ICCIC News
ICCIC holds 2nd executive member meeting of 2008 in Beijing
The second ICCIC executive member meeting in 2008 was held in the Shaoyaoju office at a.m. 9.00, June 19, 2008. 6 members including Vice Chairman Michael Crook and executive members Guo Lulai, Miao Zaifang, Tang Zongkun, Yu Lin and Tim Zachernuk attended the meeting. Vice Chairman Yuan Peng and Li Zhonghua, an alternate member of the meeting, had a share in the meeting by feedback of e-mail. Secretary-general Liu Denggao and Executive Secretary-general Du Yintang presented. The meetign was presided over by Vice Chairman Michael Crook.
ICCIC holds symposium commemorating International Cooperative Day in Beijing
On June 30, 2008, the first anniversary of the issue and enforcement of the Law of PRC on Farmers' Professional Co-operatives, ICCIC held a symposium in the ICCIC conference room in Beijing with the participation of the cooperative experts staying in Beijing from Canada, England, Japan and both sides of the Taiwan straits as well as ICCIC members to observe the International Cooperative Day. Lu Wanru, the former Vice Chairwomen of ICCIC and Tang Zongkun, a senior cooperative expert and researcher from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences attended the conference.
The symposium was chaired by Michael Crook who is the executive vice chairman of ICCIC from Canada. The experts at the conference lively discussed the new experience with regard to cooperative development as well as the effect, experience and problems in one year since the issue and enforcement of the Law of PRC on Farmers' Professional Co-operatives.
Xu Renfa, one of the members of panel of experts from Beijing Municipal Rural Affairs Committee and the former director of the committee, introduced the new development of farmer’s professional cooperatives in Miyun County, Beijing City at the conference. The Canadian cooperative expert Mr. Tim Zachernuk spoke highly of the method of professional cooperative. Mr. Chen Xiuxian, a cooperative from Taiwan, China gave an account of the history and new trend of the development of cooperatives in Taiwan, particularly the development of Taiwan production and marketing groups with farmers as its main body. Mr. Endo, the business representative of Japanese Agricultural Cooperative Economic Beijing Office recommended the cooperative systems in Japan and noted that Japanese Agricultural Cooperative had three levels (grass-roots cooperative, county-level cooperative and central cooperative) and three systems (all levels of comprehensive agricultural cooperatives, professional agricultural cooperatives and central cooperatives). Yuan Peng, a cooperative expert of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and vice chairwoman of ICCIC introduced her attendance at the International Cooperative Forum in Poland. She specially mentioned the new trends of transnational union of cooperatives. For example, the cooperative societies in the seven countries in Central America had formed a united cooperative for multinational cooperation.
In the heated discussion, the experts also touched upon the new problems arising during the implementation of the cooperative law and believed that they arose in development and needed to be solved by development. They suggested as follows. Firstly the concept of cooperative should be propagated and the spirit of cooperative developed. The spirit of cooperative was in agreement with the concept of building a harmonious society. Not only officials in charge of agriculture but also key leaders of local government should be trained. It is suggested to incorporate the propagation and training of cooperative in the courses of party schools. Secondly, social resources shall be fully used for the training. ICCIC had pooled a large number of domestic and foreign cooperative experts. It was ready to cooperate with the government and play an even more important role in this regard together with the relevant research institutes and universities. Thirdly, local governments should be encouraged to draw up local laws and regulations to guide the development of cooperatives, improve and further detail the contents of the Law of PRC on Farmers' Professional Co-operatives and define the specific central and local policies and methods for supporting the development of cooperatives. Fourthly, the specific methods for establishing cooperative societies and enforcing commune member representative conference rules and regulations should be explored and new experience accumulated. Fifthly, the cooperative experience that commune members are the masters of cooperative should be summarized and extended to give publicity to the cooperative law by demonstration and to prevent companies from controlling cooperatives and impairing the interests of commune members.
At the symposium, the participants also emphasized the addition of supply chains to cooperatives and the role of women in cooperatives. The symposium summed up the experience of small farmer households’ success in coping with market risks through cooperatives and spoke highly of the achievements made in the one year since the issue and implementation of the Law of PRC on Farmers' Professional Co-operatives.
ICCIC conducts training for officials of gender project
On September 3, 2008, ICCIC held a gender training course for the CRPRC project in its office and invited Prof. Chen Fang, a professor from China Women’s University, to give lectures. Yuan Peng – the Vice Chairman of ICCIC and one of the CRPRC project steering committee, Du Yintang-the Executive Secretary-general of ICCIC, Ren Guangji and Wu Haili - the officials of ICCIC projects, and Zhang Yanyan and Wang Jia – the officials in charge of Canada-China Small Farmer Household Development Project also attended the training.
Partial ICCIC members attend Qionglai International Symposium of “Adapting Small Farmer Households to the Growth of Global Markets”
On September 12 to 13, 2008, the Sino-Canada project of “Adapting Small Farmer Households to the Growth of Global Markets” convened an international symposium of “New development trends of Chinese Farmers’ Professional Cooperative Economic Organizations after issue of Law of PRC on Farmers' Professional Co-operatives” in Qionglai, Sichuan Province. The symposium was jointly held by the Sino-Canada project office of “Adapting Small Farmer Households to the Growth of Global Markets”, Rural Development Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Rural Development Research Institute of Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences and Qionglai Municipal Government. Bill Turner - the former president of Canadian Cooperative Association, Maoli Futong – a professor from University Of Saskatchewan, Yuan Peng – the Vice Chairwoman of ICCIC, executive committee members including Guo Lulai, Li Zhonghua and Tim Zachernuk, members Wang Shuguang and Xu Xuchu, Executive Secretary-General Du Yintang and other people attended the symposium. Yuan Peng, Li Zhonghua, Xu Xuchu, Wang Shuguang and Du Yintang gave speeches at the symposium successively.
