The World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) has said there is an urgent need for governments and the international community alongside the private sector “to engage with farmers”.
According to the WFO this is vital to keep global agricultural trade open and to make the current system more “inclusive and fairer” for all farmers.
The organisation, which includes national farmers’ organisations and agricultural cooperatives from all over the world, said it had reached a “historic consensus” on a new policy position on international trade after a year of discussions.
“This significant milestone underscores the tremendous effort and commitment WFO members invested to advance a more inclusive, fair, and sustainable global trading system for agriculture,” it stated.
The organisation has called for a greater awareness of how global trade policy impacts on farmers’ ability to produce food, ensure food security and tackle climate change challenges.
“Trade, alongside domestic agriculture, and supported by effective domestic policies, delivers an opportunity to increase food security and sovereignty in a fair and sustainable manner, while contributing to economic prosperity and sustainable development,” the WFO added.
In its new policy position the organisation has made a number of recommendations, which it believes is necessary to “reinforce the global agricultural trading system”.
These include:
- Strengthening international standards to protect human, animal, and plant life and health;
- Eliminating unlawful protectionist measures;
- Encouraging capacity building for farmers and associated organisations;
- Investing in infrastructure development;
- Increasing the transparency and predictability of agricultural markets;
- Ensuring fair benefits for farmers from the opening of markets, and preventing the abuse of market power.
The WFO said its new policy position also highlights the key role that agriculture plays in relation to economies and the environment.
At the United Food Systems Summit in Rome last month the general secretary of the WFO, Arianna Giuliodori, said that it is important to remember that farmers are “the people in the food systems” and that a significant majority of them are family farmers.
She told the summit that producers continue to face significant challenges and highlighted the impact of high fertiliser prices which has a direct impact on farmers’ businesses and their livelihoods.