By Barbara Ekwall, Senior Liaison Officer, FAO/Washington
It is with great pleasure that we let you know that the videos featuring the key-note speeches and panel discussions held at the World Food Day event on 22 October 2014 in Washington, DC, are now available. The event “Feeding the World, Caring for the Earth – Family Farming in the 21st Century” was organized by FAO, in collaboration with National Geographic. It brought together government officials, civil society organizations, academia, farmers and representative from the private sector to discuss the role of family farming in feeding the world and as stewards of the environment, on a planet that by 2050 will be the home of 9 billion people.
Family farming: the international dimension
We were privileged to have the 2014 World Food Prize Laureate, Dr Sanjaya Rajaram, as key-note speaker addressing the international dimension of family farming. Dr Rajaram has the unique distinction of breeding the largest number of varieties of wheat in the world. Today, more than 500 improved wheat varieties planted across the globe stand testimony to his remarkable feat. They are all freely accessible to farmers, researchers and seed producers.
In his address, the World Food Prize winner stressed that access to technology helps lift farmers out of poverty. “We cannot differentiate technology used by big farms from the technology needed by small-scale farmers. If smallholders are going to remain with current technologies, we are preaching poverty to perpetuity,” he said. There are hundreds of inventions at the community level which can be applied to improve the conditions of small farmers, from improving seeds locally to water harvesting.
Dr Rajaram highlighted several technologies that are ready to be scaled up, such as a new variety of hill maize introduced in Nepal with support from USAID, hybrid maize planted in Toluca valley in Mexico, urea deep placement in rice fields, micronutrient fortification of grains, and a tool to address boron deficiencies in Bangladesh, developed with support from USDA and the University of Missouri.
What is his vision for the future? Dr Rajaram’s recommendations are clear: we need to reduce the agricultural footprint, grow on the existing farmland, use resources more efficiently, shift diets and reduce waste. We are pleased that this important presentation is now available to the broader public as video and as PowerPoint presentation.
Dr Rarajam’s speech informed the discussion of the first panel of the event, which focused on the international dimension of family farming. As governments, companies and NGOs look to feed people in 2050, they are faced with a paradox: family farms are the most efficient in terms of yields, but not income.
Devry Boughner Vorwerk of Cargill, Inc., journalist Roger Thurow, Jakob Skoet of FAO, Christopher Hegadorn of the US State Department and moderator Kaitlin Yarnall of National Geographic all discussed the important – but not always recognized – role of family farmers, the challenges they face and strategies that strengthen their contribution to food security and protection of the environment. This includes better access to markets, giving women equal access to credit and opportunities and helping governments establish a policy environment that allows smallholders to flourish.
The keyword of this panel was “change:” farming has changed, society is changing, technology is evolving rapidly, innovations and new management practices provides new opportunities. The role of family farming too is changing: It will become even more important in the future. “If small-scale farmers are successful, so will we” as one of the panelists said. Please watch this interesting panel discussion here.
Family farmers in the US face different challenges
In the United States, the situation for small-scale farmers is different: with an aging farmer population and continuous loss of farmland, new approaches to growing food and developing rural communities are on the rise as well. Elanor Starmer, National Coordinator and Advisor for Local and Regional Food Systems at the US Department of Agriculture, provided the key-note speech that discussed family farming in the US. She noted that 90% of all US farms are small-scale.
USDA’s work aims to bridge the divide between rural and urban communities at a time when the rural population has, for the first time in US history, declined in absolute terms. According to the USDA 2012 agricultural census, the number of medium sized farms has decreased, while the number of large and small ones has increased, and so has the number of Hispanic, African-American and younger farmers. “Very few people farm in the US and very few people have ever set foot on a farm, but we need help to connect these communities and recognize their interdependence,” Starmer said. This presentation was a steep learning curve for many of those participating at the World Food Day event. We are pleased that this informative presentation is now online.
The second panel focusing on family farming in the US was moderated by Asma Lateef of Bread for the World Institute. It discussed ways to make farming more attractive to young people. Jake Carter, a family farmer, Roger Johnson of the National Farmers Union, Chris Policinski, CEO of Land O’Lakes, Inc, Hannah Smith-Brubaker, a family farmer and Elanor Starmer of USDA all agreed that American farmers in the coming decades will be dealing with a myriad of challenges, including the threat of climate change and volatile crop prices.
The speakers agreed that consumers must better understand the increasing challenges their food providers are facing and recognize how intricately connected farmers and consumers are. When people understand and value the origins of their food and the challenges in production, we will be able to move forward to ensure people are fed nutritious food and family farmers are able to carry on their work in economic stability.
One word that came up several times during the panel discussion was “inclusion.” We need all sizes, types and models of farms, and we need to be inclusive with regards to all the options available in science, technology and management practices. In the words of one of the panellists: “We need them all.” To watch this interesting panel discussion, please click here.
Farming is more than an economic activity
FAO's State of Food and Agriculture 2014 focused on family farming
As noted by one of the family farmers: “Farming is in the blood. It is a passion. You can’t explain why you become a farmer.” However, to succeed in their important mission, farmers also need a conducive environment in terms of infrastructure, access to markets, research, policies and safety nets. The outlook of the discussion at the World Food Day event is a positive one: Family farmers are efficient. They have demonstrated their capacity to adapt, to change farming practices, to diversify their activities and sources of income. And they are passionate about the work they do. There is definitively a future for family farming.
For further information about the World Food Day event of October 22, 2014, click here.
For further reading, see also FAO’s publication “2014 The State of Food and Agriculture – Innovation in family farming.”