About

Learn more about the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables (IYFV), its objectives, lines of action and its International Steering Committee (ISC).

Objectives of the IYFV 2021

  1. Raising awareness of and directing policy attention to the nutrition and health benefits of fruits and vegetables consumption;
  2. Promoting diversified, balanced, and healthy diets and lifestyles through fruit and vegetable consumption;
  3. Reducing losses and waste in fruits and vegetables food systems;
  4. Sharing best practices on:
    1. Promotion of consumption and sustainable production of fruits and vegetables that contributes to sustainable food systems;
    2. Improved sustainability of storage, transport, trade, processing, transformation, retail, waste reduction and recycling, as well as interactions among these processes;
    3. Integration of smallholders including family farmers into local, regional, and global production, value/supply chains for sustainable production and consumption of fruits and vegetables, recognizing the contributions of fruits and vegetables, including farmers’ varieties/landraces, to their food security, nutrition, livelihoods and incomes;
    4. Strengthening the capacity of all countries, specially developing countries, to adopt innovative approaches and technology in combating loss and waste of fruits and vegetables.

Lines of action of IYFV 2021

  1. ADVOCACY AND AWARENESS RAISING
    • To raise awareness on how Fruits and Vegetables contribute to improved nutrition, dietary diversity, and health; impact society, economy, and the environment; and contribute to sustainable development;
    • To promote the objectives of the year and encourage its integration in national, regional and global development agendas;
    • To stimulate a global debate around different aspects of the Fruits and Vegetables and their contribution to the SDGs and other relevant global conventions and guidelines.
  2. KNOWLEDGE CREATION AND DISSEMINATION
    • To improve the understanding of how the various aspects of Fruits and Vegetables food systems contribute to society, the economy and environmental sustainability in both developing and developed countries and create evidence based communicational messages;
    • To promote tools and mechanisms for the monitoring and measurement of positive and negative impacts of the different aspects of the IYFV 2021.
  3. POLICY MAKING
    • To promote evidence-based policies, law and regulations, and exchange of good practices that advance and maximize the contribution of Fruits and Vegetables to sustainable development, rural economic growth and livelihoods, food safety and the promotion of diversified, balanced and healthy diets;
    • To encourage integrated and holistic approaches in addressing fruits and vegetable food systems through cross-cutting national policies that contribute to the achievementof SDGs and the targets of relevant global conventions and guidelines;
    • To stimulate public/private sector cooperation and partnerships related to different aspects of the IYFV 2021 including in research;
    • To promote investment in innovation and infrastructure development to promote consumption and sustainable production of Fruits and Vegetables and reduce their losses and waste.
  4. CAPACITY DEVELOPMENTAND EDUCATION
    • To support the formulation and implementation of educational policies and programs (such as school feeding programs, school gardens, urban and peri-urban gardens and roof tops gardens, healthy workplaces, food literacy, community food loss and waste (FLW) education programs) and related educational material to promote the benefits of Fruits and Vegetables production and consumption, its implications on health and nutrition, and other related topics of IYFV 2021;
    • To enhance integration of nutrition education, highlighting the importance of fruits and vegetables, in curricula development in line with the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs;
    • To empower stakeholders, especially women and youth, through knowledge-building and skills development in the production and post-harvest handling, processing, preparation, marketing and consumption of fruits and vegetables.

IYFV International Steering Committee

The UN General Assembly designated 2021 the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables (IYFV). FAO established the IYFV International Steering Committee (ISC) to:

• guide the development and implementation of the IYFV action plan;
• stimulate dialogue with partners; and
• help mobilize political and financial support for the IYFV.

Membership

The IYFV has 20 members, including:

• 6 Permanent Representatives (and 6 Alternates) from FAO Regional Groups; and
• up to 8 representatives from UN agencies and international organizations; academia and research institutes; civil society organizations; global farmers organizations; and the private sector.

Asia Mr Rajender Bommakanti
Alternate Permanent Representative to FAO
[email protected]

INDIA
Asia Member
Asia Ms Ida Ayu Ratih
Agricultural Attaché, Embassy of Indonesia
[email protected]

INDONESIA
Asia Alternate
Asia Ir. Andi Arnida Massusungan, MSc.
Deputy Director for Marketing and Investment, Directorate of Marking and Processing for Horticultural Products, Ministry of Agriculture, Republic of Indonesia
[email protected]
[email protected]

INDONESIA
Asia Alternate
Europe Mr Giorgio Cavalieri
Alternate Permanent Representative to FAO
[email protected]

ITALY
Europe Member
Europe Mr Filiberto Altobelli
Agricultural Expert of the Permanent Representation of Italy to FAO
[email protected]

ITALY
Europe Member
Europe Mr Marios Georgiades
Agricultural Attaché, Deputy Permanent Representative to FAO
[email protected]

CYPRUS
Europe Alternate
North America Ms Julie Émond
Agriculture Counsellor, Alternate Permanent Representative to FAO
[email protected]

CANADA
North America Member
North America Mr Sean Cox
Agricultural Attaché, Alternate Permanent Representative to FAO
[email protected]

UNITED STATES
North America Alternate
North America Ms Maria Adelaide D'Arcangelo
Agricultural Specialist, Alternate Permanent Representative to FAO
[email protected]

UNITED STATES
North America Alternate
Latin America and the Caribbean Ms Tamara Villanueva
First Secretary, Alternate Permanent Representative to FAO
[email protected]

CHILE
Latin America and the Caribbean Member
Latin America and the Caribbean Ms Patricia Araya Gutierrez
[email protected]

