13
58.
Almost all the countries in the region participated in the FAO Worldwide Survey of National Agricultural Organizations in 1988-1989 and case studies in agricultural extension approaches were conducted in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines and Thailand. Information on both studies was used in the Global Consultation on Agricultural Extension, held in Rome from 4-8 December 1989.
Small Farmer Development Programmes
59.
To respond to the problem of rural poverty, through people's participation, the Small Farmer Development Project in Sri Lanka entered its second phase, while a new project has been initiated in Pakistan. These projects continue to receive technical support from FAO, but are implemented by national project directors and staff. Training materials to encourage the use of participatory methods have been produced in FAO and distributed to those countries which have small farmer and people's participatory programmes in agriculture and in community forestry. To harness people's participation in conservation of thinning forests, a regional training workshop on Rural Workers' Agro-Forestry Self-Help Project in Asian Countries was held at FAO/RAPA, in November-December 1988. In addition a FAO publication on rural youth in Asia and the Pacific has been widely distributed.
Women in Agriculture and Rural Development
60.
In support of the implementation of the FAO Plan of Action for the Integration of Women in Development, a subregional meeting on Planning and Implementation Aspects of Programmes and Projects Assisting Women Farmers in ASEAN Countries was held in Thailand in August 1989. This will be followed by a Regional Expert Consultation on Monitoring Women's Participation in Agriculture and Rural Development in 1990.
61.
Selected case studies on women and technology, and in-depth studies on women and agricultural extension have been documented and will be disseminated within the Region. A training handbook on Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation has been published in English, with translation into national languages undertaken in two countries. A second handbook on Participatory Planning has been prepared for publication. Case studies on Population, Women and Agricultural/Rural Development in four countries of the Region as part of the activities of the inter-regional project on Women, Population and Agricultural/Rural Development have been initiated in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Philippines with the purpose to increase understanding of the impact of demographic factors on agricultural and rural development.
Agricultural Cooperatives
62.
To strengthen collaboration with NGOs in areas of concern to FAO, an UNDP/FAO/ANGOC national workshop on identifying modalities for GO/NGO collaboration on rural and cooperative development, and agrarian reforms, was held in Manila, Philippines, in March 1989.
63.
A Regional Expert Consultation on Government Policies in Support of Cooperatives Engaged in Food Grain Marketing was held at FAO/RAPA, in November 1988. The recommendations of this Consultation were considered and approved at the 4th Session of the Asia-Pacific Commission on Food Security held in May 1989.