Raul Socrates “Soc” Banzuela, National Coordinator of PAKISAMA (Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka) and representative of the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), today urged governments and international donors to redirect significant funding toward the professionalization of agricultural cooperatives, citing it as the missing link in global food security and climate action.
Speaking at the Global Forum on Policy Solutions on Family Farming, held at the FAO Headquarters in Rome, Banzuela opened with the story of Armeda—“Ameng”—and Dante Pajaron, a smallholder couple from Bukidnon, Philippines, whose 1.2-hectare farm—awarded through agrarian reform—was transformed into a thriving organic enterprise with support from their cooperative AFARBAMCO.
“With access to affordable, farmer-friendly finance and strong cooperative support, Armeda and Dante now earn 2.5 times the poverty line and have sent all their children to college,” Banzuela said. “Dante now serves as the General Manager of AFARBAMCO, Ameng is the Provincial Coordinator of the EU-BMZ-GIZ funded IDOFFS BARMM project under the SPADe-MINPAD program, and their daughter Dianne is now a staff member of PAKISAMA helping other farming families rise as her parents did. This is what happens when finance reaches the hands of organized family farmers.”
Building on this success, PAKISAMA is replicating the AFARBEMCO model in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) through the Integrated Diversified Organic Family Farming System (IDOFFS) project. “We are building the capacity of agri-cooperatives and their federation not only in BARMM but nationwide,” Banzuela explained. “This is how we transform conflict-affected areas into zones of food security and peace.”
Despite family farmers producing 80% of the world’s food, Banzuela highlighted that they receive only 0.3% of international climate finance. “That is not merely a gap; it is a crisis,” he said. “Eighty percent of agricultural climate funds are routed through governments or large intermediaries, with almost none going directly to farmer organizations.”
Banzuela called for three bold policy shifts aligned with the UN Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF):
- Secure Resources and Rights: Dedicate at least 3% of national budgets—about US$75 billion globally—to complete agrarian, fisheries, and forest reforms, prioritizing women and youth.
- Strengthen Farmer Organizations: Invest 4% of national budgets—about US$100 billion globally—to professionalize agri-cooperatives and federations. “In the Philippines we are specifically calling for a 10% redirection of the Department of Agriculture’s total budget to this professionalization,” Banzuela stressed.
- Provide Direct, Tailor-Fit Financing through an Empowerment and Resiliency Fund: Cut red tape and set targets for direct transfers to farmer organizations, simplifying application procedures and supporting blended finance models.
He underscored that EU and IFAD investments through AFA and the AgriCord consortium of agri-based donor agencies are already focused on professionalizing agri-cooperatives, precisely because this capacity is lacking in Asia. Countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan show that a high proportion of strong, professional agri-coops is a key driver of rural prosperity and food security.
The Asian Farmers’ Association’s US$1.8-million COVID-era revolving fund reached 20,000 farmers with 100% repayment, demonstrating that farmer organizations can manage and repay significant investments.
Banzuela closed by quoting the late Nong Rene Peñas, Sumilao farmer leader and martyr: “Walang imposible kung maninindigan at magkakaisa lamang — Nothing is impossible if we stand and unite.”
About PAKISAMA
Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka is a 39-year-old national movement of family farmers’ organizations in the Philippines, working for asset reform, sustainable agriculture, and the professionalization of farmer cooperatives.
About AFA. The Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) is a regional alliance of national farmer organizations in 13 countries representing 14 million small-scale farmers and fishers.
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