During the symposium, Yuan Peng and Tim Zachernuk proposed to entrust ICCIC to set up a cooperative extender network and convened a part of participants to further discuss it after the symposium.
ICCIC holds 3rd executive meeting of 2008
On September 27, 2008, ICCIC held the third executive meeting of 2008 in Shaoyaoju Office. The meeting was presided over by the Vice Chairman Michael Crook with the participation of executive members including Miao Zaifang, Guo Lulai, Yu Lin, David Bromwich and Tim, feedback from executive members Tang Zongkun, Yuan Peng, Tao Yong and Li Zhonghua and presence of the Secretary-general Liu Denggao, Executive Secretary-general Du Yintang and project official Ren Guangji. Application for new projects, admission of new committee members and building of the capability of ICCIC and other issues were discussed at the conference.
CRPRC project gender training for pilot cooperatives
On September 24-30, 2008, the CRPRC project team conducted cooperative development level assessment and gender training at Gansu Shandan Shilipu Malting Barley Cooperative and Sichuan Renshou Qingjian Fruits Professional Cooperative. According to the schedule of the relevant social activities of the CRPRC project, the project team interviewed some farmers of Shilipu, Shandan County and Xindian Township, Renshou County and investigated the social gender status in the cooperatives and the gender consciousness of their members. On this basis, a part of the members of the cooperatives are trained for gender. Chen Fang – a professor from China Women’s University was invited to give lectures in the workshop.
Activities of ICCIC members in Beijing
On November 1, 2008, ICCIC organized its members in Beijing to visit Shisanling Zhuoyue Fruits Professional Cooperative, Changping District, Beijing City. 22 people attended the activity, including advisers of ICCIC Isabel Crook, Pat Adler, Lu Wanru, vice chairmen Michael Crook and Yuan Peng, executive members of ICCIC Guo Lulai, Tang Zongkun, Tim Zachernuk, members of ICCIC Wu Qing, Zhang Airong, Huang Huanbi, Wang Jinghua, Jiang Guozhen, Yue Songdong, Yuan Yinghua and Song Ming, Chen Shu and Wang Xiaoqian (who are enthusiastic for ICCIC's undertaking), Liu Denggao – the Sectary-general of ICCIC and personnel of ICCIC Ren Guangji and Wu Haili.
Arrangement of the activity: They saw around Beijing Zhuoyue Fruits Professional Cooperative, listened its director’s briefing of the basic conditions of the cooperative, went to the orchards of the members of the cooperative to pick apples and have a lunch – farmer’s dinner. After the visit, the members were very satisfactory about the organization of the activity and actively fed back their feeling and experience of the visit to the secretariat.
Contribution of participant: In the golden autumn, 22 people of ICCIC drove to Shisanling Zhuoyue Fruits Professional Cooperative, Changping District, Beijing City for visit and exchange. After listening to the briefing of the director of Zhuoyue Cooperative, all of us came to an apple yard of a cooperative member. While noticing with interest that the agricultural cooperative had brought the farmers benefits, we came back with fruitful results and contributed our mite. The activity was organized in accordance with the result of early survey and therefore all the participants were very much delighted with the activity. Old and new members gathered together and talked cheerfully and humorously. Let’s look forward the next activity! (By Song Ming).
Agreement on Livelihood reconstruction in Pengzhou county, Sichuan, China signed between ICCIC and NZCFS
“Livelihood reconstruction in Pengzhou county, Sichuan, China” was officially signed. The program was jointly applied by ICCIC and NZCFS and jointly funded by New Zealand International Assistance and Development Department Bureau and NZCFS.
According to the agreement, this activity will provide the materials required to rebuild 1500 metres of micro-channels, while households will provide the labour. The micro channel is of keystone shape, one meter wide at the top, 0.7m wide at the base and 0.7 m high. Local government will provide materials for the repair of 500 metres of main channel. The beneficiaries will supply the labour for construction as their contribution. the remedy and construction of the farmland irrigation canals in Huang Village. ICCIC is also working with the Pengzhou Rural Development Bureau as local partners to implement the project, who will play an ongoing role in monitoring and assisting the communities in their rehabilitation. This Project launched in January 2009 and completed by the end of April of the same year.
Mr. Dave Bromwich (one of executive members of ICCIC and NZCFS) has made great contribution to the design and success of the project. The vice chairman Michael Crook and Yuanpeng and alternate executive member Tim Zachernuk (an expert from Canada) have given a series of assistance to the survey work in the early stage of the project. Pengzhou Rural Development Bureau has fully cooperated with us in the application and preparation for the project.
Training and coaching for pilot cooperatives of CRPRC project
On December 21-27, 2008, CRPRC project team conducted training and coaching for cooperatives at Gansu Shandan Shilipu Malting Barley Cooperative and Sichuan Renshou Qingjian Fruits Professional Cooperative. They analyzed the existing problems regarding cooperative and solutions based on the last DLA result and gave advices for the development together with the members of the cooperatives.
