The fight against hunger forges ahead around the world, but with about 805 million people who still do not have enough to eat, a lot remains to be done.
Sixty-three developing countries have already reached the Millennium Development Goal hunger target of halving the proportion of chronic undernourishment by 2015. What their stories tell us is that to win the war against hunger we needpolitical commitment, a holistic approach, social participation and family farming.
Throughout the world, family farmers play a crucial socio-economic, environmental and cultural role which, amid serious challenges, needs to be cherished and strengthened through innovation.
The theme of this year’s World Food Day also celebrates the contribution family farmers make to food security and sustainable development: they feed the world and care for the earth. The facts presented in FAO’s annual State of Food and Agriculture report clearly justify the emphasis being placed on family farming.
Around 500 million of the world’s 570 million farms are run by families. They are the main caretakers of our natural resources. As a sector, they form the world’s largest employer, supply more than 80 percent of the world’s food in terms of value. Yet many family farmers, especially subsistence producers, are part of the 70 percent of the world’s food-insecure population who live in rural areas. This means that family farmers still have a great potential they can fulfill with the right support.
Family farming and the support it receives need to adjust in ways that can respond to changing conditions. Innovation is key to make this happen: family farmers need to innovate in the systems they use; governments need to innovate in the specific policies they implement to support family farming; producers’ organizations need to innovate to respond better to the needs of family farmers; and research and extension institutions need to innovate by shifting from a research-driven process predominantly based on technology transfer, to an approach that enables and rewards innovation by family farmers themselves.
When family farmers are stronger, it is a win-win situation: more food available locally translates into more food security andinto the possibility of producing and buying food for and in local markets. In turn, this means fresher and healthier meals that respect local culture and values local foods, contributes to better nutrition and makes more money flow in local economies helping them flourish. When we combine productive support to social protection and other public support such as better access to health facilities and schools, we can create a truly virtuous sustainable development cycle.
In the joint effort to promote environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive economic growth, women and the youth deserve special attention. Women play a crucial, yet not always duly recognized role throughout the food system. At the same time, we need to stem the exodus of the rural youth through their entrepreneurial potential.
As we rapidly approach the deadline of the Millennium Development Goals, we are also working together to forge the sustainable, hunger-free future we want. Family farmers are protagonists in this effort.
By José Graziano da Silva
Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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