Sustainability in Action: Family Farming

By Roberta Attanasio

There are many family farms in the world, farms based on rural activities managed and operated by a family — they deserve our support for their contribution to the global food system and are now a recognized reason for celebration worldwide. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that there are about 500 million of these farms on our planet.

The FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said in his statement of November 22, 2013 “Family farmers rely mainly on family labor. Many times they have little more than their own physical strength to harvest the land. They usually run non-specialized, diversified agricultural activities that give them a central role in securing environmental sustainability and preserving biodiversity. Because of all this, nothing comes closer to the sustainable food production paradigm than family farming. And throughout the world, family farmers have a huge productive potential. A potential that, in many cases, has yet to be reached.”

Perhaps, the most significant expression of appreciation of family farming by the FAO Director-General is “But, strangely enough, family farmers are amongst the world’s most vulnerable population. Let’s not forget that over 70 percent of the food insecure population live in rural areas of developing countries. The truth is that, in many cases, family farmers were transformed into the subject of social policies. They were considered a problem to be solved. That is the mindset we need to change. Family farmers are not part of the problem. On the contrary. They are part of the solution for food security and sustainable development.”

Last week, the United Nations launched the 2014 International Year of Family Farming, which aims to focus worldwide attention on family farmers and indentify effcient strategies for supporting them.