AFSA Annual General Meeting

With the Annual General Meeting quickly approaching, we are writing this post to share with AFSA members the materials they’ll need to be prepared. We’ve already sent members notice of a special resolution to amend the AFSA constitution to make AFSA explicitly and constitutionally farmer led. We aim to of course remain a whole of food systems alliance – farmers and allies – but to put decision making around issues with a material impact on the growing movement of small-scale regenerative farmers in the hands of those farmers. We invite you to let your farming friends know they have a national voice for small-scale regenerative farmers and they should join us if they haven’t already!

This move mirrors the global food sovereignty movement, and we’ve developed the concept in collaboration with La Via Campesina and the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC). At this year’s Annual General Meeting on 16 of October 2018 we will be seeking to ratify the constitution, and hereby attach a draft for your consideration.

We need your input and opinions. Any amendments may be sent in advance to admin@afsa.org.au. All proposed amendments will be discussed and a final draft adopted at the AGM.

We also seek members’ feedback on the draft Budget and Terms of Reference for the Legal Defence Fund Steering Committee, which will also be adopted at the AGM.

Please find Dropbox links to:

1) Draft Amendments to Constitution
2) Draft Amendments to Terms of Reference for the Legal Defence Fund Steering Committee
3) Proposed 2019 Budget Draft
4) Budget Variance Report
5) Minutes from 2017 AGM
6) 2018 AGM Agenda
7) Proxy Vote Template
8) Policy Statements and Definitions Draft

If you have any trouble with the links above please email admin@afsa.org.auand we will send you an attachment.

For this year’s Convergence, we invite members to come prepared to share your thoughts on some of the key policy issues AFSA has been working on. Please share with us updates on your efforts in food policy and grassroots activism, and bring your thoughts for a policy debate on GM, labelling, and a sugar tax.

The Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance will be holding its Annual General Meeting on 16 October, during the Food Sovereignty Convergence in Canberra from 14-16 October 2018. Tickets are still available for purchase online through the Facebook page.

Call For Nominations To Office Bearer Positions

The AGM will also involve the election of office bearers and general members of the AFSA National Committee for the 2019 year. Nominations close on the 10th of October.

If you are interested in nominating for a position please email a short bio to us expressing your interest at: admin@afsa.org.au.

Please note that nominations for positions to the new National Committee must be endorsed by two members of AFSA. Please contact admin@afsa.org.au if you do not already know two AFSA members to endorse your nomination.

Details of the individuals who have nominated for the new Committee will be made available on the website prior to AGM.

Office Bearer Position Descriptions

Role of the President

Charged with providing leadership and direction to the Committee, the President is responsible for ensuring that the Committee fulfils its responsibilities for the governance and success of the organisation, and is responsible for providing direction to the staff of the organisation. The President is also the primary liaison with farmer-led international organisations working for food sovereignty such as La Via Campesina, and the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC). S/he communicates regularly with all members via the AFSA website and regular newsletter. The President is generally the spokesperson for the organisation and should work to maintain key relationships within and outside of the organisation. The President must be a farmer who is actively farming.

Role of the Vice President

The Vice President is responsible for assisting the President to fulfil his/her responsibilities for the governance and success of the organisation. S/he also works to optimise the relationship between the Committee, volunteers, and members, and to achieve the organisation’s agreed goals. The Vice President monitors memberships, and provides membership reports at each meeting of the Committee. S/he also leads membership drives and supports the Committee in developing strategies for growing and maintaining membership, and helps lead membership engagement through social media and a regular newsletter. The Vice President typically fills in for the President when s/he is on leave.

Role of the Treasurer

The Treasurer is responsible for the financial supervision of the organisation to allow the Committee to provide good governance of the organisation. The Treasurer’s tasks include the preparation of annual budgets, planning for the organisation’s financial future and monitoring the organisation’s revenue and expenditure. It is desirable that the treasurer is well organized and possesses a level of financial expertise.

Role of the Secretary

The Secretary is responsible for the documentation and communication of the activities of the Committee.  The Secretary is the primary administration officer of the Committee and provides the links between the Committee, members and outside agencies. The Secretary should be a good communicator, maintain confidentiality on relevant matters and have the ability to delegate tasks and supervise others. The Secretary oversees the preparation of agendas and minutes, and all AFSA governance documents (constitution, regulations, policy), especially in advance of the AGM.

Role of the Communications Officer

The Communications Officer develops and implements effective internal and external communications strategies to maintain and build the reputation of AFSA with key publics including allied organisations, media, government and members. She/he supports the team with feedback on a range of communications pieces. A key element of the role is media relations, requiring the monitoring of news media to identify opportunities to attain media coverage (environmental scanning), and the production of media releases and rich content for the website and promotional materials. Assisting staff to effectively field inquiries from stakeholders including journalists, politicians, members, and the general public is an ongoing responsibility. The Communications Officer collaborates with the Administrative Assistant in planning, writing and distributing the electronic newsletter.

Role of the International Officer

The International Officer (IO) is responsible for maintaining connections with international food sovereignty organisations. Where there is a budget and it is appropriate, the IO attends meetings and conferences with groups such as the IPC and FAO thematic symposia, and is responsible for reporting back to the committee and members. In collaboration with AFSA staff and others on the Committee, the IO stays informed about global issues relating to food sovereignty and communicates these to members via newsletters and social media.

If you have any questions or concerns be sure to reach out to admin@afsa.org.au for more details.