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The East Asia Rice Working Group ( EARWG ) is a loose network of farmer organizations and non-government organizations from developing countries in the region who are diversely involved in community-based interventions and national and regional policy advocacy on development concerns related to RICE. In October 2002, the EARWG formally banded together and agreed to work on research and advocacy on rice issues, capacity building among small farmers and network members, act as resource and information center, and provide platform for engaging discussion on issues that affect small rice farmers. Since then, the EARWG has focused its attention on three (3) key issues that currently face the rice sector, namely: trade, food security and intellectual property rights. These 3 areas served as the core issues of the research studies undertaken by some members of the EARWG in 2002, which were presented during the network’s meeting in Thailand and later served as the guiding framework for the plans and activities of the network. Sometime in July 2003, the EARWG reached a consensus to focus the campaign on Rice Seeds Trade since it essentially captures the common interests of the network partners. The EARWG recognized the imperative of understanding the dynamics of rice trade in order to prevent farmers from different countries in the region being pitted against each other and appreciate more who really benefits from the current trends in rice trade. The EARWG is composed of the following member organizations: |
Action for
Economic Reforms (AER)