Far from being a thing of the past, family farming today is getting a second look – for its potential to feed a hungry planet and to manage natural resources.

With 2014 designated as the International Year of Family Farming, Hungary will kick off the festivities with a Global Forum and Expo on Family Farming, taking place in Budapest from 4 to 6 March.

Hosted by the Hungarian Ministry of Rural Development, the Global Forum and Expo are expected to draw Ministers, experts, activists, farmers, academicians and others who follow food issues.  A “round table” discussion by Ministers of Agriculture will discuss policies and programmes that affect family farming at both national and international levels.

Family farmers from around the world are expected to exhibit their wares and show their activities during a three-day Expo at the Budapest Congress Centre, which runs in parallel with the Global Forum.

Persistent high levels of hunger in many countries, the prospect of expanding populations and disruptions to agriculture as a result of climate change are the backdrop against which the UN General Assembly declared the International Year of Family Farming, and entrusted FAO with leading the observance.

“The quest is now on for truly sustainable farming systems that can meet the world’s future food needs,” in the words of FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva. “And nothing comes closer to the sustainable food production paradigm than family farming.”

Graziano da Silva will deliver the keynote address at the Global Forum on the morning of 5 March. He is also expected to formally nominate three “special ambassadors” who will promote the family farming message in the months ahead.

Learn more about the International Year of Family Farming.