Berlin Green Week’14: WFO says resilience, the keyword

NaijaAgroNet

The Executive Director, World Food Organisation (WFO-OMA) Mr. Marco Marzano, has said that resilience is the keyword the Berlin Green Week 2014 gets underway within the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA), NaijaAgroNet reports.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the International Green Week in Berlin, which began at the weekend, would last till January 26, 2014 is reputed as the world's biggest fair for food, agriculture and horticulture.

Marzano also disclosed that the commencement of Global Forum for Food and Agriculture that it represents a unique opportunity for different stakeholders of the agricultural sector, including government representatives, United Nations (UN) agencies, governmental development agencies,  to meet and discuss about the latest challenges affecting the sector.

“This year title, Empowering Agriculture: Fostering Resilience – Securing Food and Nutrition, already contains the seed of a possible solution for overcoming some of the threats,” Marzano said, stressing that resilience is the keyword, adaptation the way out.

“We all work for having food and nutrition security as the final result” the Executive Director said.

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'7 ways to promote family farming and rural development'

NaijaAgroNet:

The goodwill ambassador for the International Year of Family Farming for the World Farmers Organisation (WFO), Mr Ger Sonnleitner, has outlined some Seven ways to promote family farming and rural development, NaijaAgroNet reports.

The two day conference on family farming in Brussels, according to NaijaAgroNet reports is on “Regional Dialogue on Family Farming: Working towards a strategic approach to promote food security and nutrition.”

The conference is organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the World Farmer’s Organisation (WFO), the World Rural Forum (WRF), and the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA).

The event taking place in the framework of the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) NaijaAgroNet gathered is the final conference in a series of five held to increase knowledge on the state of family farming, the challenges and the actions and policies needed.

Additionally, NaijaAgroNet reports that the regional dialogue on family farming is a multi-stakeholder initiative aimed at identifying best practices in family farming as well as policies and practices in support of family farming around the world.

The year, NaijaAgroNet gathered will serve as a catalyst in the creation of a multi-stakeholder dialogue that will continue after the IYFF comes to an end in order to keep family farming high on the international agenda.

Mr Gerd Sonnleitner, representative of the World Farmers’ Organisation, spoke at the opening ceremony of the conference, and highlighted seven points that are deemed to be fundamental in order to ensure rural development around the world.

He listed good governance, enabling rural development through capacity development programmes for farmers, pointing out that rural development must be a central point on the international development agenda, just as there must be a specific support measures for small farmers aimed at making their farming activities more profitable.

Equally, he advocated for “economically and politically independent farmers’ organizations” stressing that modernization of farming, and a subsequent increase in production, and positive effects on food insecurity cannot be over-emphasised, just as a local and regional focus of rural development programs, and keeping in mind that one size does not fit all, are imperative.

“In this moment of crisis, family farming represents a flexible model, able to adapt to changing contexts and emerging challenges such as climate change, price volatility, and the marginalization of farmers in the value chain,” he said.

Insisting that if all work together and promote this model of farming, the issue of food security will no longer be a global problem.

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Bali ’13: WFO urges political leaders on increasing trade systems

NaijaAgroNet:

As the city of Bali hosts the 9^th World Trade Organisation (WTO’s) ministerial conference, the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) has urged the political leaders of trade to give new momentum to the multilateral trading system, in order to throw-up new balance of trade that is transparent, reports NaijaAgroNet.

“Farmers from throughout the world today called on leaders attending the WTO ministerial in Bali this week to give new momentum to trade talks by reaching a balanced agreement and a clear work programme to ensure a fair, predictable and transparent trading system” says the Marco Marzano, executive director, WFO.

This was the main message of the WFO at their side event held in Bali, Tuesday, during the Trade and Development Symposium, which is being held in parallel with the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference.

The panel of the session featured: Bruce Wills, President of Federated Farmers of New Zealand, Henri Brichart, Vice-President, National Federation of Agricultural Holders’ Unions (FNSEA), Ron Bonnett, President-Canadian Federation of Agriculture.

For Bonnett, the international trade is one important way of evening out supply and demand imbalances, but more work is needed if farmers are to meet future demand for food around the world. The World Farmers’ Organisation believes that an agreement on terms of trade at a multilateral level is the best way to ensure the greatest benefits for the widest population and strongly supports the World Trade Organization. 

According to him, it is not only important that the Ministerial tackles some long-standing trade problems but also look for solutions to new challenges, such as the increasing concern about food security, in ways which do not result in trade distortions.”

