2022–2023 Regional Farmers' Forum Meetings

Gearing up for the 2024 Global Farmers' Forum: an overview of the key outcomes of the 2022–2023 Regional Farmers' Forum Meetings

Established in 2005, the Farmers’ Forum (FAFO) is a unique bottom-up process of consultation and dialogue between organizations of small-scale farmers and rural producers (including pastoralists and fishers) collectively known as farmers’ organizations (FOs), IFAD and governments. The consultation and dialogue are focused on agricultural and rural development, and poverty reduction. The FAFO is led by a Steering Committee composed of IFAD staff and representatives of nine global and regional FOs from all over the world. Since 2016, the FAFO process has been regionalized; thus, global meetings now alternate with regional meetings in each of the five IFAD regions of operations. This change was in line with IFAD’s reform agenda and process of decentralization.

During the last months of 2022 and the first months of 2023, the second cycle of the Regional Farmers’ Forum meetings took place in all five regions where IFAD operates, for the first time in Near East, North Africa, Europe and Central Asia, with the aim of strengthening the dialogue between FOs and IFAD staff and ensuring effective collaboration at country/regional level. During the last regional meetings, participants of every region reviewed the progress made against the actions agreed in the previous FAFO, reflected on lessons learned, and identified areas for further improving IFAD–FOs partnerships. Participants also discussed the emerging needs and main challenges that family farmers, pastoralists and artisanal fishers and their organizations, should address as part of the sustainable development agenda.

A key outcome of the FAFO regional meetings was the joint development of regional action plans that included agreed actions – for example: to make more systematic tripartite (Governments/FOs/IFAD) consultations during the formulation of COSOPs and projects; to involve FOs in IFAD missions; and to include FOs as implementing partners in IFAD-funded projects. In addition, IFAD-FOs statements were jointly formulated in each region, representing a commitment to strengthening IFAD-FOs partnerships, supporting FAFO processes at the regional and national levels, and making recommendations to IFAD and governments.

• The first subregional meeting for East Europe and Central Asia (Istanbul, 23 February 2023) represented a first opportunity to identify and connect with FOs in the subregion. Key points and recommendations revolved around partnership and policy engagement, collaboration between FOs and IFAD at regional and country levels, strengthening of FOs, and direct financing to FOs.
• The subregional meeting in South America (Montevideo, 26-27 January 2023) focused on empowering women in agriculture, engaging youth in agroecological entrepreneurship, and implementing ICT in agriculture, building on the rich history of policy dialogue around the REAF (Specialized Family Farming Meeting of the MERCOSUR). Action plans aimed at promoting policies for women's economic autonomy, provide training and support for youth, and the use of ICT platforms.
• The subregional meeting in Central America and the Caribbean (Panama, 23-24 January 2023) discussed how to further strengthen the partnership between IFAD and FOs, identifying public policies aligned with the 2030 Agenda, and improving inter-agency coordination. Action plans were developed to explore ways of including solid FOs as implementing partners in IFAD-funded projects (following the good practices of other regions) and providing support to national FAFO processes.
• The subregional meeting in East and Southern Africa (Dar es Salaam, 24-25 November 2022) focused on partnership building, innovative financing models involving the private sector, digitalization in agriculture through ICT4D, and post-UN Food Systems Summit actions, with participants recognizing the crucial role of improved access to finance.
• The subregional meeting in West and Central Africa (Abidjan, 15-18 November 2022) emphasized the importance of promoting local agroecological food systems, the vital collaboration between farmers and research, the need to empower youth and women, particularly in certain economic sectors, and the implementation of the UN Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF) agenda. The final declaration highlighted the importance of co-constructing policies, strengthening FOs and involving them in climate resilient projects.
• During the second regional meeting for Asia and the Pacific (Bangkok, 26-28 October 2022), action plans were developed to support FOs in economic service delivery, capacity building, policy engagement, and climate finance. Emphasizing the importance of IFAD's partnership with FOs, the final statement made specific reference to: climate financing instruments; a possible grant facility for direct financing to FOs; the importance of a joint policy agenda and government recognition of FOs; and farmers' access to public finance.
• During the first subregional meeting of Near East and North Africa (Tunis, 17-18 October 2022), the discussion focused on the presentation of results of a survey among FOs in the region. The meeting also contributed to identifying regional strategic issues, including policy enhancement, empowering women and youth, water management, and strengthening FOs to support smallholder farmers.

Overall, the regional meetings enabled participants to better understand the FAFO process at global, regional and country levels, fostering discussions to identify potential collaboration areas, particularly for implementing UNDFF processes within the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants framework.

The declarations and action plans from the RFAFOs will provide a roadmap for IFAD–FOs partnerships. The roadmap is expected to be reviewed in preparation for the next global meeting of the FAFO scheduled for 12-13 February 2024, just before the IFAD Governing Council. In addition, the outcomes of the FAFO regional meetings will be important inputs for the agenda and discussions of the global FAFO, incorporating diverse perspectives and best practices from the different regions.

For more information on the FAFO process and the upcoming FAFO 2024, please contact:

Marco Camagni, Lead Global Technical Specialist Rural Institutions, PMI, [email protected].