Vol.

122

NEWS
2024.5≪ Mr. Arnaud Petit (IGC) visited Mr. Yamano ≫Mr. Arnaud Petit, Executive Director of theInternational Grains Council (IGC), which
signed a partnership agreement with IDACA
in January 2022, visited Mr. Toru Yamano,
President of IDACA (also President of JAZenchu) in March 2024. The details of his
visit are reported below.
President Yamano warmly welcomed Mr.
Petit’s visit to Japan, stating, "Since 1963,
IDACA has been instrumental in enhancing
the capabilities of agricultural cooperative
officials in Asia and Africa. This effort has
From left: Mr. Toru Yamano (President of IDACA),
Mr. Arnaud Petit (Executive Director of IGC),
resulted in the establishment of an extensive
Mr. Hirofumi Kobayashi (Executive Director of IDACA)
network, and we are delighted that thisnetwork is proving beneficial to the international community through the IGC." He also
expressed his concern regarding the global impact of COVID-19 and Russia's invasionof Ukraine, which have destabilized the world grain market, as well as the ban on Indian
rice exports, contributing to rising prices.
Mr. Petit expressed his gratitude to IDACA for their cooperation and emphasized theimportance of addressing the instability in global grain market prices and the imbalance
between supply and demand. He highlighted the significant role of agricultural
cooperatives in improving this situation and identified the major challenge as rectifying
the imbalance between supply and demand. Additionally, regarding future IGC efforts, heelaborated on initiatives such as enhancing production and consumption, the importanceof seeds in agricultural production and food security, efforts to mitigate the impacts ofglobal warming and environmental degradation on crop production, and theimplementation of digitalization in the production, distribution, and consumption of grains.
Mr. Petit expressed his wish to continue cooperation with IDACA, which wasreciprocated by Mr. Yamano. Subsequently, the meeting concluded.

-Business ReportsOnline attendance at UN-sponsored symposium on improving
the role of women
Dr. Nandini Azad (bottom photo, middle left), President of Working
Women's Forum - Indian Cooperative Network for Women, held twosymposiums on February 8 and March 20, 2024, as side events of theUnited Nation’s 62nd session of the Commission for Social
Development and the 68th session of the Commission on the Status ofWomen. Mr. Hirofumi Kobayashi, Executive Director of IDACA,
attended online the following symposium as a panelist.
Name of Forum

Name of UN Conference

The United Nation’s 62nd Empowering for equality: Women's
Session of the Commission Crucial Role in Cooperatives asfor Social Development
Catalysts for Transforming Social
inequity and patriarchal practices
The United Nation’s 68thSession of the Commission
on the Status of Women

Building Leadership of Young Womenin Cooperatives Towards 2030 GlobalAgenda

Mr. Kobayashi paid tribute to Dr. Azad's dedication to eradicating
poverty and hunger and achieving gender equality in rural communities
around the world, and stressed the importance of linking this toconcrete actions.

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-Business ReportsOnline attendance at UN-sponsored symposium on improving
the role of women
At the symposium "Building Young Women's Leadership in
Cooperatives Toward the 2030 Global Agenda“, held under the United
Nation’s 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, Mr.
Kobayashi noted the following five points as important ways to addressthe challenges.
1. Identify issues and set goals: Based on facts and figures, it isimportant to explore the best practices around. Instead of simply
complaining about the current situation, a better plan of action should
be considered.
2. Identifying barriers and developing strategies: A carefully thought-out
strategy is essential for success. Innovation can require significantinvestment.
3. Consider funding options: Finding a conscientious funding source iscritical.
4. Collaboration with other partners: Collaboration with national andinternational agencies and governments is essential for success.
5. Developing and publicizing an action plan: Need to build momentum
within the region to move the action plan forward throughcollaboration with local media.
In closing, Mr. Kobayashi, on behalf of IDACA, a development
cooperation organization established by the JA Group 60 years ago,
pledged to continue the empowerment of rural women in Asia, and said
he fully supports Dr. Azad's call for "empowerment for equality”.

