On July 16th, the UN Headquarters in New York hosted the launch of the UN Decade of Family Farming on the sidelines of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. The event saw the participation of the heads of FAO and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), which co-lead the implementation of the Decade, co-organizers Costa Rica and France, as well as La Via Campesina, the World Rural Forum and the World Farmers’ Orsanisation (WFO) among others.

Veronica Barbati, President of Coldiretti Young Farmers and student in the WFO Gymnasium training program, as representative of WFO, sent a clear message to the audience: “If we need to do more and differently to achieve the 2030 Agenda, the only possible solution is putting agriculture at the center of the sustainable development strategy”.

Farmers produce food and nutrition values, thus being essential to achieve zero hunger and all SDGs. Therefore, it is very important for them to be at the table discussing the strategy for a global sustainable growth.

“People and Institutions consider young farmers as the future; young farmers consider themselves as the present!”, said Veronica Barbati closing her speech.