FAO Conference

Rome, 19-26 November 2005

 

Speech by IFAP President Jack Wilkinson on 22 November

 

I stand before you as the President of IFAP and a farmer from Canada. IFAP is an organisation representing 110 national farmers’ organisations, from both the developed and the developing countries. I wish to speak to you on how the last few years appear to many of us as farmers.

 

At the international level, we have seen support to agriculture diminish from 28 billion to approximately 10 billion U.S. dollars. As farmers, we have lost many of our marketing structures, many of our marketing co-operatives have collapsed - in a world where the food chain has become increasingly dominated by multinationals who have not displayed a good track record in paying farmers fair prices. Many of our farmers are not even connected to the market. They do not have roads, electricity, water infrastructure and, in some cases, do not have clear title to their land. Some national governments tax farm inputs and others tax their exports. So there is much to do at the national level in order to improve the lot of farmers.

 

But this meeting is not to talk about the national governments in developing countries but rather to talk about what will FAO and the donor nations do? The FAO plan although it does speak of and to farmers and their organizations, it does not place them at the centre of its strategy. We will not improve the situation of producers and see growth in the agricultural sector if farmers are struggling in markets where they are not equal partners.

 

FAO must forge a new strong partnership with farmers similar to that being developed at IFAD and the World Bank. We have over a billion individuals who are not even active in their national markets let alone in the regional and the international markets.

 

The international community agrees that agriculture is key to eradicate hunger and poverty.  There has been conference after conference and declarations of good intentions. The international community has agreed to increase Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) to the agricultural sector to 0.7% of GDP; national governments of developing countries (Africa) have pledged to increase budgetary allocations to agriculture up to 10% of their national budgets. But, even though agriculture is recognized as crucial, farmers do not see much evidence of this on the ground. We need a dramatic change of approach as the current system is simply not working.

FAO has talked of reform, in 1994, 1999 and now in 2005, yet very little has occurred to date. The problems are extremely serious. Farmers must become the centre of FAO’s strategy, a new relationship must be established or we will be in the same place in six years from now. The world has seen too much talk; it is now time for action!

 

Worldwide farmers represented by IFAP are offering to collaborate with the FAO to put together their knowledge and experience. IFAP and its 110 national member organisations of family farmers are ready to engage with FAO in a more structured partnership to facilitate the mobilization of the energies of small-scale family farmers to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In a policy document, IFAP has put forward fifteen concrete actions needed to achieve food security and eradicate rural poverty.  Building partnerships and focusing development efforts on people and their organisations are part of these actions.

 

While the FAO is discussing this reform, it is important to stress what farmers expect from the FAO and national governments in order to progress and see concrete changes over the coming years.  We have to move from statements to programs, from speeches to concrete actions. Farmers expect their governments to not only make speeches about reaching the MDGs, but also to take action.

 

We wish to pledge our commitment to this cause and take action together.

 

Thank you very much for your attention.