Who should actually identify such representatives?
Ideally farmers should do so themselves. In countries with high membership levels and good representation, it is possible to invite the relevant organizations to identify representatives themselves. Perhaps they will choose some of their leaders and some farmer members to ensure that the views from the ground are well covered.
In countries where there are not so well developed representation systems, or were membership levels are low, it is difficult to find legitimate ways to identify farmers' representatives. Here it may be useful to invite NGOs engaged in farming communities, extension services, and other outreach programmes to help identifying farmers to participate in the process. At best, all relevant institutions should be invited to identify some of the representatives, thereby ensuring that different regions are covered.
Photo: Viviana Meixner Vásquez / FNI