CHILE
Latin America and the Caribbean Member
Latin America and the Caribbean Mr Tomas Duncan Jurado
Permanent Representative to FAO
[email protected]
[email protected]

PANAMA
Latin America and the Caribbean Alternate
Middle East and North Africa Mr Sultan Al-Otaibi
Third Secretary, Permanent Representation of Kuwait to FAO
[email protected]
[email protected]

KUWAIT
Middle East and North Africa Member
Middle East and North Africa Mr Salah Al Bazzaz
Technical Advisor
[email protected]

KUWAIT
Middle East and North Africa Alternate
Pacific Ms Lynda Hayden
Deputy Permanent Representative to FAO
[email protected]

AUSTRALIA
Pacific Member
Pacific Ms Ruth Mallett
Agriculture Adviser
[email protected]

AUSTRALIA
Pacific Member
Pacific Mr Don Syme
Deputy Permanent Representative to FAO
[email protected]

NEW ZEALAND
Pacific Alternate
UN Agencies and International Organizations Mr Yacob Ahmad
Advisor and Expert Board Member
[email protected]

INTERNATIONAL TROPICAL FRUITS NETWORK (TFNet)
UN Agencies and International Organizations Member
UN Agencies and International Organizations Dr Francesco Branca
Director, Department of Nutrition for Health and Development
[email protected]

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
UN Agencies and International Organizations Member
UN Agencies and International Organizations Dr Marzella Wüstefeld
Technical Officer
[email protected]

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
UN Agencies and International Organizations Member
Academia and Research Institute Prof. Dr Yüksel Tüzel
President
[email protected]

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR HORTICULTURE SCIENCE (ISHS)
Academia and Research Institute Member
Academia and Research Institute Dr Peter Vanderborght
Executive Director
[email protected]

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR HORTICULTURE SCIENCE (ISHS)
Academia and Research Institute Member
Academia and Research Institute Ms Teresa Borelli
Programme Specialist
[email protected]

BIOVERSITY INTERNATIONAL
Academia and Research Institute Member
Academia and Research Institute Ms Chiara Villani
Special Initiatives and Events Officer
[email protected]

BIOVERSITY INTERNATIONAL
Academia and Research Institute Member
Civil Society Organizations Mr Federico Mattei
Global Project Development Manager
[email protected]

SLOW FOOD
Civil Society Organizations Member
Civil Society Organizations Ms Eleonora Lano
[email protected]

SLOW FOOD
Civil Society Organizations Member
Civil Society Organizations Ms Alejandra Domper
Executive Secretary
[email protected]

5 A DAY CHILE/AIAM5
Civil Society Organizations Member
Global Farmers Organizations Ms. Cristina Grandi
Chief Food Security Campaigner
[email protected]

IFOAM ORGANICS INTERNATIONAL
Global Farmers Organizations Member
Private Sector Mr. Fabio Massimo Pallottini
Member of the Board of Directors of WUWM President of ITALMERCATI (Italian Federation of Wholesale Markets) CEO of CAR (Centro Agroalimentare Roma)
[email protected]

WORLD UNION OF WHOLESALE MARKETS (WUWM)
Private Sector Member
Private Sector Mr Flavio Pezzoli
Operations Manager, Centro Agroalimentare Roma
[email protected]

WORLD UNION OF WHOLESALE MARKETS (WUWM)
Private Sector Member
Asia Mr Caka Alverdi Awal
Counsellor, Embassy of Indonesia
[email protected]

INDONESIA
Asia Observer
Asia Ms Intan M. Fajarsari, S.TP, M.Agr.Sc.
Assistant Deputy Director of Succulent and Vine Plants for Technology Application and Empowerment, Directorate of Fruit and Floriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Republic of Indonesia
[email protected]
[email protected]

INDONESIA
Asia Observer
Asia Ir. Sri Setiati
Assistant Deputy Director of Chilies and other Fruity Vegetables for Technology Application and Empowerment, Directorate of Vegetables and Plant Medicine, Ministry of Agriculture, Republic of Indonesia
[email protected]

INDONESIA
Asia Observer
Asia Ms Nona Gae Luna
First Secretary, Embassy of Indonesia
[email protected]

INDONESIA
Asia Observer
Asia Ms Agnes Rosari Dewi
Third Secretary, Embassy of Indonesia
[email protected]

INDONESIA
Asia Observer
Latin America and the Caribbean Ms Agnes Rosari Dewi
Ambassador, Permanent Representative to FAO
[email protected]

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Latin America and the Caribbean Observer
Latin America and the Caribbean Ms Julia Vicioso
Minister Counsellor
[email protected]

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Latin America and the Caribbean Observer
Latin America and the Caribbean Ms Diana Infante
Counsellor
[email protected]

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Latin America and the Caribbean Observer
Latin America and the Caribbean Ms Liudmila Kuzmicheva
Counsellor
[email protected]

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Latin America and the Caribbean Observer
Latin America and the Caribbean Ms Patricia Rodriguez
Counsellor
[email protected]

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Latin America and the Caribbean Observer
Latin America and the Caribbean Ms Maria Laureano
First Secretary
[email protected]

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Latin America and the Caribbean Observer
Academia and Research Institute Mr Gianpiero Menza
Private Sector and Sustainable Finance Officer
[email protected]

BIOVERSITY INTERNATIONAL
Academia and Research Institute Observer
Civil Society Organizations Mr. Manuel Moñino
AIAM5 Coordinator
[email protected]

5 A DAY CHILE/AIAM5
Civil Society Organizations Observer