From finance and water management to youth empowerment, WFO delegates made farmers’ voices heard across key sessions during World Food Week 2025 in Rome.

During World Food Week in Rome, marked by the celebration of World Food Day and the 80th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) actively participated in several high-level dialogues and interactive discussions dedicated to advancing inclusive and sustainable agrifood systems.

The week centred around the 2025 flagship edition of the World Food Forum (WFF), structured around three main pillars — Global Youth Action, the Science and Innovation Forum, and the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum — all held under the overarching theme “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future.”

Alongside the WFF, the programme also featured the first FAO Global Exhibition “From Seeds to Foods” and the 2025 edition of the Rome Water Dialogue, convening global stakeholders committed to shaping a resilient and equitable food future.

Representing WFO were Diane Sibanda from the Botswana Farmers Association (BOFA), Rafael Riedel from the Confederação da Agricultura e Pecuária do Brasil (CNA Brasil), and Enrico Parisi from Coldiretti Giovani Impresa, each bringing the farmers’ voice to diverse discussions throughout the week.

During the FAO Global Exhibition, Enrico Parisi emphasised that farmers are bridges between cultures and custodians of biodiversity. He underlined that young farmers play a central role in building fair and resilient agrifood systems, calling for fair trade, dignity in agricultural work, and the recognition of farming as the cornerstone of sustainable development.

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At the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum, Diane Sibanda urged governments, banks, and climate funds to recognise farmers and their organisations as strategic partners, and to channel climate finance directly to the farm gate to foster adaptation and resilience from the ground up.

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Water management challenges were a central topic during the Rome Water Dialogue, where Sibanda highlighted the difficulties African farmers face in accessing and managing water resources, stressing the need for innovation, technology, and enabling policies to ensure sustainable water use.

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Meanwhile, at the Global Youth Forum, WFO Gymnasium alumnus Rafael Riedel took part in the interactive Young Farmers’ Roundtable, organised under the UN Decade of Family Farming 2019–2028 (UNDFF). He contributed ideas on advancing and implementing the Young Family Farmers’ Toolkit, aiming to equip young farmers with the knowledge, resources, and guidance needed to overcome pressing challenges and ensure generational renewal in family farming, despite their diverse agricultural backgrounds. He emphasised that real progress begins by reaching those who lack access to knowledge, tools, and opportunities.

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On the margins of the Forum, at the High-Level Event on Scaling Up Climate Action through Agrifood Systems, Sibanda reaffirmed that farmers must be involved in decision-making from the outset to ensure that global solutions reflect real-life needs and experience.

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Across all sessions, WFO reinforced one key message: when farmers are included, connected, and supported, they drive the transformation towards better food and a better future.

Cover photo: ©WFO