FAO advocates family farms and highlights Brazil's efforts

As part of the World Food Day celebration on Thursday (Oct. 16), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) advocated strengthening family agriculture as an important part of ensuring global food security and sustainable rural development. Achieving this, according to the organization, requires investment in innovation to improve production and management practices with the aim of changing the reality of many of these farmers.

In a document released last month, FAO highlighted the fact that Brazil has fulfilled both the goal of halving the proportion of people who suffer from hunger – which is among the Millennium Development Goals – and that of halving the absolute number of hungry people as estimated in the 1996 World Food Summit. According to the organization, in the period 1990-1992, 14.8% of Brazilians were hungry. For the period 2012-2014, that rate dropped to 1.7%, which corresponds to 3.4 million people. According to FAO, this figure places the country among those that succeeded in overcoming the problem.

For FAO expert Anne Kepple, Brazil stands out as a role model thanks to a number of integrated public policies, including the Bolsa Família conditional cash transfer program, formal job creation, family farming incentives, the Food Purchase Program, and the National School Meals Program.

In the State of World Agriculture and Food, 2014: Innovation in Family Farming report published Thursday (16), the organization points out that family farming is by far the dominant form of agriculture in the world. “Estimates suggest that they occupy around 70–80 percent of farm land and produce more than 80 percent of the world’s food in value terms,” the document says. But despite the importance of these structures, many farmers live in poverty and food insecurity. To change this scenario, the organization recommends investing in innovation through new ideas, technologies, and processes.

However, there are differences between the properties and the reality of families in each country that must be taken into account so that this innovation is really effective. Moreover, public efforts should ensure investment in research, especially on themes relevant to crop variety, and provide guidance and training for farmers, as well as more inclusive underlying market structures.

Another important recommendation is encouraging the establishment of producers' cooperatives and community-based organizations. According to FAO, these community organizations can help overcome obstacles, drive innovation, and strengthen family farming towards reaching new markets and generating income.

Translated by Mayra Borges