BRAZIL G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting 2nd Session on Priorities III and IV: Family Farming, Fisheries and Aquaculture Statement

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Family farming plays a pivotal role in ensuring global food security.

Family farms account for more than 90 percent of global farms, occupy almost 80 percent of farmland, and produce about 80 percent of the world’s food in value terms.

Family farms are central to both rural development and to building efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.

FAO commends the Presidency and the G20 Agriculture Working Group for their efforts to promote dialogue around the essential role of family farmers.

FAO strives to further strengthen their role by fostering innovative policies and programmes, as well as by assisting Members to drive continuous improvements for family farming.

Together with IFAD, FAO leads the implementation of the UN Decade of Family Farming 2019–2028, which aims to provide a framework for Members to develop, improve and implement public policies and investments supporting family farming.

The Decade focuses on accelerating efforts and fostering additional commitments in line with the transformative ambitions of the 2030 Agenda, and to deliver on the SDGs,

As well as leveraging the existing international tools and guidelines in support of family farmers and their organizations.

To tailor policy interventions to specific national contexts, FAO supports governments in assessing their country’s legislative and policy frameworks and programmes on family farming, to ensure that all relevant policy areas are considered and that countries are provided with a holistic network of assistance.

FAO also works closely with local organizations and institutions to assess the needs of family farmers in specific regions and countries, and which involve relevant partners in multilateral processes, to ensure that the voices and perspectives of family farmers are integrated into policy development and implementation at all stages.

In this regard, FAO welcomes a future dedicated session on Family Farming alongside the regular G20 Agriculture Working Group meetings, as an important step forward.

FAO is committed to promoting access to finance, innovative technologies, training and capacity development, extension services, digital agriculture and profitable markets for family farmers, with a particular focus on women and youth.

I salute the Government of Mongolia for your initiative to launch 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralist, through the UN resolution of 2022 with strong support from FAO.

On May 2024, the UN General Assembly declared the year 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer initiated by the United States of America and supported by FAO.  This provides an important moment to focus on rural women, since the establishment of World Rural Women’s Day on 15 October established by UNGA in 1996.

With these ambitious goals in mind, the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty represents a unique opportunity to support and accelerate efforts to eradicate hunger and poverty, reduce inequalities, revitalize global partnerships and strengthen public policies in support of family farmers and the implementation of the UN Decade.

On aquatic food systems, FAO commends the Brazilian Presidency for bringing fisheries and aquaculture into our discussion for the first time and thanks the G20 Members for their trust in FAO’s mandate to support sustainable aquatic food systems.

Aquatic foods provide more than 3.3 billion people with at least 20 percent of their average per capita intake of animal protein, as well as a significant load of bio-available micronutrients.

They support around 600 million livelihoods, and the total first stale value of the sector was a record USD 472 billion in 2022.

Aquaculture is the world's most rapidly expanding food-production sector, and the sustainable growth of this sector is crucial for meeting the rising global demand for food and addressing nutritional deficiencies, particularly in developing countries.

The FAO Blue Transformation strategy aims to ensure aquatic food systems continue feeding the world's growing population,

Through sustainable, resilient, and inclusive fisheries and aquaculture at local, regional, and global levels.

It addresses challenges such as overfishing, unequal access to resources, and environmental impacts of aquatic food production.

Adherence to relevant international norms to maximize the contribution of aquatic food systems is crucial.

In this regard: 79 parties representing 105 members have adhered to the Port State Measures Agreement.

I thank Ministers for partnering with FAO to increase global capacity to implement the instrument and encourage cooperation among the G20 to defeat Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported Fishing.

Furthermore, FAO appreciates the support of G20 members, observers and other countries, on the implementation of the FAO Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines, on the 10th anniversary of their endorsement.

FAO looks forward to working with G20 members in a Blue Transformation and in the lead-up to the 2025 UN Oceans Conference.

Thank you Chair.