Representing the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO), Vice President Fiona Simson delivered a keynote address at the Northern Australia Food Futures Conference, during the session “Seeds of Change: The Crucial Role of Farmers in Shaping Global Sustainability.” Her intervention served as a powerful reminder that farmers are central to solving today’s global challenges, from climate change to biodiversity loss and food security.

Opening her remarks, Simson expressed her pride in representing farmers not only from Australia but from across the globe, emphasising the importance of farmers’ voices in shaping sustainability from the ground up.

WFO Vice President stressed that while sustainability has become a common theme in global policy conversations, farmers are still too often absent from the picture. As the world grapples with interconnected crises—from environmental degradation to climate volatility—she underscored that farmers are not only food producers but also stewards of ecosystems.

“Farmers hold a crucial role in driving global sustainability. We act at the local level and engage in global discussions and decision-making through our organised structures: the Farmers’ Organisations,” she affirmed.

Referencing the growing global population, projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, Simson highlighted the urgent need to increase food production by 50–70% while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions and conserving natural resources. She noted that farmers are uniquely positioned to address these pressures, provided they are supported with the right tools, technologies, and policies.

Drawing on the resilience of Northern Australia’s agriculture sector, she pointed to the region’s growth in food output and innovation, despite facing increasingly erratic weather patterns such as floods, droughts, and cyclones. For Simson, this was a clear example of how farmers are adapting and innovating in real time.

She celebrated sustainable agricultural practices such as no-till farming, crop rotation, and advanced irrigation systems that are boosting soil health and reducing water use. She also cited success stories from Bangladesh and several countries in Africa, where farmers are using salt-tolerant crops and water-efficient methods to increase yields and restore ecosystems.

While environmental outcomes are essential, the WFO Vice President reminded the audience that social and economic sustainability must also be part of the equation. In many developing regions, family farmers produce up to 80% of the food supply. Empowering them—especially women and young people—has a transformative effect on rural development, food security, and climate resilience.

Simson used the platform to call for stronger representation of farmers in global decision-making processes, especially in spaces such as the UNFCCC COP negotiations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). She cautioned that decisions made without agricultural input risk being disconnected from reality—and potentially harmful.

“Letting those discussions occur without input by agriculture is particularly dangerous,” she said.

She credited the UNFCCC Farmers’ Constituency, coordinated by WFO, for successfully advocating for the inclusion of food production in the global climate agenda. This progress, she noted, must now be translated into action and implementation at national and international levels.

Closing her remarks, the WFO Vice President encouraged the agricultural sector to step beyond its comfort zones and engage more proactively with the public and policymakers.

“We need to push the boundaries, to involve ourselves in conversations outside our usual spheres, and above all else work together to get involved in conversations that influence others on the broader scale,” she said.

Cover photo by ©Northern Australia Food Futures Conference