Can organic fertiliser subsidy be a model to UN, G20?
Toward the 16th regular session of the Human Rights Council in 8 March
The Government of the Republic of Indonesia in the last 3 years have experienced in transforming chemical fertiliser subsidy towards organic fertiliser subsidy, along with cattle and equipment grants composters (APPO, and RPPO). Despite the mechanization of small-scale composting using fossil-fuel energy - the very least will increase the CO2 in the rural areas - but it is time, the GOI took the momentum to share experiences and contribute ideas in the discourse of the elimination of agricultural subsidies that are expected by the special rapourter on the Right to Food Olivier De Schutter be the first step of the global food crisis prevention.
President Sukarno in the 1958 UN General Assembly speech offers ideas To Build The World A New, now offer a organic fertiliser subsidy scheme as a model within the United Nations.
I through a letter to the Indonesian Permanent Mission to the United Nations and International Organisations, Geneva Ambassador dated February 7, 2011 I called for the government's wish to express the model in the 16th session of the Human Rights Council in 8 March 2011 (see poster).
My appeal is as a follow up from my comment on the statement of Oliver De Schutter at the end of January last (see previous post on this blogspot.)
My mail attachment (below Indonesia version)
Menyongsong 16th session of the Human Right Council in 8 March Pemerintah Republik Indonesia dalam 3 tahun terakhir telah berpengalaman dalam mentransformasikan subsidi pupuk kimia ke arah subsidi pupuk organik, disertai dengan hibah sapi dan peralatan pembuat kompos (APPO, dan RPPO). Meskipun dengan mekanisasi pembuatan kompos skala kecil itu memakai fossil-fuel energy - yang sedikit banyaknya akan menambah CO2 di kawasan perdesaan - namun kini saatnya, pemerintah RI mengambil momentum untuk berbagi pengalaman dan berkontribusi gagasan dalam wacana penghapusan subsidi pertanian yang diharapkan oleh special rapourter on the Right to Food Olivier De Schutter menjadi langkah awal pencegahan krisis pangan global.
Presiden Soekarno di General Assemnly PBB tahun 1958 berpidato menawarkan gagasan To Build The World A New, kini tawarkanlah skema subsidi pupuk organik sebagai model PBB.
Saya melalui surat kepada Indonesian Permanent Mission to the United Nations and International Organizations, Geneva Ambassador tertanggal 7 Februari 2011 saya menghimbau agar pemerintah RI menyampaikan model itu dalam 6th session of the Human Right Council in 8 March 2011 (lihat poster).
Himbauan saya ini adalah sebagai tindak lanjut dari komentar saya terhadap pernyataan Oliver De Schutter pada akhir Januari silam (lihat posting terdahulu di blogspot ini). Lampiran surat saya
Can organic fertiliser subsidy be a model to UN, G20?
Dapatkah Subsidi Pupuk Organik menjadi Model di PBB, G20?
Can organic fertilisers subsidy be a model to UN, G20?
Riza V. Tjahjadi
What's come to your mind whenever you heard about proposal to eliminate fertiliser subsidy? Answering the question of how can we feed the world and still save the planet?, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter as reported, wants donors to move away from the model of subsidised fertilisers and seeds - the which he calls "private goods", to supporting "public goods" such as better infrastructure, strengthening local markets, ensuring access to credit and building storage capabilities. Much of this needs farmers to organise themselves to really bring benefits to rural areas.
He adds, the environmental challenge is huge. "A third of all greenhouse emissions come from agriculture, so We need to focus our Efforts of agriculture on the which does not degrade the soil and the which increases carbon capture," he explains, adding that he will presenting a paper on agroecology to the UN Human Rights Council in March (How can we feed the world and still save the planet? The Guardian, 21 January 2011).
As campaigners the right to food I did respond directly to Olivier De Schutter of Indonesia's experience since 2008 which been gradually promoting organic fertiliser as an alternative to remove agricultural subsidies, but the essence of the presentation Olivier De Schutter at next March will keep focus on the elimination of subsidies to fertilisers and seeds.
Early last month the British Environment secretary Caroline Spelman calls for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform to tackle 'global food security' and an end to direct pay-outs. She pursues fundamental reform of the European system of subsidies for farmers (The Guardian, 5 January 2011).
Maneuvers of both Olivier De Schutter within the UN, and Caroline Spelman may contribute to the changing map of international policies in the future. However, I see there is enough time for the government of Indonesia to share input to the UN, particularly the 16th session of the Human Right Council in 8 March, and the G-20 in May.
I may say human right record not good enough - until now, there were violence in the name of religion and against religious groups and belief, to freedom of opinion, and members of the press; everything still seems ignore by the state (the state is absent). Impunity for human rights violations are still very clear, as stated by inter religious leaders, and the case murder of Munir as a test of our history” still unsolved, the weakness protection to migrant workers. More specific, nationally, Right to Food is recognised by the state but legally not fulfilled into a law. However, these two events mentioned above will a good momentum and opportunity for Indonesia which has been promoting soft power diplomacy.
I therefore recommend that government immediately formulate proactive argument showing the state obligation to farmers which expected to improve the perception, whilst to elevate the image of Indonesia in the international community, especially to the UN bodies and multilateral donor institutions; that gradual transition models use chemical fertilisers in agricultural subsidies (2008-now). First, of all, show the small scale of the Cuban organic agriculture movement model which have been practicing by the government through the state budget since the fiscal year 2008. As consequence, the government should demonstrate the budget allocation on fertiliser subsidy portion of clams is headed to the use of organic fertiliser increased year by year; the agricultural futures will of some in the organic farming paradigm. Second, expose the commitment of the total five state-owned manufactures of chemical fertilisers will be more gradual increase in the volume of organic fertiliser production, include conversion roadmap of chemical fertilisers to organic fertilisers, and update the roadmap strategy of agriculture sector toward climate change. Third, show that with the stimulus of agricultural development through organic fertiliser subsidy in the last 3 years has been enlarging the scale of organic fertilisers use among farmers - in turn has multiplying the realisation of self-sufficient fertilizer Villages (Desa Mandiri Pupuk). Explain more detail what will be benefits and impacts when 10,000 of organic fertilisers processing units materialized in coming years; in 2010 there were 235 units allocated to all 33 provinces in Indonesia; with four categories of production capacity range from 35,250 to 246,750 tons per year. Meanwhile, subsidised organic fertilisers in 2010 focus to critical quality of farmland and poor soil nutrients in 8 provinces with total allocation 10.672,104 tons decomposers and 533,605 tons biofertilisers to covers 1,778,683 hectares rice fields.
Finally, show that the rice self-sufficiency has been achieved in the last 3 years this would not solely rely on the use of chemical fertilisers alone. Add also projected that the organic fertilizer will be increasingly important role in sustaining the rice self-sufficiency, and support the achievement of self-sufficiency in corn, soybean, sugarcane, and beef. Show that the organic fertilizer is eco-friendly within the scope of micro-climate which in turn also affects the global climate.
Possible impact to domestic atmosphere to the failure of a ten-year Go Organic 2010 programme (“… creates Indonesia as one of the major organic food producer in the world starting in 2010…”) can be shifted from memory of public at large whenever maneuver of the Indonesian government will be applauded by the international communities. Do not forget also include a reminder note that the eruption of Mount Krakatoa centuries ago have contributed to the world's climate cooled.
Riza V. Tjahjadi, advocates organic farming since 1988, and was active in international civil society coalition in the UN-FAO negotiations finalizing the draft of Voluntary Guidelines on the Right to Adequate Food. biotani@gmail.com
RVT, 28 Feb 2011
biotani@gmail.com
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