The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028 on 20 December 2017 in order to improve the position of family farmers in all five (5) continents. The declaration of the Decade ensures the continuity of the successful IYFF-2014 process by advancing the implementation of public policies and facilitating the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs. Now, it is up to us to successfully implement the Decade by seizing this enormous opportunity, the fruit of our labour.

The Decade for Family Farming is our opportunity to, collectively, achieve more and better public policies for Family Farming and defend existing ones; to be a major force behind the implementation of said policies; to make sure Family Farming is understood and recognized for its worth; to put people ahead of major interests; to build a better future in our rural areas and, also, in our cities.

Within this context, the WRF is organising its VI Global Conference on Family Farming entitled: "A Decade to improve the lives of Family Farmers". The event will be held between 25 and 30 March 2019 in the city of Derio-Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. It will bring together representatives from Farmers Organisations and other Civil Society organisations, Governments, International Organisations, Research Centres and Cooperatives from across the five continents.

The VI Global Conference on Family Farming (25-30 March 2019, Bilbao) will be a preparatory event of the launching of the Decade, to be held in Rome weeks later. Both occasions are part of a process to build a solid, multi-stakeholder and participatory Agenda for the Decade of Family Farming.

PARTICIPANTS

The meeting will bring together representatives from various governments, agricultural organizations, international organizations (such as FAO and IFAD), National Family Farming Committees, rural development associations, NGOs, cooperatives and research centers from all five continents together.

VI GLOBAL CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the VI Global Conference are as follows:

• Contribute to design the official Decade Agenda for the national, regional and global levels by developing quality inputs for the Action Plan of the Decade of Family Farming.
• Facilitate dialogue, new partnerships and the involvement of new actors in the Decade (governments, farmers organizations, international organizations, rural associations, cooperatives, research centers, other CSOs, etc), to promote the implementation of the above mentioned Agenda.
• Raise awareness on the fundamental importance of Family Farming for humanity and promote the Decade of Family Farming as a key tool for the SDGs fulfilment.
• Encourage the development and implementation of public policies in favor of Family Farming that contribute to the achievement of the Decade’s agenda within the SDG framework.
• Enhance mechanisms and platforms for policy dialogue, particularly the National Committees for Family Farming.
• Strengthen Family Farming organizations through exchanges of knowledge, information and experience.

DATES AND VENUE

Venue: The Conference will be held in the Hotel Seminario Bilbao, in Derio (Basque Country, Spain).

Dates: From 25 to 30 March 2019.

- For more information about the Conference, please write to: wrfconference@ruralforum.org

- For more information stay connected via www.ruralforum.org

GLOBAL CONFERENCES OF THE WRF

The 5th Global Conference of the WRF, entitled LET’S BUILD THE FUTURE: Family Farming was held in Derio, Biscay, in 2015 and paved the way to implementing the successful IYFF+10, an initiative that has led to the adoption of the Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028.