The Brazilian Minister of Agricultural Development, Paulo Teixeira, sees IICA playing a critical role at G20, by ensuring that the voice of family farmers is heard
Berlin, 23 January 2024 (IICA) – According to Paulo Teixeira, Brazil’s Minister of Agricultural Development and Family Farming, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) stands to play an important role at G20 this year, by ensuring that the views of Latin American countries and the needs of their millions of family farmers are heard. Brazil has assumed the 2024 Presidency of this forum, which brings together the world’s 20 largest economies.
The G20 is considered one of the premier forums for international economic cooperation and its discussions address the most pressing issues on the global agenda, such as food security and agriculture.
Teixeria explained that, “IICA has extensive experience in family farming and family farming represents a significant component of the sector in most Latin American and Caribbean countries, even in those with major industrial production”.
The Brazilian minister was speaking in Berlin, where he and other Latin American colleagues were attending the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA), organized by the German government.
The event was attended by government officials, members of international organizations and experts from around the world, to discuss how to strengthen agrifood systems and coordinate efforts to achieve the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs).
Also taking part in the proceedings at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) was the Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero. He too agreed that including the perspective of family farmers in the G20 agenda would be a monumental achievement, given that this forum provides a sounding board for the most significant global debates.
“Not only do family farmers produce food for the basic food basket, but they are also the custodians of biodiversity and the providers of ecosystem services. They, more than anyone else, have the knowledge to protect our resources. The region’s 60 million family farmers account for 64% of the hemisphere’s agricultural employment”, said Otero, who expressed IICA’s commitment to play its part in ensuring the success of Brazil’s G20 Presidency.
As an organization focusing on agricultural development and rural well-being in the Americas, IICA has prioritized the strengthening of family farming in its technical cooperation efforts. Therefore, it works closely with the countries to foster agricultural competitiveness, ecosystem sustainability, and climate mitigation and adaption in rural areas, as well as to curb rural flight and migration.
The need for integration
“Combatting climate requires extensive integration and the sharing of solutions and experiences. All of this will affect family farmers. Given that IICA has developed a close relationship with this sector, through its technical cooperation projects throughout the region, this will undoubtedly be beneficial to us as we discuss the challenges we face”, maintained Teixeira.
As the country holding the Presidency of G20 this year, Brazil will establish the agenda of technical events and ministerial conferences, culminating in the Rio de Janeiro Summit in November, which will bring together the heads of State and Government of the world’s major economies to discuss key issues on the global agenda.
As such, Brazil has announced that the fight to eradicate hunger, poverty and inequality will be a priority on the G20 agenda, as will the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental development.
With more than 600 million production units and an output that accounts for almost 80% of the world’s food, family farming plays an incomparable role. This sector is the mainstay of food and nutrition security in Latin America and the Caribbean and is also a strategic sector for the production of alternative energy.
To reinforce the latter role, the Brazilian government announced that it will update the Social Biofuel Seal, which guarantees that half of all purchases of this product come from family farming.
“IICA’s participation in G20 is extremely important, because it conveys the Latin American experience”, said Teixeira. “We saw this at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture in Berlin, where many countries in the region were present, including the Mercosur nations: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. IICA expressed the views of those who were not present. Therefore, IICA is the spokesperson for many Latin American countries that have a rich family farming heritage, whose perspectives the Institute has the capacity to bring together”.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int