campesina.

The workshop was attended by 24 participants from 12 countries in Asia including peasant groups and NGO support groups from Bangladesh, India, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal and Thailand. Aside from the Asians, there were also representatives from the La Via Campesina from Spain and Latin America including Chile and Nicaragua.

Background

The workshop provided a chance for the different networks to come together to discuss various issues that affect peasants and agriculture. The Conference discussed the reality that the outlook in agriculture was alarming as well as negative. The economic crisis has resulted in an increase in food prices and this affected peasants, the poor and marginalized.

One of the greater outcomes of Seattle was that it changed peoples' perceptions about globalization. The protests outside and within the Conference highlighted the iniquities of the WTO. The Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) was seen as something that contradicts the fundamental needs of the people. In terms of agriculture, the biggest conflicts were between the EU and the US, dominating all other protests over agriculture.

In terms of the NGOs, there were groups talking about 'reforming' the WTO. The workshop was convened to have better coordination and unification on how to translate "WTO out of agriculture" into an effective action. In the past, for example in Seattle, there were many NGOs who would invite members of La Via Campesina and other farmer leaders-who would be articulating the call to take the AoA out of WTO. But their presence was usually token as these meetings would eventually focus on steps to reform the AoA.

The Penang meeting was organized to bring together the peasant leaders and like-minded NGOs to make the concerns of agriculture prominent, and to develop the particular advocacy strategy to take WTO out of agriculture.

In Seattle, the focus was to push for a new round-the 'Millennium Round'-and hence there was not much focus on the AoA even among the NGOs. This time in Qatar, the focus again is to push for new round-the so-called 'Development Round'.

The Ministerial meeting in Qatar this year is different because of the upcoming World Food Summit +5, which will be held immediately before the Qatar meeting. Therefore, it is vital to evolve a strategy that farmers and NGOs could support i.e. to push forward the demand to get the WTO out of agriculture.

The specific objectives of the workshop were to:

1. Achieve a common understanding of the issues in the upcoming WFS + 5 , AoA review and WTO Qatar meeting from the point of view of a peasant.
2. Develop comprehensive strategy for the WFS + 5 - WTO advocacy and struggle for NGO's and peasant farmers organisation on the basis of demand to take WTO out of Agriculture.
3. Implement and draw up campaign plans for the WFS + 5, Qatar and for future campaigns.

The above background, context and objectives were shared during the opening of the workshop by Sarojeni V, Rengam (PAN AP), Antonio Tujan (IBON), and Xose Manuel Puga (La via Campesina) as representatives of the co-organizing groups. The first days proceedings also featured presentations and discussions on the other WTO Agreements related to agriculture, as well as sharing on the impacts of the AoA on peasant/farmer production, negative impacts and related issues from India, Indonesia, Nepal, and Thailand.

The second days' proceedings featured a session to contextualize the AoA and the peasant struggle, and a session looking at the impact of AoA on Third World agrarian systems and economies. This was accompanied by more sharing on impacts on peasant/farmer production and livelihoods in Bangladesh, the Philippines, South and Central America-with a special focus on impacts and implications on rural women. These were followed by special inputs and discussions on the workshop theme, and "Why WTO out of Agriculture" as a position to be taken up; the strategic line and implications of such a position were also discussed. The day ended with discussions on upcoming events in Rome (World Food Summit + 5), in Qatar (The WTO Ministerial), and other future campaigns that groups might work on together.

The final day was abuzz with small group breakout sessions, discussions and planning on options for campaign strategies, and tactics for advocacy; followed by more intensive planning and implementation of these plans at international, regional and national levels. The final session for the day clarified and synthesized these plans, and it was topped with the presentation and finalization of the workshop Statement, mooted as one of the main outcomes of what all participants agreed what was an energetic, intense and worthwhile workshop!