Dear Friends, Colleagues, fellow Farmers,

We are at the end of the 2025 General Assembly of the World Farmers’ Organisation. What I have observed during these two days of meetings and fruitful discussions is a stronger and stronger organisation that, leveraging the diversity of its members as an opportunity for growth, is able to speak one voice for the benefit of all.

We have been able to close a one-year policy development process, and we now have a new Policy on Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence, as well as a new Policy on Food Loss and Food Waste. Both institutional papers are key to position the WFO on the most important tables of discussion on the global agenda on agriculture. As Theo de Jager beautifully reminded us yesterday, to influence policies, you must have policies… and there we are!

Together we have reviewed our accounts, approved last year’s final budget and endorsed next year’s provisional budget. Both decisions were made unanimously, showing the trust we all have in the past and future achievements of the WFO. With the establishment of a task force to work on the revision of the membership fee process, we have reiterated the willingness of belonging to an Organisation that is able to defend its independence.

In the world of today that is full of uncertainties for the farmers, where most of international actors are keen to dictate an agenda for the farming sector, the fact that the World Farmers’ Organisation remains loyal to its principle of independence shows a strong sense of ownership.

We have renewed our Board of Auditors, whose members assure the accuracy in management of the accounting and the solidity of the WFO’s financials. Yesterday and today, we have celebrated together the results of the past year and envisioned those of the next year. We have welcomed a new member of the Board for the constituency of North America, President Rob Larew, to whom I would like to extend my deepest appreciation for having embraced this role.

With the same appreciation, I would like to thank President Keith Curry for the contribution he brought to the work of the WFO Board during his term, for the transparency and fairness with which he has represented the American farmers, and for the friendship he showed to all of us.

Also, we have reconfirmed the other members of the Board and the Vice-President, Fiona Simpson, to whom I am particularly grateful for working with us during night hours.

Dear friends,

As we close this GA, let me thank:

• all the Working groups
• the Committees
• the Task forces
• the scientists sitting on our Council
• the external consultants
• the Board of Auditors, in particular the two organisations (NASFAM and Boerenbond) that are investing their staff time (respectively Betty Chinyamunyamu and Pieter Verhelst) to support the WFO in keeping the accounting system in good order
• then I would like to thank Andrea Porro, our Secretary General and, through him, the full staff of the International Secretariat for all the energy and efforts they have put in place to ensure a smooth meeting
• my fellow board members for the leadership they have expressed in the preparation of this GA.

Our next appointments are then in Brazil in November for the Farmers’ Summit in preparation for COP30. I look forward to seeing all of you there, and a special vote of thanks goes to our new Brazilian members, CNA, that have embraced the challenge to support the WFO in the event organisation already.

After Brazil, I will look forward to meeting all of you at our 2026 General Assembly in Nairobi, thanks to KENAFF, which has kindly offered to host us in the beautiful country of Kenya.

And last but not least, all of you, dear members of WFO, for the trust you show to the WFO, every day.

Remember: alone we go fast. Together we go far!

Thank you.

Arnold Puech d’Alissac

President, World Farmers’ Organisation

Cover photo by ©WFO