Mr. Chairman,
Mr. President,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Madam Chair, Honorable President,
Distinguished Governors and Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, one of the most important items on the world’s agenda is the issue of better management of scarce resources by making use of intellect, knowledge and science.

Feeding the ever increasing world population which is estimated to reach 9 billion by 2050 is the primary objective of agriculture. Besides, another significant mission of agriculture is to ensure environmental sustainability. Handing down a habitable world to the future generations is our principal responsibility, and this requires development of national, regional and international long-term strategies.

Smallholders having a key role in feeding the world population are the spine of the rural economy. They represent an important part of the agricultural population and should be given due consideration in terms of sustainable agriculture.

Small scale family farming still constitutes a large portion of agricultural production in Turkey. However, by means of recently adopted effective policies and measures, the impact of global challenges on our smallholders has reduced gradually.  The agriculture production tripled during the last decade and Turkey can be considered as a model in this sense.

The Agriculture strategy and action plan based on 5 main pillars namely; rural development, competitiveness and market access, producer-industry integration, producer organizations, food safety and security, constitute the basis for Turkey’s agricultural development.

The most important resource of sustainable agriculture is the farmers themselves. In this respect, Turkey recognizes the significance of investment in capacity building and makes use of various extension methods and information technologies to this end.

Approximately half of the women engaged in the workforce are employed in the agricultural sector. A number of initiatives aimed at encouraging women with a positive discrimination approach were put in place to further involve rural women in the workforce, increase their entrepreneurship and better their social status. The Rural Development Investments Support Program addressing rural challenges is being implemented for 5 years.

For the improvement of market access of the smallholders producers’, unions and commodity markets are encouraged. Land planning and consolidation projects are being implemented.

The main issue to be discussed and addressed in international terms is  how the success stories of the individual countries on easing the situation of the smallholders, can be conveyed to the countries in need through international initiatives.  

It is well known that the initiatives intended for smallholders require a significant amount of financial and human resources. Many countries of the world, particularly LDCs, are suffering from inadequate resources.  In this respect, international joint efforts are needed. The funds from various donors should be used in a more strategic and coordinated manner to avoid repetition in addressing the problems in a complimentary approach. 

The recently experienced global food crisis reiterated the importance of smallholders who are more resilient to the crisis situations with their continuous economic and ecological production. However, they have few chances to compete with the large scale enterprises in the long term unless they are effectively supported.

Investment in rural infrastructure to improve the living conditions of the smallholders in rural areas could be a solution to keep them in farming.

Finally, I would like to emphasize the significance of international joint actions and funding in this respect and reiterate Turkey’s commitment to both international and regional cooperation efforts aimed at ensuring agricultural sustainability.

Thank you.

Rome 23 February 2012