Advocacy on family farming is paying off

13-10-2014 In the International Year of Family Farming 2014 World Rural Forum, with support from a.o. Agriterra, has been able to set in motion huge groups of farmers organisations and other civil society organisations to focus on the important role of family farmers in world food security. Numerous governments have endorsed the importance of family farming. Laws are being adjusted to favour the position of family farmers in many countries.

The IYFF has already resulted in some remarkable results in the area of advocacy towards national governments. The IYFF-2014 has strengthened and/or created mechanisms of dialogue and negotiation in favour of Family Farming. Already 44 National Committees (NC) have been created worldwide: 15 in Africa, 16 in America, 5 in Asia, 8 in Europe and 1 in Oceania.

The intense agenda on Family Farming has contributed to the promotion of permanent dialogue and negotiation spaces between relevant stakeholders of civil society and government. This has resulted into law improvements within the framework of the IYFF-2014. For instance in Paraguay, where the work developed by the Specialized Meeting in Family Farming (REAF), the advocacy activity of civil society throughout the years and the special boost of the IYFF-2014 resulted in the Decree 1056 including the Presidential Law on public procurement of food products from family farmers. Likewise, the Colombia Ministerial Resolution 267 provides for the launching of a Family Farming Programme, officially establishing the family farming concept along with a technical committee for the sector. A budget of €217,240,000 will be allocated to the implementation of this programme. This resolution is a very important step in the advocacy strategy of organizations to continue their activity at the local, departmental and national levels in favour of Family Farming.

The intense advocacy activity has also resulted in some cases in the improvement of the governmental commitment to support Family Farming. The role of the National Committees are absolutely key in this. For instance in Argentina, the government has issued Decree 1030/2014 providing for the establishment of a State Secretariat for Family Farming. Derived from the Family Farming Programme set in Colombia, the government has established a fund called Fondo de Gobernanza Rural, which will be the main funding instrument of the programme. In Burkina Faso, the Ministry of Agriculture has promised a budget allocation to strengthen Family Farming during the forthcoming planting season. The government of Nepal has allocated special subsidies totaling €78.000 for the promotion of family farming in 2014. An increase in national agricultural budget is also in negotiation.