The way to the International Year of

Family Farming – IYFF 2014

Family Farming-FF

• A productive unit where the family members are involved directly in agricultural activities, on a piece of land owned legally or traditionally.

• The basis of food security and food sovereignty, of environmental management and the source of the socio-cultural heritage of rural communities and nations.

SOME FACTS IN A VERY INCLUSIVE APPROACH:

• 1, 5 billion are women and men farmers, often small or medium holders.

• Between 100 and 200M are pastoralists, 100M are small-scale fishers and 370 million belong to indigenous communities.

• The women and men engaged in family farming produce 70% of the world’s food.

Main events of the IYFF Campaign (2008-2011)

Since February 2008 a great number of initiatives have been implemented by the WRF –acting as Coordinator-or by

any of the 355 organizations supporting the Campaign as they own initiative.

The different events are included in the IYFF web

www.familyfarmingcampaign.net

Among then, the most relevant are:• IYFF Asia continental Meeting, held in New Delhi,

23rd-25th March 2010• IYFF Africa continental Meeting, held on October

2010 24th in Lilongwe, Malawi , prior to the PAFO Constitutive Assembly

• The America Continental Meeting, held in Brasilia on 13-14 November 2010

• After the continental meetings, the World Consultative Committee-WCC of the IYFF Campaign was established.

• WRF met several times with the FAO, IFAD, CTA, EU, AU, IFAP,COPROFAM, AFA etc staff in relation with our IYFF Campaign. On 11th-01- 2011, WRF received an official letter of the FAO Director General granting WRF a liaison status. ->

->• During the month of May 2011, the World Consultative Committee-

WCC of the IYFF Campaign completed its membership: AFRICA: Elizabeth Atangana (PROPAC-PAFO), Francis Ngang (INADES FORMATION)AMERICA: Alessandra Lunas (COPROFAM), Rubén Tapia (RELACC)ASIA: Chengal Reddy (CIFA-IFAP), Marlene Ramirez (AsiaDHRRA)EUROPE: Lorenzo Ramos (UPA,COPA-COGECA), Laure Hamdi (AFDI)OCEANIA will join soon.

• The WCC has had two meetings: Rome, June 2011 & Bilbao, October 2011. Next, Rio + 20, June 19th 2012,

• From September 11 to 15 2011, WRF, as the coordinator of the Campaign, conducted a series of visits in New York.

• The Philippine Permanent Mission to the UN, introduced a draft resolution to the Second Committee of UN General Assembly approved by all the member countries on 22nd December 2011.

The draft resolution sponsored by the Philippines was co-sponsored by the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Peru, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan , Vanuatu and Viet Nam.

CONGRATULATIONS & THANKS!

The year 2014 was proclaimed International Year of Family Farming-IYFF after an intense Campaign over 3 years, coordinated by the WRF, and supported by 355 organizations from 60 countries on 5 continents, and by governments of various countries.

2014 IYFF WORLD PREPARATION PROGRAMME 2012-2013

In order to ensure that the celebration of IYFF will become a significant step in improving the situation of the billions of people living in Family Farming in the world, the WRF has prepared a draft of a global programme, 2012-2013, for the preparation of IYFF 2014 .

IYFF 2014 OBJECTIVES1. To promote, at all levels, active policies in favour of the

sustainable development of family agriculture, including pastoralists, traditional fishing, indigenous communities.

2. To strengthen the legitimacy of rural associations and farmers and fisher folk organizations to represent the interests of Family Farming.

3. To increase the awareness of the whole Civil Society and all social agents of the decisive role of Family Agriculture.

4. To achieve recognition of the role of women in family farming.

5. To reduce/minimise the migration to the cities.

6. To promote as a priority, local and regional markets. International trade should be based on rules that encourage rural development and food security and food sovereignty in all countries.

7. To promote the different forms of research and technology, including the acknowledgement and promotion of local knowhow.

