The Regional Family Farming Forum (REAF) was created in 2004 as an advisory body to the Common Market Group (CMG) on family farming policies in South America. REAF brings together family farmer organizations and national governments from the five full members of MERCOSUR - Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. Over the past 10 years, REAF has made recommendations that have led to the recognition of differential policies for family farmers, increased public investment in family farming, and greater regional cooperation on issues like gender equality and youth leadership programs. Key factors in REAF's success have been flexible coordination, broad but clearly defined objectives, and maintaining a network to advance family farmer priorities within each country and across the region

1. REAF: some lessons learned
Susana Márquez
Roma, June 23, 2015

3. MERCOSUR
 South American Common Market
 Created in 1991
 Five full members (Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay,
Uruguay, Venezuela
 Five associated members (Bolivia, Chile, Colombia,
Ecuador and Peru)

4. MERCOSUR
 Three decision-making bodies:
 (i) the Common Market Council) CMC);
 (ii) the Common Market Group (CMG) and
 (iii) the MERCOSUR Trade Commission (MTC).
 CMG created REAF in March, 2004 as an advisory
body on issues related to family faming policies

5. REAF: Structural and operative scheme
OUTPUTS &
OUTCOMES
Recommendations
& proposals
Regional programs
Cooperation
National
governments
Family farmers´
organisations
NATIONAL
SECTIONS REAF
Thematic groups
INPUTS Management and logistics (IFAD MERCOSUR)
Methodological support IFAD MERCOSUR)
Technical support (governments)
Financial resources (IFAD MERCOSUR
+ governments)
Institutional reforms

6. 2015
Regular meetings
twice a year
producing
recommendations to
CMG (among other
things)
2004
REAF: More than ten years
IFAD is no longer directly involved in REAF
since 2012

7.  The REAF existence and validity
 The recognition of the need for differential policies for family
farmers
 The proposals and recommendations coming from REAF
 The role of National Sections of REAF in country-level policy
dialogue
 The creation of National Registration Offices for Family
Farmers
 The continuously increasing initiatives of south-south
cooperation
 The Regional Program for Gender Equality in Policies for
Family Farming and the Regional Course on Leadership for
Young Family Farmers
 The MERCOSUR Family Farming Fund
 AND TRUE INFLUECE on institutional reforms
Most important achievements

8. Objectives & change
 CMG gave REAF two objectives:
 (i) strengthening country level differential policies for
family farmers in the region and
 (ii)facilitating regional trade for family farmers’ products
 These objectives were
 Institutionally determined – yet not purely formal
 Widely defined – yet not vague
 Broadly shared – yet not trivial
 And, after all, they have been
 Truly effective as leading beacons of change

9. What resources
were available at
the beginning?
A small grant
A three-people
team
A network of
regional linkages
In a turbulent political environment

10. Critical
factors
Political
decision to
work together
(government
and family
farmers)
Methodologica
l assistance to
the process
(IFAD
MERCOSUR)
Family
farmers´
organisations
engaged
One leading
country and
a proactive
partner

11. What
does
work
Flexible
people, trusted
by both
government
and civil
society
organisations
Broad
objectives,
yet clearly
defined
Mid-term and
long-term
essential
issues in the
agenda
Strict
methodology
to keep the
process
moving
Continuous
“knitting” to
sustain the
network

12. What
does not
work
Rigid people
and rigid
design
Anything
that looks
like making
demands
on
governmen
t
Anything
that looks
like taking
sides in
domestic
policy

13. As change takes place...
Nowadays
• Family faming is a political priority in the region
• Public investment in family farming has dramatically increased
• Part of it, financed by IFAD loans, and also by WB and IADB
• And many other things are better for family farmers
We cannot say REAF has caused change to happen
We can only say REAF has worked for change to happen in
a certain direction and change did happen in this particular
direction