Regional Launch of the Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028

From August 25th to 27th 2019, Dominican Republic

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BACKGROUND

The last twenty years in Latin America and the Caribbean were marked by the emergence and recognition
of family farming as a key sector for achieving sustainable rural development, including the eradication of
poverty, hunger and all forms of malnutrition, in addition to the preservation of natural resources and
biodiversity.
At both regional and national levels, various spaces for political dialogue emerged as mechanisms that
allowed the creation of agreements to promote family farming, emphasizing the importance of
influencing collectively in the design of differentiated policies.
Many countries experienced the design and, in some cases, the implementation of new institutional
architectures and public policies. However, even when interesting advances have been made, family
farming is a sector that still faces important challenges related with the 2030 Agenda.
During the two last decades, we have observed that the Region has grown at a good pace, governments
have demonstrated a political commitment to the eradication of hunger and poverty, however we are in
a moment of inflection facing complex challenges to achieve the sustainable development.
This opportunity presented by the Decade shows the possibility to renew commitments, promote new
strategies and the necessary changes to respond to both old and new challenges.
Facing this complex scenario, a critical question emerges:

What are the new proposals for family farming regarding the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for
sustainable development?

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Even though this question has already being asked among social movements, academics and policy
makers, the answer is still under construction and there is a relative consensus on the need to renew the
action strategy in a more systemic and less sectoral way.

The recent approval of the Decade of Family Farming by the United Nations Assembly offers an
extraordinary opportunity to contribute significantly to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development in an inclusive, collaborative and coherent manner, taking into account the
multidimensionality of family farming.

The link with the environmental, health and nutrition dimensions, the fight against poverty and inequality,
the strengthening of the social structure in rural territories and the revitalization of the economies
demand to be better known and explored. This should contribute to the renewal of the narrative and
development strategy of family farming and, likewise, to the promotion of innovation strategies that
effectively drive transformative changes in the rural world. The new policies must increasingly take into
account the vision of multiple actors and functions of the rural world, including more explicitly the private
sector, which has been excluded from this dialogue. Without it, the achievement of the SDGs will be very
difficult.

The decade aims to recognize the importance of family farmers and

empower them as key agents of change in the transformation of food
systems, making them more efficient and sustainable. The multiple
objectives of the Decade can be achieved through integrated actions
supported by coherent and intersectoral policies that address the
environmental, economic and social dimensions of rural development
and in emergency, peace and development recovery contexts, putting
people in the territorial development center.

ABOUT THE EVENT

During the Regional Launch of the Decade of Family Farming, stakeholders will seek to renew the
commitment to the sector, reaffirm the bases for the generation of a transformative work agenda
promoting sustainable development processes that contribute to the eradication of hunger and poverty,
and the creation of a more just, inclusive and prosperous region.

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PURPOSE OF THE EVENTO
Promote and build in a participatory manner the necessary agreements for the implementation of the
Decade of Family Farming.

PARTICIPANTS
 Ministers of Agriculture of the region or Representatives from Government Institutions linked to
Family Farming
 Representatives of Family Farming organizations, youth, women and indigenous peoples
organizations
 Parliamentarians members of national congresses and regional bodies
 Representatives of academic institutions
 Representatives of the private business and cooperative sector
 Officers from Non-Governmental Organizations of Cooperation
 Officers from Agencies and Organizations of the United Nations System