“The WFO's trade policy position was adopted by farmers’ organizations from Africa, Asia, North America, Latin America, Europe and Oceania in April 2013 – added World Farmers’ Organisation - . The WFO is committed to the pursuit of ambitious trade policy objectives guided by basic principles which ensure that farmers throughout the world can fulfil their wider economic, social and environmental role and that the special needs of the least developing countries are taken into account. 

WFO is also calling for action to reinforce the global trading systems by strengthening international standards, reducing protectionist measures, encouraging capacity building, increased transparency and predictability of agricultural markets, and ensure farmers benefit from the opening of markets. The WFO calls on world leaders in Bali to set out a clear work program for 2014 which will ensure concrete progress in this direction”.

“We welcome the conclusion of the agreement, a clear sign of another step forward in ensuring a more balanced and transparent trade system also for farmers," the group emphasised.

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Family farming, organizational model to overcome food crisis - WFO

NaijaAgroNet:

The family farm represents the backbone of agriculture all over the world according to the World Farmers' Organisation (OMA-WFO) during an intervention at the conference tagged "Family farming: A dialogue towards more sustainable and resilient farming in Europe and the world," reports NaijaAgroNet.

The forum was sponsored by the European Commission which was held in Brussels within the context of the "International Year of Family Farming."

Luis Miguel Etchevehere, WFO Board Member, Marco Marzano de Marinis, WFO Executive Director and Cinzia Pagni, represented WFO jointly reaffirmed to NaijaAgroNet the active role of the organization in the framework of the global initiative of the United Nations scheduled for the year 2014.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that with FAO and other organizations such as the World Rural Forum, WFO actively participation in the International Steering Committee for the International Year of Family Farming, the aim of achieving the goals set by the UN. 

Family farming, NaijaAgroNet reports, plays an important role among the nearly 60 members of the WFO coming from 44 different countries.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that in some countries, such as Belgium, Ghana, Norway and Sweden, family farming represents the quasi entirety of the agricultural sector, while in others, such as Switzerland, United Kingdom (UK), Finland, Ireland, Uganda, Australia constitutes 95 per cent of the agricultural production.

Globally, WFO says, family farming represents the principal organizational model in agriculture.

Family farming, therefore, represents an important opportunity for the economy; some countries already implemented policies to support family farming, while in other countries more work needs to be done. 

In addition, NaijaAgroNet learnt that among WFO members, the UK, Finland and Switzerland have highlighted the need for measures to enhance competitiveness and reduce the dependency from the European funds of the CAP for example. On the other hand, some countries are asking for more funds directed to specific countries, such as Albania, South Africa and Ghana, or better access to credit, such as Uganda.

According to WFO’s Cinzia Pagni, they are aware of the difficulties faced by family farmers, namely the limited access to credit, marginal position in the value chain, lack of infrastructure, limited access to information, and a marginalized role in international fora and development agendas, hence “WFO considers the 2014 International Year of Family Farming as an excellent opportunity to reposition family farming on the top of national, regional, and international development agendas.”

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Fish Center, WFO sign MoU on food security

NaijaAgroNet:

The World Fish Center (WFC) and World Farmer’s Organisation (WFO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote food security and rural development, reports NaijaAgroNet. 

The WFO, NaijaAgroNet gathers is an assemblage of national farmers’ organisations and agricultural cooperatives in 44 countries in order to represent and safeguard global food security, the environment as well as the socio-economic wealth of rural communities. On the other hand, the WFC, an international scientific research center part of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) involved in promoting sustainable fishing and safeguarding water resources.

NaijaAgroNet reports that WFO Executive Director, Marco Marzano de Marinis, described the MoU between WFO and WFC as efforts at supporting agricultural organisations, with the firm belief that farmers and fishermen are a fundamental resource for global food security, rural development, and, in general, for global development.

“Farmers are the main investors in their sector, thus they have to be involved in any strategy aimed at raising their incomes and promoting this sector. Thus, farmers need better policies and a normative framework which includes economic incentives,” Marco Marzano said.

NaijaAgroNet notes that farmers and fishermen are fundamental resources for global food security and rural development. A 10-year agreement has been signed to strengthen their partnership as well as cooperate to develop projects and programs aimed at supporting farmers through learning and development initiatives. The activities will consist of mutual planning and support in research, promotion through conferences, seminars, workshops, but especially the development of common policies and advocacy strategies.

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