Regional Dialogue on Family Farming in Asia and the Pacific: Leveraging the role of family farming towards more inclusive and resilient food systems in response to crises
On 29 June 2022, FAO and IFAD, in their capacity of joint secretariat of the UN Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF) have organized a virtual Regional Dialogue on Family Farming in Asia and the Pacific: Leveraging the role of family farming towards more inclusive and resilient food systems in response to crises. This was supported by an informal preparatory group representing Family Farmers’ Organizations and regional rural development NGOs: the Asia Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), La Via Campesina, the Pacific Island Farmers Organisation Network (PIFON) and the Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (AsiaDHRRA).
It was attended by over 180 participants from 30 countries. Most participants came from the Asia Pacific Region (from Pakistan to Cook Islands, including Mongolia, Japan, Fiji), representing a very large part of the Family Farmers Organizations (FFOs) of the region and with the participation of senior officials from Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Timor Leste and SAARC Agriculture Center. Some participants came also from Africa and Europe, representing large Family Farming Organizations and Networks. Overall, nearly 60% of the participants were from Family Farming Organizations or CSOs supporting Family Farming, and about 15% from governments or national research institutions and academia.
Simultaneous translation in Bahasa, Bengali, Chinese, Khmer and Nepali was provided in order to enable meaningful participation of representatives of family farming organizations and local CSOs.
The dialogue was very rich and offered a good overview of some of the important initiatives that have been implemented in the region over the past 3 years, with often Family Farmers and their organizations at the core of the process.
The first session of the event on ‘Stocktaking of 3 years of UNDFF in Asia Pacific’, showcased excellent examples on how to progress with the development of National Action Plans, while the technical sessions on “Contribution of Family Farmers Organization to sustainable and climate resilient food systems”, on “Fostering the inclusion of rural youth” and on “ Building the capacities of Family Farmers Organization and ensuring effective participation through appropriate financing and implementation modalities” highlighted important and viable initiatives by family farmers and their organizations contributing to sustainable agro-food systems.
The event also reminded us that the current context is more challenging than ever for family farmers, calling for different and holistic approaches to sustainably transform our agri-food systems. As mentioned by Marcela Villarreal, Director of the Partnerships and UN Collaboration Division at FAO HQ, “the multiple crises the world is currently facing offer the occasion for a joint and sincere reflection aimed at finding the most appropriate solutions to strengthen and re-build resilience, based on sustainability and inclusivity and to leverage local producers to offer solutions in complex and challenging times”.
The main outcomes of the discussion will be systematized and reported in the framework of the Global Forum of the UN Decade of Family Farming, organized by FAO and IFAD on 19-22 September 2022, as part of the technical discussions linked to the seven Pillars of work of the UNDFF Global Action Plan.
In the meantime, a visual artist has encapsulated some of the key messages and recommendations from the dialogue in a series of sketches which can be found here.
