The 66th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, declared 2014 as the “International Year of Family Farming” (IYFF) and invited FAO to facilitate its implementation, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders. FAO in collaboration with the World Rural Forum, the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), the World Farmers Organization (WFO) is jointly planning to hold a series of regional dialogues. Their outcomes will set the ground to provide regional overview of Family Farming issues that will be further discussed at the Global Forum and Expo on Family Farming to take place in Budapest on 4-7 March and be addressed in the IYFF Global Dialogue to be held in Rome in October 2014. By focusing on the regional perspectives, Regional Dialogue for Europe and Central Asia will be complementary to the conference on "Family farming: A dialogue towards more sustainable and resilient farming in Europe and the world" organized by European Commission, which will take place in Brussels, on 29 November 2013. A short summary on the outcomes of the regional dialogue will also be presented during the Global Forum and Expo on Family Farming in Budapest, in March 2014. The outcomes of the regional dialogue will be presented and addressed at the FAO Regional Conference for Europe and Central Asia in May 2014. The Regional Dialogue of Family Farming for Europe and Central Asia is designed to:

Understand the “state-of-the art” on family farming in different parts of the Region in terms of opportunities and challenges, including existing policy environment. Identify cases of successful family farming models at regional or country level including innovation, effective organizational models through producer organizations and cooperatives in each sub-region.   Propose common priorities for the promotion of family farming in each sub-region.

 2014 International Year of Family Farming (IYFF)