On June 19, the member organisations of the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) will convene in Rome for the 2024 Session of the WFO General Assembly, the Organisation’s highest decision-making body. This crucial event in the Organisation’s institutional life will see the election of the WFO President for the 2024-2026 term.
The two candidates, each nominated by their respective national farmers’ organisations, include the current President Arnold Puech d’Alissac from Fédération nationale des syndicats d’exploitants agricoles—FNSEA (France) and Rob Larew from the National Farmers’ Union—NFU (USA).
WFO Presidential Election 2024 Candidates
Arnold Puech d’Alissac
Born in 1963 in Normandy, northern France, Arnold Puech d’Alissac quickly became a farmer near his hometown of Rouen after agricultural studies. With his wife Elizabeth, they set up a farm in 1992 where they produce and sell free-range poultry and various crops and raise beef cattle.
Arnold Puech d’Alissac has always dedicated his life to advocating for farmers at the national, regional and global levels.
On the national stage, d’Alissac has been serving as a member of the Executive Board of the FNSEA since 2014.
At the European level, d’Alissac was the President of the European Council of Young Farmers from 1999 to 2001. He has been an active Member of the European Economic and Social Committee since 2015 and, since 2016 of COPA (Committee of Professional Agricultural Organizations).
Within the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO), Arnold Puech d’Alissac has represented FNSEA since 2015 and the European Constituency on the WFO Board of Directors from 2017 to 2022. During this period, he held the positions of Treasurer and Vice President of the Organisation. In 2022, he assumed the position of President of the WFO.
Rob Larew
Rob Larew, along with his family, owns and operates a diversified livestock and forage farm in West Virginia, USA. Elected National Farmers Union President in 2020, Larew previously served as NFU’s Vice President for Public Policy and Communications. With 22 years of work experience in the US Congress, including a decade as Staff Director of the House Agriculture Committee, he has extensive farm policy and advocacy expertise. Larew holds a degree in Dairy Science from Virginia Tech and pursued graduate studies in Agronomy at Pennsylvania State University. He is also actively involved in various civic and community organizations.
Rob Larew brings extensive political expertise in farm advocacy. At the US House Agriculture Committee, he led political strategy for multiple national agriculture bills, collaborating and negotiating with farm and political leaders. He reinforced his diplomatic skills on numerous official international agricultural delegations. At NFU, Larew leverages the grassroots power of farmer members and many independent state farmer organizations to benefit family farmers. Larew was appointed to the White House Advisory Committee on Trade by President Biden and has represented NFU and WFO at UN meetings, positioning Larew as a seasoned farmer leader in the global agricultural community.
The Role of the WFO President
The WFO President guides the Organisation’s policy line and monitors the correct application of the decisions made by the WFO Bodies, namely the Board and the General Assembly. The President may serve only two consecutive terms. Since the WFO’s establishment in 2011, the Organisation have seen 7 Presidents:
· Ronald James Bonnett (Canada): July 12 to September 13, 2011
· Robert Lewis Carlson (USA): September 13, 2011, to March 26, 2014
· Peter Ashley Kendall (UK): March 26 to October 9, 2014
· Evelin Nguleka (Zambia): October 9, 2014, to September 27, 2016
· William Blair Rhodes Rolleston (New Zealand): September 27, 2016, to June 13, 2017
· Theo de Jager (South Africa): June 13, 2017, to June 8, 2022
· Arnold Puech d’Alissac (France): June 8, 2022, to present
The upcoming election is a pivotal moment for the WFO, as member organisations decide on the leadership that will steer the organisation through the next term. Both candidates bring a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to advancing the interests of farmers worldwide.