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-Business ReportsInternational Grains Council (IGC) and IDACA joint projectWorkshop held in London
On February 7, 2024, a joint project of the International Grains Council (IGC)
and IDACA held a workshop in London (UK), following a workshop in Bangkok(Thailand) with the contribution of the Japanese government.
The joint project is a survey of grain producers, cooperatives, traders, foodprocessors, and consumers in Asia, Africa, and Oceania who are affected byprice hikes and market disruptions after 2022, including how much access they
have to food market information.
A survey was conducted on how supply chain participants collect market
information on maize, wheat, barley, and canola, and the results of the survey
were discussed among attendees at the workshop. A total of 30 participants from17 countries attended the workshop, including both in-person and online
attendees.
In April, we gave an endowed lecture at the University of Environment andSustainable Development (UESD) in Ghana. We will report on this lecture in afuture.
＜What is International Grains Council?＞
Headquartered in London, the IGC is an organization of 28 countries and theEuropean Union whose purpose is to promote cooperation and facilitate trade ininternational grain trade. Activities include the calculation and publication of theGrain and Oilseed Price Index (GOI), preparation of reports on grain markets, andorganization of grain conferences.

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-Business ReportsRecruitment of foreign nationals with specific skills by the National
Chamber of Agriculture (Countries: India, Indonesia and Philippines)“The Agriculture Skill Assessment Test” is being developed to assist foreign
nationals in obtaining residence status for specific skills. As part of the Ministry ofAgriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' subsidized “Comprehensive Support Project for
Accepting Foreign Human Resources”, the National Chamber of Agriculture held
explanatory sessions in three overseas countries. In this project, IDACA managed
various tasks including onsite support, travel arrangements, venue and interpreters
coordinating, as well as liaison with local cooperative agencies.
Country / City

Schedule

No. of Participants(including online)

India / New Delhi, Guwahati

November 26-27, 2023

259

Indonesia / Jakarta

January 20, 2024

200

Philippines / Manila

March 22, 2024

250

The first session of this project was held in India. Japanese language school
students, university students, government officials, and others actively participated,eagerly asking questions about the agricultural skills assessment test, working
conditions, and employment opportunities in Japan. Meanwhile, agriculturalmanagers who attended the session expressed appreciation for the valuable
opportunity to engage with raw opinions, culture, and perspectives in India.
In Indonesia, a technical intern trainee system briefing and recruitment
consultation meeting was held at Polytechnic Bogor, with Ms. Mie Katsuno, Deputy
Director-General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, delivering
the opening speech.
Meanwhile, in the Philippines, the briefing was hosted at the Sheraton Manila
Bay. Many attendees were students studying Japanese at local institutions, andparticipating farmers expressed their happiness at engaging with Filipino students'perspectives.
IDACA will continue to support this project in the future, with information
sessions scheduled to be held in five countries in FY2024.
Consultation in Groups(Philippines)

General Information Session(India)
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-Business ReportsExchange views on International Cooperation with theKorean National Agricultural Cooperative Federation
On March 14, 2024, IDACA welcomed Mr. Lee Wook, General
Manager of Global Strategy Office, National Agricultural Cooperative
Federation (NACF) of Korea, who visited Japan for the annual meetingof the Asian Farmers’ Group for Cooperation hosted by JA Zenchu, andthree others including the Director of NACF’s Japan Office.
We provided information on our management and experience intraining programs to NACF, who is considering training programs as afirst step in promoting cooperation among agricultural cooperatives invarious countries, and exchanged opinions on the possibility of mutual
collaboration and cooperation.
IDACA has hosted training programs for officials and employees ofKorean agricultural cooperatives and federations organized by NACF in
the 2000s, and even at present, Korea has the second largest country
in terms of number of participants IDACA has received after Thailand(approximately 600 participants). With the changing times, the targets ofIDACA trainings have shifted to Southeast Asia and Africa, and contact
with the NACF hasn’t been much than before. However, as thereestablishment of the NACF’s Japan office last year, we expect tocooperate in various areas in the future.

