Legal Guide on Contract Farming celebrated its 10th anniversary

The UNIDROIT/FAO/IFAD Legal Guide on Contract Farming (2015), herein the Legal Guide, a joint flagship publication by the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT), FAO and the International Fund of Agricultural Development (IFAD), celebrated its 10^th anniversary on May 23, 2025, with a high-level side event hosted by the UNIDROIT.  

Over the past decade, the Legal Guide has contributed to shaping legal frameworks and promoting responsible practices in contract farming worldwide. It has been published in English, Chinese, French, Portuguese and Spanish, making it accessible to diverse stakeholders across regions.

The anniversary event, held during the UNIDROIT Governing Council session, brought together legal experts, policy makers and development practitioners, including experts from FAO, to reflect on the Legal Guide’s impact and discuss its future relevance.

Opening remarks were delivered by Professor Ignacio Tirado, UNIDROIT Secretary-General, Dr. Guido Acquaviva, Deputy Legal Counsel at FAO, and Ms. Katherine Meighan, Chief Legal and Governance Officer at IFAD. Dr. Acquaviva highlighted the Legal Guide’s significance as “comparative law in action,” commending its ability to bridge diverse legal traditions with practical realities faced by producers and businesses in the agrifood sector. He also underscored the importance of impact assessments in countries such as Lesotho and Belize, where FAO has supported contract farming projects to identify best practices and lessons learned for future applications.

The following panel discussion was chaired by Professor Anna Veneziazno, Deputy Secretary General of UNIDROIT, and featured distinguished speakers, including Professor Henry D. Gabriel from UNIDROIT Governing Council (ad honorem), Ms. Carmen Bullon, Legal Officer at FAO, Professor Carlos A. da Silva, Agribusiness Development Consultant, Brazil, and Professor Letzadzo Isaac Kometsi, Dean, Faculty of Law, National University of Lesotho.

Ms. Bullon showcased FAO’s efforts in implementing the Legal Guide, emphasizing its influence on national legal frameworks and its role in promoting responsible contract farming across diverse contexts – from seed production initiatives in Central America to gender-sensitive legislation in Lesotho.

Professor Kometsi shared the experience and insights from Lesotho, where the Legal Guide informed the development of a contract farming model agreement, translated into Sesotho and adopted in a contract farming operation. It also served as the foundation for drafting a national legislation aimed at producer protection, gender equity and legal clarity.

The event reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to advancing sustainable agrifood systems across economic, legal, social and environmental dimensions. As the Legal Guide enters its second decade, FAO and its partners aim to expand its impact through continued collaboration, innovation and participatory country-led implementation.