The Committee on Forestry (COFO 22) took place in FAO headquarters this week (23-27 June). In light of the 2014 International Year of Family Farming (IYFF), the topic of forests and family farming is one of the key agenda items this year. The International Year of Family Farming provides an opportunity to put all small-scale and family-based agricultural activities in the spotlight. These include forest communities, small forest owners as well as family farmers, and the significant role they play in sustainable development.

The overlap between family farming and forests is significant. A large proportion of the world’s forest-dependent people including indigenous peoples, local forest communities, smallholders, forest owners, small-scale forest and farm producers, and entrepreneurs are family farmers.