Mr. Hirofumi Kobayashi (IDACA) &Mr. Lee Wook (NACF)

IDACA staff welcomed NACF staff

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-Reports on Training CoursesJICA Training Course on Value Chain Building in theSurrounding Area of Integrated Agro-Industrial Parks
This is the second training programorganized based on an ongoing project inEthiopia.
Sixcentraland
local
government officials from the county wereinvited to the program which was held inTokyo and Ishikawa prefectures, following
last year’s program.
As the country aims to commercialize
agriculture, the project has been designed
for promotion of agricultural production in
At a processing plant ofan organized manner by making farmers
Beishin Ishikawa Inc.
groups with small-scale farmers throughimproving cultivation techniques, providing guidance for the right crop in the rightplace, the formation of production areas, which are expected to ensure a stablesupply of agricultural products and increase farmers' income. This year’s
program was focusing on the value chain featuring rice.
The participants learned about the value chain for rice from infrastructuredevelopment, cultivation technology, organizational farming support to marketing,in cooperation with the prefectural government and its related organizations, i.e.,
JA Group organizations (the prefectural union, ZEN-NOH Ishikawa, JA Komatsu
City, JA Kanazawa City, and JA Agri Hakui), land improvement district as anorganizational approach to irrigation, and organizations involved in processing
and marketing.
At the end of the training program, the participants worked on preparation of
their action plans. In order to make the action plan more feasible, they had theirplans checked online by and exchanging opinions with local experts in Ethiopia
before finalizing and presenting the plans.
They showed a strong interest in “hamlet-based farm management system”
and “the roles of agricultural cooperatives in production and marketing,” and will
to further study and deepen their understanding of actors and resources involvedin the value chain.
At a community hall as theyvisits Takamine FarmThe participants atthe evaluation
meeting with JICA
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-Reports on Training CoursesICA Training Course on “Capacity Building of Farmers to Respond toChallenges through Development of Agricultural Cooperatives in FY2023”
Five participants from the African
regioncamefrommember
organizations ofWorld Farmers’
Organisation (WFO), and one eachsecretariat staff from International
Co-operative Alliance Asia-Pacific(ICA-AP) and WFO. After completinga two-week training program inThailand, the participants came toJA Tomisato-shi, Carrot farmer
Japan, with the aim of strengthening(Mr. Minagawa)the organizational management andbusiness operations of farmers' organizations.
The training was based in Machida city from January 21 to February
3 (14 days). During the field visits, they visited Chiba pref., where theylearned about "Organization, farm Guidance and Commodity-wiseGroup" at JA Chibamidori and "Initiatives to promote Marketing
Business for more value addition and income" at JA Tomisato-shi. Theyalso had the opportunity to interact with farmers, and learned aboutorganic farming, Agricultural-Welfare Collaboration, packaging, grading,and smart farming, which gave them new insights.
During their stay in Japan, the participants enjoyed the Japanesefood and contact with Japanese people during their stay in Japan.
Above all, they said that learning about Japanese agriculture was very
helpful and that they would definitely like to put it into practice when
they return to their own countries.

At JA Chibamidori
Observing how the products
are packed8-Reports on Training CoursesICA Training Course on “Capacity Building of Farmers to Respond toChallenges through Development of Agricultural Cooperatives in FY2023”<Message from the participant>
The IDACA, ICA-AP, MAFF, and, WFO dedication to fostering
agricultural development and cooperative empowerment is truly
inspiring. All participants appreciated the opportunity to participate in
the training “Capacity Building of Farmers to Respond to Challenges
through the Development of Agricultural Cooperatives’’.
The lectures and field visits were very informative and relevant toour various organizations. We learnt a lot about cooperative
development; sustainable development practices; the sixth
industrialization concept - 3x2x1 (increasing farmers’ income throughvalue addition); and, the transformation of farming into a viablebusiness (agribusiness).
We developed friendships that left an indelible mark on our
professional and personal lives. We returned to our countries, equippedwith newfound knowledge, skills, and memories of the rich Japaneseculture.
We express our profound appreciation to the organizers and all thepartners for making this training course a resounding success.
May we continue to grow and foster sustainable agricultural
practices and resilient farming communities worldwide.

