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MYRNA CUNNINGHAM, IYFF SPECIAL AMBASSADOR FOR LATIN AMERICA
In my community on the Wangki River, on the Miskitu Coast of
Nicaragua, now Northern Caribbean Autonomous Region, we
have always practiced family farming. The territory belongs to the
whole community, and serves to meet the material and spiritual
needs of each family. To do this, we combine various productive
activities such as hunting, collecting seeds and fruits, fishing,
fuel to prepare our food, we gather medicine and ritual items
that contribute to our health, culture, social and spiritual life.
Farming is based on the work of all family members,
complemented through community millennial economic
practices known as
Bakahnu
and
Pana Pana
, which are
expressions of community reciprocity based on the principle,
if I have, we all have;
such practice generate communal and
family liquidity, health, medicinal plants, knowledge, equipment
and communal harmony.
Women transmit that form of production through example,
legends, songs, dances, and thus protect biodiversity. Together
we nurture native seed banks and we care for each other.
Indigenous family farming allows us to practice our world
view and collective values, because we combine spiritual,
cultural, social and productive practices involving spirits, the
stars, moon, sun, water, nature and human beings; family and
communal indigenous farming applies a logic of diversified
production, thus protecting Mother Earth -
Yapti Tasba.
This traditional indigenous production system is being
threatened by the invasion of settlers into our ancestral
lands with other productive practices, climate change
and increased conflict over access to natural resources.
The International Year of Family Farming will help to
recognize the significant contribution of indigenous
peoples in protecting Mother Earth, promoting sustainable
development, and to assess and measure the contribution
of indigenous peoples economy and food production to the
reduction of hunger.
ROBERT L CARLSON, IYFF SPECIAL AMBASSADOR FOR NORTH AMERICA
The International Year of Family Farming is a wonderful
opportunity for all farmers to publicize our work, not only
to the world, but locally, regionally and nationally.
Family farming is the most efficient system of food
production the world has ever seen, and it remains so
today. The alternatives to family farming have failed
throughout history, from the latifundia farms of the
Roman Empire through medieval serfdom and the
more recent soviet collective farms. All of these grandly
designed farming systems failed and the land was
transitioned back to individuals and smallholders.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations, today about 98 per cent of the
world’s farms are family farms.
In this age of consolidation of most businesses and
services, why aren’t giant global corporations producing
our food? Because we as family farmers have what
economists call a comparative advantage over other
forms of farming. That means that we can produce farm
commodities, maize, beef, pigs, soya, ground nuts and so
forth, at lower cost and higher quality than anyone else.
And why is that? Because family farms combine the
most basic social and economic unit: the family social
unit and the farm economic unit, an extraordinarily
strong bond. In essence, no one will work harder or
longer to bring in the harvest or save the animals that
their life depends upon than family farmers.
If family farmers are to succeed in sustainably growing
food to feed a rapidly growing global population,
governments need to recognize their responsibility. After
all, farming is the oldest and most important profession in
the world, but it is also one of the riskiest. Family farmers
need a safety net if they are to provide food security and
reduce poverty while adapting to a changing climate.
Every day should be a celebration for the work
of family farmers.
MOHAMED OULD SALECK, IYFF SPECIAL AMBASSADOR FOR NORTH AFRICA AND THE NEAR EAST
Family Farming is essential from the point of view of
food production involving the nuclear family. This social
group is the backbone of the family farming concept.
Nowadays, over 90 per cent of fishers operate small-
scale/artisanal fisheries, employing nearly the same
number of men and women.
The International Year of Family Farming provides
an opportunity to demonstrate the small scale
and artisanal fisheries’ important contribution to
livelihoods. Additionally, it is particularly worth
mentioning the outcomes that have resulted from the
activities and initiatives implemented throughout the
Year. A clear example in that regard is the adoption
of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable
Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security
and Poverty Eradication by 143 Member Countries
during at the 31st Session of FAO’s Committee
on Fisheries (COFI 31). This has represented an
extraordinary milestone considering it is the first
ever international instrument of its kind specifically
developed for small scale fisheries, and it recognizes
our needs as fishermen.
These types of initiatives ensure the preservation of our
ancestral and authentic lifestyle; one that has brought
culture, traditions and unique methods of fishing for
generations, and has contributed to human progress.
Nonetheless, there is a great deal of work to do. It
is imperative that traditions are preserved as they
sustain the origins of our cultural legacy. Let us
remember that small scale/artisanal fisheries have an
enormous contribution to food security in developing
countries and promote an adequate nutrition. All this
is fundamental to the strategic solutions developed for
tackling poverty and hunger in developing countries.