The World Farmers’ Organisation joined the UNFSS Webinar Series to spotlight the role of farmers’ organisations and cooperatives as drivers of food systems transformation.

On 21 May, Luisa Volpe, Advocacy, Policy and Partnerships Lead at the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO), joined the webinar “Farmer cooperatives as catalysts for food system transformation”, hosted by the United Nations Food Systems Coordination Hub as part of the Food Systems Solutions Webinars 2026 (FSS Webinars) series.

The session explored the role of farmer cooperatives as key drivers of food systems transformation, building on the Food Producers’ Declaration for the United Nations 2021 Food Systems Summit, which recognises food producers as the backbone of society and calls for their inclusion as equal partners in food systems transformation.

A United Farmers’ Voice in the New Food Systems Agenda

The session began with Luisa Volpe reflecting on developments from 2021, when WFO and other food producers’ organisations worldwide joined forces to shape a process that enabled farmers across the globe to actively contribute their perspectives to both the Food Producers’ Declaration and the Summit’s outcome documents.

The preparatory and consultation process leading up to the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit itself demonstrated that meaningful participation in advocacy and policymaking is possible for farmers when they are represented through organised structures. Indeed, the importance of farmers’ organisations and cooperative structures is central to the Declaration:

“Through this process, producers from different corners of the world came together to present solutions with one collective voice.”

Cooperatives as a Key to Farmers’ Empowerment

The WFO speaker noted that organised farmer structures empower farmers on two main levels: by rebalancing power within food value chains and ensuring more equitable access to markets and fairer prices for farmers; and by providing a wide range of services to their members aimed at improving livelihoods, including easier access to markets, access to information, training and extension services, as well as stronger representation and bargaining power in policymaking and negotiation processes.

Screenshot from the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub webinar “Farmer cooperatives as catalysts for food system transformation” 

The WFO representative outlined several key elements that make cooperatives and farmers’ organisations a driving force of food systems transformation: their democratic, member-driven structure that fosters a strong sense of ownership; their role in empowering farmers through poverty reduction, job creation and rural development; their capacity to build farmers’ resilience against a wide range of challenges affecting rural communities, including climate change, resource scarcity, food insecurity, malnutrition, and food loss and waste; their ability to improve access to services and resources, including knowledge, information, and technological innovation, helping farmers to increase productivity and maximise their incomes; and their contribution to shortening value chains, strengthening the link between farmers and communities.

Luisa Volpe highlighted that investing in farmers’ organisations is a key way of moving towards sustainable food systems:

“If you invest in food producers’ cooperatives, you are investing in the entire community. Stronger cooperatives create stronger communities, better equipped to respond to challenges and unexpected crises.”

The success of the Declaration and the preparatory process for the Summit was made possible through an inclusive approach and shared global and regional leadership that effectively reached subnational and local farmers’ organisations.

Focusing on areas for improvement, Luisa Volpe pointed out a critical gap between the initial support received and the complete lack of ongoing financial or operational resources for post-Summit implementation.

From Regional Experience to a Shared Vision

Three follow-up speakers also highlighted the strategic role of cooperatives and farmers’ organisations in transforming global food systems. Elisabeth Nsimadala, President of the Eastern African Farmers Federation (EAFF), described the cooperative model as a driving locomotive in East Africa, essential for increasing collective bargaining power, managing shared risks and transforming family farming into agribusinesses through technology, scaled innovation, and financial guarantees, with a strong emphasis on supporting women-led cooperatives. Umberto di Pasqua, Director of Cooperative Affairs at COPA-COGECA, focused on European agri-cooperatives as catalysts for food systems transformation, while analysing regional differences and the unique structural barriers faced within the European Union. Marco Camagni outlined the approach of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), stressing the importance of building on existing structures, enhancing capacity, and providing legal guidance to help farmers’ organisations formalise their legal frameworks.

Their insights reinforce a message WFO has long advanced: we must actively invest in and strengthen farmers’ organisations and cooperatives to transform the food systems as a whole.

Watch the full recording of the webinar.

Cover photo: Screenshot from the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub webinar “Farmer cooperatives as catalysts for food system transformation”