Romania today joined nations around the globe in celebrating the International Year of Family Farming with a national conference on rural development. The theme of the conference:  “Family Farms—the Core of Sustainable Agriculture.”

Policy makers, technical experts and local agricultural leaders came together in Bucharest to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing family farmers across the country and beyond. The two-day conference, hosted by the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Romanian National Rural Network, opened with remarks by Victor Ponta, Prime Minister of Romania, and Vladimir Rakhmanin, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, among others.

“Romania is part of the growing international movement to recognize the economic and cultural value of family farming,” said Rakhmanin. “This conference demonstrates that Romania is committed to making small-scale farmers the backbone of a strong and sustainable agricultural sector.”

The national conference launched an important dialogue as Romania plans its rural development initiatives through 2020. FAO rural development experts exchanged ideas and shared best practices with other conference participants during technical workshops. The event is set to conclude with a farmers’ market showcasing local Romanian entrepreneurship.

While in Bucharest, Rakhmanin met with Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta, and with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture Daniel Constantin. Talks focused on FAO-Romania cooperation, and on Romania’s current role as Chair of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe.

Rakhmanin also met with Vasile Bumacov, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Moldova, to discuss FAO project activity in Moldova and issues related to the recently established FAO office in Chisinau.

8 October 2014, Bucharest, Romania