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APPC HISTORY

Even as a young organization, APPC was entrusted to co-organize the international conference on Food Security and Agricultural Development in the Context of Globalization together with the International Fund of Agricultural Development (IFAD) and National Agricultural Cooperatives (NACF). It was held on 3 to 5 June 2002 at the Manila Galleria Suites. Participants came from eight Asian countries ( South Korea , Cambodia , Laos , Bangladesh , India , Indonesia , Pakistan , and the Philippines ) and the co-hosts. APPC's main responsibility in the conference was the development of the conference design, preparation of the keynote paper which guided the entire flow and discussions that took place, and coordination of all logistics relating to the conference. A one-day field trip to UP Los Baños and the world-renowned International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) was organized for the participants on the 3 rd day of the conference. APPC was also tasked to facilitate the conduct of the conference. The conference moderator, discussion chairs, and rapporteurs are all connected with APPC. Furthermore, APPC was designated to prepare the conference proceedings for publication. It came off the press last January 2003.

The international conference largely dealt with how the twin forces of globalization and trade liberalization affect food security and agricultural development in Asia . It is expected to further deepen APPC's understanding of the dynamics of food security, poverty, and globalization in the region. It was a learning experience for APPC as well as its participants as the conference provided a forum for exchange of ideas relating to the WTO Agreement on Agriculture and possible strategies for agricultural cooperation among governments, international organizations, and non-government organizations to ensure food security in Asia .

Another major thrust of APPC is to provide technical assistance to other initiatives that concern rural development and poverty reduction. It has collaborated with UPEcon Foundation, Inc. in designing and conducting training programs under the Food and Agriculture Organization - Technical Support to Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (FAO-TSARRD). The Center developed the training curriculum and training materials and facilitated the actual conduct of the training as well. The resource persons were mostly fellows from APPC. It featured lectures on the concepts and policy issues relating to poverty and food insecurity, macroeconomic policies that affect the agriculture sector (AFMA, current ARC strategy, etc.), APSM and hands-on exercises. The collaboration between proved effective and was replicated twice over although the focus and audience were different.