IYFF 2014 EXPECTED RESULTS1. Outstanding recognition by the United Nations, international organisations,

governments and Civil Society, of the essential function of Family Farming as a sustainable land and aquatic resources model, as an efficient producer of food, as a source of income, as a fountain of cultural values, of agrarian know-how and as a guarantor of the preservation of the environment and biodiversity.

2. The creation, enlargement or strengthening of national and international platforms - with the participation of governments, rural and fisher folk organisations, development associations, experts, etc. – as instruments to develop policies and strategies in favour of a sustainable future to Family Farming.

3. The approval of substantial budgets at national level, and in international organisations aimed at providing better and greater infrastructures and services in rural areas and in family agriculture.

4. Greater social and political recognition of women and men farmers associations as essential partners with public powers in the elaboration of agrarian policies, in the effective legal protection of agricultural land as the main asset of family farm households, and rural development in general.

5. Progressive recognition of the specific and equitable status of rural women in the framework of an authentic regulation of the Family farm household and the creation of supporting tools directed to investment, credit, ownership, etc. for women in the farming sector. ->

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6. Increase in rural employment, especially among young people of both sexes, by means of “an appropriate selection of investments, with intensive labour as an important ingredient, in agriculture and other non farming rural activities (World Bank Report, 4-12-08, concerning “Youth and employment in Africa, the potential, the problem, the promise”).

7. Technical and economic boost to agrarian research in aspects that deal with the strengthening of Family Farming, such as access to local quality seeds, to other productive resources, reduction of post harvest losses, technologies aimed at reducing time, effort, and risks endured by women and men farmers.

8. Increase in the training programmes and the reinforcement of skills, among small farmers (both men and women), dialoguing about and accepting the different forms of local knowledge, and in this way, improving the accessibility, quality and quantity of information concerning family farming, about its integral definition, the rights of the rural world, etc.

9. Increase in social awareness of the importance of Family Agriculture, not only in food production, but also in the sustaining of rural areas, in the battle to eradicate poverty and in other great current challenges facing Humanity such as the climatic change.

10. Increase communication at world, regional and national level that promotes the will, on the part of urban society, to encourage the rural areas in general and Family agriculture in particular, its social, environmental and economic benefits, and potentialities.

SUMMARY OF MAIN ACTIVITIES EXPECTED TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN 2012

• Final version of the IYFF Preparation Programme 2012-2013 and search for funding.

• Coordination between the official FAO program and our own IYFF preparation plan and WCC meetings.

• Participation in seminars, conferences, forums etc. to promote the IYFF process.

• Identification of the research institutes willing to participate in the Family Farming documentation and data.

• Promotion of the IYFF 2014 through communication, media.

• Continental meetings to create a common dynamics of the organizations involved and to share and adopt participatory methods to prepare the IYFF 2014 national agendas.

SUMMARY OF MAIN ACTIVITIES EXPECTED TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN 2013

• WCC meetings.• Support national focal points (Switzerland has already

established a National Committee-SFU-Swiss Mountain regions), regional and continental coordinators, in order to achieve an optimum preparation of the different activities to be implemented during the IYFF 2014.

• Promotion of the IYFF 2014 through communication, media, TV. radio, etc.

• Coordination between the official FAO programme and our own IYFF preparation plan.

• Participation in seminars, conferences, forums etc., to promote our IYFF process.

• National agendas for dialogue with governments.

* The way to 2014

• General objective, “Adequate and equitable policies for the social and economic development of family farmers and their territory”, to be achieved according the following next specific objectives.

• Strengthen family farmers’ organizations• Access to local and regional markets• Access to, sustainable use and conservation of natural

resources• Access to financial resources and protection against risks• Appropriate, applied and accessible technology and

research, including local knowledge• Gender equity in agrarian policies• Agrarian policies for young farmers

Let us go ahead together towards IYFF

2014!

Many thanks!