The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) today launched the Global Family Farming Forum, celebrating the essential role of family farmers in building sustainable agrifood systems and tackling the impacts of the climate crisis, while identifying ways to better support them.
Over three days, family farmers, alongside government officials, researchers and experts, will be at the forefront of discussions on how to drive progress in achieving food security and sustainable development. Marking the halfway point of the United Nations Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF) 2019-2028, the event being held at FAO's headquarters on the sidelines of the World Food Forum 2024, will showcase policy innovations and successful experiences from around the world.
"Family farmers "provide most of our food - which amounts to 70 to 80 percent globally, in value terms," FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said at the launch event.
"Family farmers are the people that know best the realities of working the land, handling animals, the ocean and the forests. Their voices and perspectives are vital to our discussions during this week."
"They need financial services, they need new technologies, they need new channels to access markets…together we need to work on that," the Director-General said.
"Family farmers - who are on the frontline of a multitude of crises - are bearing the brunt. Yet, they also hold the knowledge and experience to drive meaningful change. It is our responsibility to support and empower them, ensuring they remain central to the solutions we pursue," said Gérardine Mukeshimana, IFAD's Vice-President.
She also emphasized that IFAD ambitions to mobilize $ 10 billion to invest in rural people over the next three years, and improve agricultural productivity, strengthen resilience, increase incomes, both on and off the farm and support rural entrepreneurs to develop businesses and create jobs.
In his welcoming remarks, Limber Cruz Lopez, Minister of Agriculture of the Dominican Republic, called on governments to prioritise investment in family farming particularly in technology which he said could "radically transform the production capacity of small farmers… and also their quality of life."
Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Vicar General of His Holiness for Vatican City, Archpriest St. Peter's Basilica and José Graziano da Silva, Director-General, Instituto Fome Zero, and former FAO Director-General also participated in the opening ceremony.
Other high level participants included representatives of the government of Italy, one of the main sponsors of this event, as well as several ministers from across the globe who will participate in discussions on country level initiatives, challenges and opportunities.
Spotlight on young and women farmers
Participants at the Global Family Farming Forum will explore priority areas such as innovation, investment, gender equality, and equitable access to land and natural resources and delve into topics including climate resilience, public policy innovations and diversified market opportunities for family farmers.
Special emphasis will be placed on empowering young farmers and the importance of youth engagement in agriculture. The Forum will also focus on policy innovations that address the unique challenges faced by rural women, who play a pivotal role in sustaining family farms and preserving Indigenous Peoples' knowledge.
The Forum will serve as a call to action for renewed commitment from governments, organizations and stakeholders to support family farming as outlined in the UNDFF.
During the Forum, a model rural radio station, a fully operational broadcasting setup, will be streaming live from FAO headquarters, to amplify discussions and perspectives on family farming to rural audiences.
What is Family Farming?
Family farming, with over 550 million farms worldwide, is the backbone of food production, accounting for over 90 percent of all farms. Family farmers, especially in low-and middle-income countries, grow diverse, nutritious food, support crop biodiversity and manage natural resources responsibly. Beyond ensuring global food security, they also preserve rural communities, cultural heritage and natural resources.
Thanks to highly adaptable agricultural practices rooted in local knowledge and without heavy reliance on major external inputs, family farmers help to enhance soil health, boost productivity, and increase resilience to climate impacts.
Despite the significant role of family farmers in producing food for a large proportion of the global population, their livelihoods remain precarious.
A majority live in rural areas where nearly 80 percent of the world's poor and food insecure live. They face many difficulties in accessing productive resources, market opportunities, and essential services. For women, these obstacles are even greater, hampering their productivity and affecting the broader agrifood system, perpetuating poverty and hunger. Besides farming, family farmers take on multiple, often informal, economic activities to contribute towards their small incomes.
FAO's role
FAO and IFAD lead the implementation of the United Nations Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF) 2019-2028, which aims to develop, improve and implement public policies and investments in support of family farming, unleashing the transformative potential of family farmers to contribute to the transformation of agrifood systems and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
FAO has been collaborating closely with governments, parliamentarians and family farmers to shape public policies and legislation that improve conditions for family farmers. Through 45 national committees for family farming, at least 2 625 relevant actors have engaged in dialogue processes or platforms, including 1 853 family farmer organizations and federations.
FAO's knowledge platforms on family farming, such as the Family Farming Knowledge Platform, the Regional Technical Platform for Family Farming, and three Communication for Development regional initiatives, provide valuable resources and foster knowledge exchange, while initiatives like the Farmer Field Schools and the Forest and Farm Facility offer direct support to farmer organizations.
For example, in the Dominican Republic, new proposed laws on family farming, public procurement and school feeding have been developed in the wake of the adoption of the national action plan for family farming. The legal framework supports the development of a comprehensive strategy to improve family farmers' connections to markets and foster their inclusion in new markets related to agritourism and recreation.
IFAD's role
Family farmers are also central to IFAD's work. The only UN Fund that focuses exclusively on rural areas has provided significant financial and technical support to the UNDFF, as well as in-kind support through their technical specialists.
IFAD has facilitated direct grants in Togo and Côte d'Ivoire for national committees for family farming to develop national action plans for family farming, and similar initiatives are underway in Nigeria. Regional efforts have included working with the South Asia Association for Agricultural Cooperation (SAARC) and FAO to formulate regional action plans and supporting the Philippines' validation of its National Action Plan.
In 2023, IFAD approved a new $ 1 million grant to FAO and the World Rural Forum (WRF) to further support family farmers' organizations. This grant includes a Challenge Fund to support the implementation of 12 national family farming action plans in countries such as Burundi, El Salvador, and Madagascar. This grant complements the efforts of the Farmers' Organizations (FO4ACP) programme, co-funded by the European Union and IFAD, a substantial 73 million euros investment across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America, aimed to ensure that family farming remains a priority in policy frameworks and development strategies.
IFAD has also been instrumental in supporting family farming laws in countries like El Salvador and Peru and conducting key studies in West Africa on the impact of COVID-19 on family farmers.
Since the launch of the UNDFF in 2019, 364 laws, policies and regulations have been developed and approved in 82 countries. 46 countries have implemented policy frameworks for family farming, 16 countries have officially adopted national action plans, and three regional and subregional plans have been developed.
