Asian Peasant Coalition

Asian Peasant Coalition
Name	Asian Peasant Coalition
Formation	1999
Type	Coalition; peasant and small farmer network
Headquarters	Manila, Philippines
Region served	Asia and the Pacific
Leader title	Convenor

Asian Peasant Coalition is a regional network of peasant, farmer, and indigenous organizations that mobilizes around land rights, agrarian reform, rural livelihoods, food sovereignty, and trade policy across Asia and the Pacific. Founded in the late 1990s, the coalition links grassroots groups, national federations, and transnational movements to coordinate campaigns, share research, and represent rural constituencies in international fora such as United Nations summits, World Trade Organization meetings, and regional intergovernmental platforms. The coalition engages with allied movements including trade unions, environmental groups, indigenous organizations, and faith-based networks to advance rural social movements across diverse political contexts.

History

The coalition emerged from convergence meetings involving activists from the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Korea, and Japan in the late 1990s, influenced by global developments such as the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference, the World Food Summit, and the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis of 1997–1998. Early participants included members of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, All India Kisan Sabha, Bharatiya Kisan Union, BKS (Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Kendra), and Sarvodaya-linked rural groups, who sought coordination across campaigns linked to structural adjustment policies promoted by the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and regional banks like the Asian Development Bank. The coalition built links with international peasant networks such as Via Campesina and engaged with advocacy at the Food and Agriculture Organization and UN Human Rights Council. Its historical trajectory has intersected with major regional events including the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the Thai political crisis, and land conflicts related to projects by multinational corporations like Monsanto, Cargill, and Chevron.

Organization and Structure

The coalition operates as a loose federation with a secretariat historically hosted in Manila and a rotating convenor model drawing from national federations such as KMP (Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas), All India Kisan Sabha, National Union of Small Farmers of Sri Lanka, and other country-level organizations. Decision-making occurs through regional assemblies and thematic working groups focused on land, seeds, fisheries, agroecology, and trade. The coalition interacts with intergovernmental institutions including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, while maintaining ties to international NGOs like Oxfam, ActionAid, Greenpeace, and faith-oriented partners such as Caritas Internationalis. Financial and logistical support has been provided by foundations and solidarity networks including Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Asian Development Alternatives, and various union federations like the International Trade Union Confederation.

Campaigns and Activities

Campaigns have targeted land redistribution, protection of customary tenure, opposition to large-scale land acquisitions by corporations and states often framed as land grabbing, and defense of seed sovereignty against corporate seed patenting promoted through agreements like the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights provisions in WTO negotiations. The coalition has organized mass mobilizations, fact-finding missions, capacity-building workshops, and international delegations to forums such as the UN Committee on World Food Security, International Fund for Agricultural Development meetings, and the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry. It has collaborated with movements opposing extractive projects involving companies like Rio Tinto and Freeport-McMoRan, and supported disaster response efforts after the Cyclone Nargis and Typhoon Haiyan. The coalition has also promoted agroecology through pilot projects referencing practices documented by researchers at institutions like CIP, ICRISAT, IRRI, and partnerships with universities such as University of the Philippines, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Chulalongkorn University.

Policy Positions and Advocacy

The coalition advocates for land reform laws, protection of peasants’ and indigenous peoples’ rights, and recognition of food sovereignty as articulated at global gatherings like the Food Sovereignty Forum and in dialogue with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas. It opposes trade liberalization policies of the WTO and bilateral investment treaties perceived to favor corporations like Syngenta and Bayer and argues for farmer-controlled seed systems against Monsanto-led biotechnology regimes and Convention on Biological Diversity policies it views as problematic. The coalition pushes for inclusion of peasants in climate discussions at the UNFCCC and for public financing through institutions such as the Asian Development Bank and national rural development agencies to support agroecology, collective tenure, and rural infrastructure.

Member Organizations and Regional Networks

Member groups span national federations, grassroots associations, indigenous organizations, and fisherfolk networks from South, Southeast, and East Asia and the Pacific, including Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, All India Kisan Sabha, Bharatiya Kisan Union, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, Bangladesh Krishak Federation, Cambodian Peasants Movement, La Via Campesina Japan, Korean Peasants League, Indonesian Peasant Union (STPP), Peasant Union of Timor-Leste, Federation of Rural Workers Unions, National Federation of Small Farmers (Sri Lanka), and many provincial and municipal affiliates. Regional networks with affiliations include ASEAN Peoples’ Forum participants, Pacific Islands Farmers Network, South Asian Coordination Committee, and collaborations with civil society coalitions like Asian NGO Network on Food Security and Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment.

Impact and Criticism

The coalition has influenced policy debates on land rights, seed sovereignty, and smallholder agriculture by elevating rural voices in UN processes, pressuring governments to consider agrarian reforms in countries such as the Philippines, India, and Nepal, and supporting community victories against corporate land acquisitions involving firms like Cargill and Unocal. It has been credited with strengthening regional solidarity and knowledge exchange between movements such as Via Campesina and national unions. Critics argue the coalition’s loose structure limits enforceable implementation, that alliances with international NGOs risk dependency on funding from foundations like Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation, and that its confrontational tactics sometimes clash with negotiation-focused peasant federations and governments including administrations in Thailand and Vietnam. Scholarly assessments by academics at SOAS, University of California, Berkeley, and Australian National University highlight both successes in advocacy and persistent challenges around scale, resource mobilization, and engagement with emerging issues such as digital agriculture and climate finance.

Category:Organizations based in Asia Category:Agrarian movements Category:Peasant organizations