WFO at the World Biodiversity Summit in New York Champions Farmers’ Key Role in Global Biodiversity Efforts
On 26 September, the Secretary General of the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO), Dr Andrea Porro, participated in the World Biodiversity Summit in New York, addressing the session titled ‘Down to Earth: A Practical Approach to Implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework’. In his intervention, he highlighted the critical role farmers play in preserving biodiversity and managing natural resources sustainably. He emphasised the importance of engaging farmers in global biodiversity efforts, particularly in the context of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), approved in late 2022.
WFO, as a member-based organisation representing national farmers’ associations and agricultural cooperatives from over 50 countries across all continents, has been actively advocating for the inclusion of farmers in global biodiversity conversations.
Nature and biodiversity are critical to the functioning and resilience of agroecosystems. The outcomes of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) negotiations could significantly impact the agricultural sector. Yet, discussions around biodiversity often overlook the unique perspective that farmers can bring, and key negotiations happen without their input.
Photo credit: ©WorldClimateFoundation
Why is biodiversity critical for farmers?
Farmers’ livelihoods are directly impacted by biodiversity loss, affecting their production of food, fibre, and fuel. Dr Porro stressed, “Just as agriculture depends on the environment, the environment also depends on farmers.” Farmers manage more than one-third of the world’s land and contribute to delivering essential ecosystem services. According to the FAO, 17 out of the 23 targets of the GBF are directly related to the agricultural sector. Therefore, farmers must be recognised not only as producers but also as stewards of biodiversity and natural resources.
During WFO’s General Assembly in June 2024, WFO Members approved the organisation’s first-ever Policy on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity and Natural Resources, reflecting a growing mandate to increase its engagement in biodiversity and nature conservation. The Policy sets out a comprehensive list of recommendations to integrate biodiversity into agriculture and support sustainable farming practices that contribute to biodiversity while ensuring food security.
The Secretary General outlined three critical steps to promote and scale up the implementation of the GBF in the agricultural sector, moving away from the siloed, top-down, and confrontational approach of some environmental policies towards a more integrated, bottom-up, and incentives-oriented approach:
- A Cultural Shift: It is crucial to recognise the ecosystem services provided by farmers through sustainably managed agriculture. This shift would highlight and deeply value the contribution of farmers to biodiversity conservation.
- A Methodological Shift: Farmers must be actively engaged in global biodiversity efforts, including the revision of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), to ensure their practical insights are considered in these frameworks.
- Support for Farmers: Even with recognition and engagement, farmers cannot act alone. They need significant support to implement sustainable and locally appropriate agricultural practices that enhance both biodiversity and food security.
In closing, Dr Porro emphasised that mainstreaming biodiversity conservation in agriculture will only be effective if adequate resources are provided to farmers and if an enabling environment is created to support their efforts. He called for an inclusive approach to biodiversity policies, ensuring farmers are not excluded from decision-making processes that directly impact their livelihoods and the environment.
Looking Ahead: WFO’s Engagement at COP16
As WFO looks ahead to the upcoming United Nations Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP16) in Calì, Colombia, this engagement marks the beginning of a deeper involvement in biodiversity policy-making discussions. In Calì, the organisation will have, for the first time, a delegation of farmers and representatives from farmer organisations from Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Ghana, Italy, Kenya, Paraguay, and Uganda, reaffirming the organisation’s commitment to ensuring that farmers’ voices are heard in shaping global biodiversity policy-making.
Cover photo by ©WorldClimateFoundation