Deep Roots

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International Year of Family Farming

national committees: fruitful assets

to boost family farming

Joseba Imaz, Communications Coordinator, World Rural Forum

eep

oots

he activity of International Year of Family

Farming national committees has had a positive

impact on public opinion and public policies

related to family farming.

The dream came true on 21 December 2011, when the

United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared

2014 as the International Year of Family Farming. Behind

that declaration were several years of intense campaigning,

coordinated by the World Rural Forum and backed by more

than 360 organizations: rural federations, non-governmen-

tal organizations (NGOs) and research centres, among

others. It was a common goal joined by the Government of

the Philippines – which presented a draft resolution for the

declaration before the United Nations – and co-sponsored

by 40 countries including Argentina, Brazil, Sierra Leone,

Cuba, Spain, Colombia, Togo, Niger, Tanzania, Australia,

Guinea, Thailand, India and Switzerland. The unanimous

approval of the declaration by the United Nations General

Assembly was great news and a well-deserved recognition

of the silent work of so many men and women – family

farmers, peasants, indigenous communities, artisan fishers

and pastoralists – whose work and potential have been so

often forgotten and underrated.

The International Year of Family Farming began with

that declaration, but everything remained to be done. Since

then, civil society has continued working on its organiza-

tion, trying to add new wills in favour of the rights of those

engaged in family farming. Likewise, many governments

and international agencies joined the preparations for the

International Year of Family Farming, in dialogue with

rural organizations. Fruitful dialogue between civil society,

governments and international agencies has been gener-

ated across the world in order to push the main goal of this

international year: to attain public policies that support the

activities of family farmers.

Within the framework of civil society’s global International

Year of Family Farming preparation programme, the crea-

tion of national committees was promoted by the World

Rural Forum with the support and participation of other

rural and social sectors, public institutions and international

organizations. These national committees would be led by

organizations of men and women farmers, fishers, pastoral-

ists and indigenous communities.

The national committees have incorporated as many

farmers’ organizations and other representatives of civil

society as possible. Together with government representatives

and international organizations, these civil society representa-

tives make up the three pillars required for the creation of

an official national committee, or at least an official dialogue

on the improvement of agricultural policies. The result of

the activities developed by the International Year of Family

Farming national committees can be summarized in two

words: extremely positive!

This overall result is the fruit of remarkable efforts by civil

society which has admirably organized itself in order to advo-

cate for the rights of a sometimes significant proportion of their

nations’ population: family farmers. Civil society organizations

have not stopped at calling upon governments, but have often

invited them to actively join this movement by taking part in

Asian women family farmers planting rice

Image: FNN/AFA