WFO Members met with FAO for the second consultation on the Global Roadmap, working to keep it anchored in farmers’ realities.

The World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) convened its full membership on 24 April 2026 for the second Farmers’ Consultation on the FAO Global Roadmap, a 90-minute virtual session that carried forward the dialogue launched at the WFO COP30 Farmers’ Summit in Brasília (Brazil) in November 2025.

A Roadmap that starts from the farm

Many farmers perceive climate policies as constraints—higher costs, new rules, or potentially reduced production. In addition, fragmented and poorly coordinated policies across agriculture, climate, energy, and trade often affect farmers.

The FAO Global Roadmap aims to support farmers in navigating the transition by promoting productivity, resilience, and economic viability. The intent is a coordinated process. “There is no point in thinking about the future of the agri-food system if we don’t get the farmers. Many actors are around the table, but farmers are the starting point. In many policy fora on food and sustainability, there are basically no farmers around. Everyone talks about what farmers should do, and no one is listening to farmers. We want to change that,” said David Laborde, Director of the FAO Agrifood Economics Division.

As the dialogue moved forward, a shared expectation emerged: that the Roadmap can become a practical tool for farmers and Farmers’ Organisations to engage more effectively with governments, donors, and the private sector.

A bottom-up contribution to global policy

WFO Members built on the issues raised in Brasília: profitability, access to finance, fragmented policies, and the need for fairness and coherence across sectors.

The Consultation also returned to the Roadmap’s position on nutritional guidelines, diets, and livestock, where farmers’ direct experience carries particular weight. WFO Members from countries where livestock sustains food security and rural economies pushed back on the risk of blanket dietary prescriptions that could penalise sustainable production systems. FAO confirmed that the Roadmap imposes no global dietary targets and instead works from each country’s food-based dietary guidelines.

Farmers’ representatives pressed for stronger recognition of Farmers’ Organisations in the national implementation of the Roadmap. Too often, government officials speak for farmers internationally without involving the national and regional organisations that actually represent them.

WFO Members stressed one point: food security and climate action depend on farmers staying in business. Farmers carry transition risks and deliver solutions. They should not be treated as secondary in the design of those solutions.

©WFO

“Farmers are often put in the spotlight without the possibility to really influence what the plan means for them. The role of Farmers’ Organisations is to be the balance, the dialogue actor, the focus of influence that can bring change in a situation that too often sees farmers at the end of decisions taken somewhere else. We want to make sure farmers are at the centre, and that they are not alone in building the solutions of the future,” stated WFO Secretary General Andrea Porro.

The way forward

The Consultation marks a step in an ongoing dialogue between WFO and FAO. WFO will continue channelling its Members’ input. Feedback from Farmers’ Organisations will be decisive in keeping the Roadmap practical and implementable at the farm level.

The Roadmap is a process that continues to evolve, and WFO will continue working with FAO, governments, and partners on a Roadmap that is grounded, relevant, and actionable

Cover photo by ©WFO