Global Food Systems Summit Independent Dialogue of Farmers’ Organizations
by Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
08/07/2021
Global Food Systems Summit Independent Dialogue of Farmers’ Organizations
Statement by
Dr. QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
As prepared
8 July 2021
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. It is a real pleasure to participate in this Independent Dialogue and I thank the organizers for the invitation.
2. This dialogue will inform the UN Food Systems Summit on the transformative potential of Family Farming and the game-changing solutions that family farmers can offer.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
3. We are at a critical moment in time.
4. We need to do things differently and act holistically to transform our agri-food systems; otherwise, we will not end global hunger and malnutrition in all its forms.
5. The upcoming UN Food Systems Summit gives a timely opportunity to galvanize momentum, foster dialogue and present game-changing solutions.
6. The number of hungry people in the world increased by 10 million in 2019.
7. The pandemic continues to deliver a severe blow with another 132 million chronically hungry people in the world by the end of 2020.
8. Africa, Asia and Latin America are significantly impacted.
9. In addition, 155 million people in 55 countries manifested crisis-level acute food insecurity.
10. Almost 80% of the world’s poor and food insecure live in rural areas.
11. Most of them are small-scale family food producers, who face difficulties accessing productive resources, opportunities and markets.
12. Overweight and obesity continue to increase in rich and poor countries alike.
13. And more than 3 billion people in the world cannot afford even the cheapest healthy diets.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
14. These data confirm that our agri-food systems face increasingly complex challenges.
15. Family farmers – including pastoralists, fishers, foresters, indigenous peoples, women and youth – are essential to deliver solutions to these challenges.
16. Family farmers are ‘agents of change’.
17. They are key to end hunger and poverty and to boost sustainable agri-food systems.
18. There are around 608 million farms in the world of which, more than 90% are run by an individual or a family and rely primarily on family labour.
19. Family farms are mostly operated at small-scale level.
20. 95% of existing farm units are less than 5 hectares big and more than 98% of farms are less than 20 hectares in size.
21. Family farmers produce around 80% of the food that the world needs.
22. And they fulfill key environmental, social and cultural roles.
23. They are the custodians of biodiversity, preserving landscapes and maintaining local community and cultural heritage.
24. Family farmers are major investors in agriculture and they are the backbone of the rural economic structure.
25. They play an extremely important role in supplying vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy diet.
26. Farms of less than 20 hectares account for 71% of global vitamin A production, mainly supplied by fruits and vegetables, some livestock products and orange-fleshed roots and tubers.
27. Despite this significant contribution, small-scale family farmers and their communities often face the highest levels of poverty, food insecurity and vulnerability.
Distinguished Participants,
28. The agri-food system covers the journey of food from farm to table.
29. This includes growing, harvesting and processing food,
30. as well as distributing, trading and consuming it.
31. Family farmers and their organizations play an essential role in all these activities.
32. When farmers get organized and strengthen their collaboration, together, they achieve better results, while reducing inequalities through longer-lasting solutions.
33. Producer Organizations serve their members and support the community by providing diverse services that often complement those offered by the public and the private sector.
34. Producer Organizations also play a central role in disseminating knowledge, information, innovations and creating solidarity networks in rural communities.
35. This was crucial during the COVID-19.
36. For example, we have witnessed emerging alternative logistical and food distribution initiatives by family farmers’ organizations and cooperatives.
37. Initiatives that linked producers and consumers directly – by applying new technologies like tools of e-commerce;
38. to maximize access to reliable and remunerative markets.
39. Producer Organizations can bring economies of scale to use agriculture inputs, machinery, technologies and to have better markets access conditions.
40. Strengthening and supporting well-functioning organizations, with the involvement of youth and women is therefore critical for sustainable agri-food systems.
Dear Participants,
41. To support sustainable agri-food transformation FAO works in close partnership with family farmers’ organizations.
42. The new FAO Strategic Framework assigns an important role to Family Farmers in achieving the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.
43. In particular, some FAO Programme Priority Areas like Small-scale Producers’ Equitable Access to Resources and Inclusive Rural Transformation are focused on the role of small-scale producers and family farmers.
44. FAO is proud to be the UN leading agency for the implementation of the UN Decade of Family Farming
2019 – 2028 (UNDFF), together with our sister agency IFAD.
45. FAO is also committed to support our Members in implementing effective national frameworks for action;
46. to work with family farmers for sustainable agri-food systems transformation.
47. 53 countries are working with us on the implementation of the UNDFF; and
48. 9 of them have already developed their National Action Plans for Family farming.
49. Overall, more than 1 570 key actors have been involved in platforms of dialogue, including 925 Family Farmers organizations and federations.
50. In the first 2 years of the UNDFF, 85 laws, policies and regulations were developed and approved.
51. Most of these focus on mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 on family farmers and on promoting family farming-centered approaches.
52. FAO remains committed to working with family farmers’ organizations to amplify sustainable, bottom-up solutions.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
53. Both the United Nations Decade of Family Farming and the UN Food System Summit share the ambition to facilitate the transition to sustainable, just, inclusive and empowering agri-food systems.
54. I am proud of the significant technical, logistical and in-kind support that FAO has been providing to the preparatory work for the UN Food System Summit.
55. For example, FAO’s role as the UN anchor agency for Action Track 1 on ensuring access to safe and nutritious food for all.
56. The membership of FAO’s Chief Scientist and Chief Economist in the Scientific Group.
57. The support provided by many of our country offices to the national dialogues has helped to ensure that the essential role of family farmers and their organizations is well reflected in the Summit’s work-streams.
58. FAO will host the pre-Summit event in Rome from 26 – 28 July.
59. We will continue strengthening the emerging coalitions to ensure strong alignment with FAO’s new Strategic Framework;
60. We will enable family farmers to achieve diversified, innovative and dynamic farming systems:
• to increase the availability of nutritious, sustainably produced and culturally appropriate food;
• to stimulate healthy diets; and
• to promote the transition to sustainable agri-food systems;
• also contributing to local and territorial development.
61. Let us make sure that the solutions provided by family farming contribute to the transformation towards MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems for this generation and beyond.
62. Thank you.