Towards The Celebration Of The International Year Of Family Farming-IYFF. A dream nearer each day

José María Zeberio-Executive Secretary of the World Rural Forum-WRF

REPORT ON THE IYFF

Before the end of 2009 we wish to update our report on the IYFF.

In the world today there are 3,000 million people who live in the countryside. The greater part of these women and men, some 2,500 million, are farmers. More than 1,500 million work 404 million plots which are less than five acres in size, the majority are less than two and a half acres. The rural population involved in industrial agriculture is less than 20 million people.

Of the more that 1,020 million people who suffer hunger in the world, a great number are peasant families, with little land, few resources and no public support. Neither do they have infrastructures, nor technical assistance, nor access to credit, nor markets close at hand, nor educational or sanitary installations, etc.

In this so significant, so dramatic context, at the end of 2007, a thought-provoking proposal arrived at the Executive Secretariat of the World Rural Forum: that of promoting the recognition and the support of family farming by means of the declaration by the United Nations of an International Year of Family Farming-IYFF.

We, in the WRF, began to dialogue about this proposal and we arrived at the conclusion that it was worth while to try and take it forward: we were very mindful of the very serious problems of family farming in general and those of the developing countries in particular.

The ideal occasion to make known this idea came with the celebration of the 2nd Farmers’ Forum in Rome, 11-12 February, 2008, a note-worthy meeting of agricultural organisations from all over the world. This meeting is organised periodically by International Fund for Agriculture Development-IFAD whose headquarters are in Rome. The WRF had been invited as an observer.

After the end of the Farmers´ Forum, we launched the first pamphlet about the IYFF Campaign.

From that time until now, more that 200 farmers and rural organisations etc. from the different continents have given their official support to the WRF Campaign in favour of the IYFF. (See up-dated list in the WRF web:
www.familyfarmingcampaign.net).

Our great priority at this moment is the achieving of more government support which would lead to the introduction in the agenda of the General Assembly of the UN the proposal of the declaration of an International Year of Family Farming. At this moment we can count on the support of 4 governments: Belize, Pakistan, Peru and Switzerland. We confidently await the support of the governments of Brazil, India, Belgium, Luxemburg, Spain, Uruguay and many others.

In this context, we earnestly ask all those organisations which have joined this Campaign to take the necessary steps to ask their respective governments for their official support for the IYFF.

We have already taken the first steps to arrange political support in the UN headquarters in New York, as well as financial support to the IYFF activities from donor institutions.

During the months of October, November and December, 2009, the Campaign for the IYFF has been a permanent feature in the World Forum of High Level Experts (FAO) in Rome October 12-13, in the Forum parallel to the World Summit on Food Security, Rome, November13-17: in the Specialised Meeting on Family Agriculture-REAF, extended Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia and Uruguay) December 1-4; ILEIA Jubilee, The Hague, December 15, etc. In all these events the Campaign for the IYFF has been spread and new adhesions have been obtained.

On many occasions, linked to the participation in the diverse Forums in Rome, we have maintained contacts with the FAO and the IFAD as international organisations linked to agriculture in which we have explained everything in relation to the Campaign in favour of an IYFF.

Along 2010 four Continental meetings about the Campaign for the IYFF will take place. The first, in Asia, planned on December 2009, has had to be postponed until March, 2010, for financial reasons. During the following months Continental meetings will be held in Africa, America and Europe. Once these have ended the first World Consultative Committee of the IYFF Campaign will be organised with two representatives elected by each Continental meeting.

We have also set in motion a IYFF Scientific Committee which will be able to get diverse world experts together, women and men capable of laying the basis of all things relevant to Family Agriculture as the principal of food production and the preservation of environment-friendly conditions.

The new Web is a very effective tool to make known to the world the up to date evolution of all the activities of the IYFF Campaign. Visit it and use it as a sensitizing instrument with the existing diverse material to promote the Campaign.
Many millions are the peasant families throughout the world that will be able to get most benefit from the implementation of an International Year of Family Farming, sponsored by the United Nations Organisation. We will give maximum possible projection and effectiveness to the official IYFF through the organisations participating in the Campaign.

To make this dream a reality is in the hands of everyone. We need cooperation, support and help to make it come true.

December 2009