The New Global Development Agenda Beyond 2015: The Role of Family Farming Presentation at 27 th meeting of ACP-EU Economic and Social Interest Groups, organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on October 2014 in Brussels, Belgium 1 By Dyborn C. Chibonga Member of EESC Follow-up Committee Chief Executive Officer NASFAM

Overview of Presentation 1.Introduction: Smallholder and Family Farming 2.Critical Challenges in the Agricultural Sector 3.The 2014 International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) 4.The new Global Development Agenda 2015 and Family Farms 5.Conclusion 2

1. Introduction: Smallholder and Family Farming 70% of the people living in poverty around the world live in rural areas and depend largely on smallholder agriculture for their livelihood. According to FAO, there are an estimated 500 million family farms across the developed and developing world. These farms produce the food that feeds billions of people, and represent up to 80% of all farm holdings. Smallholders and family farms play an important role in agriculture Providing food and nutrition security for the growing world population, Creating and preserving jobs in rural areas, Stemming the rural-urban migration Preserving Bio-diversity. 3

Global Challenges  Climate Change  Insufficient Capital  Rising Cost of Production (COP)  Access to Markets. Challenges of Smallholder Farmers  Acc ess to Land  Low Productivity  Ineffective farming techniques – Traditional Subsistence Practices  Inadequate Access to Agricultural Extension  Low Adoption of New Technologies  Wasteful Post-harvest Practices – Affects Quality and Safety of Food  Poor Market Participation Critical Challenges in the Agricultural Sector

3. The 2014 International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) United Nations General Assembly of December 22, 2011, at its 76th Session officially declared 2014 the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) in recognition of the role and plight of family farming. Putting high on agenda in the development discourse on the role of smallholder and family agriculture. Places emphasis on family farming as a model of sustainable production. Contrary to popular belief, family farms have been flexible, innovative and adaptive to markets and rapid economic and institutional changes. 5

6 Moreover, in addition to contributing to global food and nutrition security, Family Farms are a factor of preservation and conservation of traditional local food and Balance of agricultural biodiversity through the sustainable use of natural resources. If well supported by policies driven by social protection, and if the farmers’ skills are enhanced, family farming can help to boost local and regional economies.

4. The new Global Development Agenda 2015 and Family Farms The new Global Development Agenda 2015 should recognise that ending hunger and poverty requires recognition that family farming should be central. However, it should not just stop at the level of that recognition, but rather it should go further to provide guidelines on how the family farming can efficiently and effectively produce food for the global populace. States and Governments must create the enabling environment and provide all necessary support for the farmers to invest in their farming businesses. The Family Farming holds the key towards poverty alleviation and socio-economic development. 7

8 Reports by World Bank have shown that Agriculture growth has high economic pay-off and high poverty reduction pay-off (World Bank World Development Report, 2007). According to IFPRI, agriculture growth, as opposed to growth in general, is typically found to be the primary source of poverty reduction (IFPRI, 2007). However, there can never be agriculture growth in the first place without production, and the family farmers are behind production of food, fibre, fodder and fuel crops, as well as livestock (including fisheries). The Family Farmers will be vital in the new Global Development Agenda 2015 for poverty eradication because their business, agriculture, is proven to be at least twice as effective as other production sectors in the prevention of poverty.

9 In most developing countries, and even in developed countries, the Family Farmers are now joining forces and are working in organised groups such as Associations, Cooperatives or Farmers Clubs for collective action and to defend their rights to land, seeds, water and food. This is proving to be an important strategy, not only towards achieving economies of scale, but also ensuring that farmers are able to access Rural Advisory Services, Extension and Capacity Building Services in value addition. Consequently, most of the organised farming groups are now investing in produce aggregation, warehouse receipting systems and agro-processing in their rural set up, thus creating more jobs and providing markets to farmers to sell their commodities within easy reach as they move up the agriculture value chain. In this regard, the new Global Development Agenda 2015 should not have far to look in efforts to ending unemployment; the Family Farming can play that role.

10 With increasing changes in climate, the next Global Development Agenda will put emphasis on Sustainable Development, and in this connection, the Family Farming will play a significant role. Family Farming, besides being a source of genetic agro-diversity, can ensure their preservation through seed varieties and native livestock breeds well adapted to various environments. Finally, the Family Farming will have a critical role to play in reducing the impact of climate change through adoption of Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) practices. By its very nature, Family Farming has to preserve and conserve soil and water for it to be sustainable. However, as the world is embarking on the fight against climate change, it is surprising to note that the global debates on climate change are ignoring the role agriculture can play in reducing the effects of climate change. Much as greenhouse gasses (GHG) from agriculture contribute substantially to global emissions, there is huge potential for CSA to play a significant role in climate change adaptation and mitigation to contribute to reducing GHG emissions.

The world is facing critical development challenges ranging from food shortages, malnutrition, food safety, food losses and food waste to high levels of poverty, high unemployment rates, and climate change. The global community is geared towards ensuring that the upcoming Global Development Agenda builds on the successes, and lessons from the Millennium Development Goals. The role of Family Farming in the next Development Agenda ought to be well positioned because of the direct and practical implications it has on food security, climate change, sustainable development and also in ending hunger, malnutrition and creating jobs for the rural populace. Therefore, the new Global Development Agenda has to strategically position the role of Family Farming in its theoretical and strategic framework which UN Member States will adopt after Conclusion

Thank You! 12