On June 25-27, 2015, PAKISAMA organized a National Conference on Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB) cum Farmers Advocacy Consultation Tool (FACT) on the theme “Towards Stronger PAKISAMA Cooperative Agri-Based Enterprises Nationwide in the Coconut, Cereals, Fisheries and Social/Agri-Forestry Sectors” in Bosoboso, Antipolo City, Rizal. Generally, the Conference aimed at providing PAKISAMA members a clearer understanding of BUB process, benefits and challenges, and enabling them to engage in the 2017 BUB process using FACT.
More than 70 participants, including 51 farmer leaders constituting PAKISAMA’s General Assembly (41% women) and 21 staff nationwide, attended the conference. The farmer leaders came from 44 member coops/organizations in 27 provinces, with 7 resource persons from 6 national government agencies (NGAs), a national NGO network, and 2 agri-agencies.
BUB is an enhancement of the budget and planning process to involve grassroots organizations and local government units (LGUs) in the identification of priority poverty reduction projects that will be funded by NGAs. PAKISAMA member organizations are being trained on FACT as a tool to access government projects from the BUB program and to improve their chances at project approvals in the 2017 BUB cycle.
The Conference produced the following: a) policy proposals for a more PO-Friendly and meaningful BUB program/processes, and a wholistic and sustainable social/agri-forestry programs/processes (Bosoboso Declaration); b) draft project proposals on four commodity clusters for 2017 BUB; c) FACT methodology condensed and translated into the local language (Filipino); and d) other knowledge products – e.g., How CSOs can engage the 2017 BUB cycle; PAKISAMA’s experience in BUB processes. The Bosoboso Declaration was approved by PAKISAMA’s General Assembly on June 28, 2015.
The conference was organized in partnership with Asian Farmers Association (AFA), Agriterra, Collectif Strategies Alimentaries (CSA), Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Asia (AsiaDHRRA), Foundation for a Sustainable Society (FSSI), Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF), and Forest and Farms Facility of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
