IFAP Statement: G-8 Billions Investment must be focused on smallholder farmers

Paris: If agricultural investment strategies are to prove effective in the long-term, all investments must be made in developing country farmers’ organisations directly and not be funnelled through international agencies or national governments. The press report by IFAP signed by its president Ajay Vashee, says there must be genuine trust in farmers’ organisations to coordinate aid flows and take innovative approaches towards entrepreneurial private sector development which implies risks but presents the best opportunities for success.

G8 leaders’ $15bn funding commitments at L’Aquila represent a crucial step forward in addressing the causes of world hunger. However, investment should not be done the same way as in the past. Investment must be focused on farmers, especially small-holder farmers, both men and women, since they are at the heart of the solution to world food security.

The International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) held a meeting of G14 farmers’ organizations in Treviso, Italy on April 17, transmitting an open letter to the Hon. Luca Zaia, Minister of Agriculture of Italy and Chair of the G8 Agriculture Ministers Meeting. This letter states: “There is a need for a radical shift in thinking that places the farmer at the centre of sound and sustainable agricultural systems. Policies are needed that create employment, protect eco-systems, deliver fair prices for safe and nutritious food for consumers and allow farmers a fair return for their work”.

IFAP, together with AgriCord and the Dutch Government, has developed a revolutionary program called ‘Farmers Fighting Poverty,’ which is a comprehensive effort to support producer organisations throughout the world. The billions that are being committed to agriculture in L’Aquila should be devoted to stakeholder capacity-building programmes such as this.

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For more information on this article contact;

Neil Sorensen

Communications Coordinator

International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP)

60, rue Saint Lazare, 75009 Paris, France

Tel: +33-1-45-26-05-53

Mobile: +33-6-27-18-37-27

Fax: +33-1-48-74-72-12

E-mail: neil.sorensen@ifap.org