Ms. Brenda Jepchirchir Sakong
Technical Assistant to the Chief Executive OfficerKenya National Farmers' Federation (KENAFF)

9-Reports on Training CoursesPromotion of Sustainable Agriculture and Improvement of Farmer’s
Income through Development of Agricultural Cooperatives
ICA-MAFF (Japan) Training
Courseon“PromotionofSustainable
AgricultureandImprovement of Farmer’s IncomethroughDevelopmentofAgriculturalCooperatives
inFY2023” was conducted fromMarch 16 to March 29, 2024.
This training is a traditional
training course with the mainobjective of strengthening agricultural cooperatives and farmers'organizations. Seven participants from Bhutan, Cambodia, Fiji,Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand came to Japan after preliminary
training using on-demand video and conducting third country training inBangkok.
At JA Fuji Izu Wasabi Farm

The participants visited JA Fuji Izu to observe the development offarm management and marketing business, strawberry and wasabi
production fields. And they visited JA Machida-shi to observe thedevelopment of financial business. The participants also had a chance
to see examples of JA Youth and JA Group Kanagawa. They learned
about the importance ofcommunication methods
and public relations
activities to strengthen
the organization andrevitalize memberactivities. Furthermore,as measures forsustainable agriculture,they learned the sixth
industrialization initiatives
The participants at theevaluation meeting with JICA

10-Reports on Training CoursesPromotion of Sustainable Agriculture and Improvement of Farmer’s
Income through Development of Agricultural Cooperatives
in Shizuoka and Nagano prefectures and saw organic farming at
Shiawase Vegetable Farm. At Iino Farm, they saw a 300 years old
World Agricultural Heritage Site, where the soil is improved with fallen
leaf compost. On the travel day, they also experienced a real tea
ceremony at the Tea Museum and were able to see the beautiful MtFuji.
This time, the training was conducted smoothly under theleadership of Mr. Ashok Kumar Taneja, ICA-AP, and all theparticipants were able to help each other and deepen their friendship.
Participants also commented that they had gained a lot from visiting
Japan and being able to broaden their knowledge at each of theplaces they visited. Based on these findings, they made andpresented an action plan to strengthen the organization, andpromised to implement the plan in their own countries. Aftercompleting the training program, they returned home safely.
<Message from the Lecturer>
Thank you for coming to Kawagoe. I hope we were able to share alittle bit of agriculture, Japanese culture and customs with you. I wasstimulated by the group discussions during Leadership Lecture of JAYouth. I wish you all the best for the promotion of agriculture in yourhome countries and for your success.

Mr. Yoshihiko Iino,Iino Farm10Editor’s Note
Introduction to IDACA office area
It has been almost two years since the IDACA office moved fromTakao to the Machida station area. So, this time, we would like to show
you what is going on around Machida station.
From the south exit area of Machida station where commercial
facilities and restaurants are concentrated, to the north exit area,
where art museums where you can enjoy works by local artists arelocated, the area offers a wide variety of enjoyment.
If you want to enjoy nature to the fullest, Serigaya park, locatedabout a 13-minute walk from Machida station, is the place for you. Thepark has cherry trees that are in full bloom in spring, a multipurpose
plaza for running around and playing, a lawn area, and a waterside
playground, which can be enjoyed by both children and adults. In acorner of the park is the Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts, a rareart museum in the world that focuses on prints and printmaking, whichwill refresh your body and soul.
on May 11-12, “Festa Machida” was held, featuring a groupperformance of Eisa”, a traditional performing art that is popular inOkinawa and Kagoshima’s Amami islands during the Bon Festival. The
dynamic dance using drums, hand dances, flags, etc. was a greatsuccess.
These spots are attractive places to enjoy the culture and naturearound Machida station. We hope you will visit Machida and spend afulfilling time.

View of Serigaya park
IDACA office in Morino,Machida city

● Editing and Publishing: Institute for the Development of Agricultural Cooperation in Asia
2-30-14, Morino, Machida-shi, Tokyo 194-0022 Japan TEL: +81-42-860-7801 FAX: +81-42-860-7802