The agriculture ministers from the Group of Eight (G8) industrialised countries met on 18-20 April 2009 in Treviso, Italy, in the context of the current financial and food crisis.

The meeting aimed to identify a common strategy to address the issue of food price volatility and limit the impact of future world food crises.

The agriculture ministers of the G5 countries - Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa – and those of Argentina, Australia and Egypt joined the meeting.

The President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Kanayo F. Nwanze, participated along with the heads of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), the High Level Task Force on food security, the World Bank, the Organization for Cooperation and Economic Development, the African Union and the European Union Commission.

Nwanze addressed a working session of the meeting on Sunday 19 April and emphasized that agriculture is not an emergency intervention to be turned to in times of need; instead it is the key to food security and a fundamental engine to generate economic growth and wealth and achieve Millennium Development Goal 1.

Nwanze, prior to attending the meeting said: “Smallholder agriculture is key to sustainable development in poor nations. We must challenge our leaders to pay greater attention to the most crucial sector of national economies. And I believe that the G8 Agriculture Ministers meeting in Treviso this weekend is an important step in carving out this new pivotal role for agriculture for both developed and developing countries."