Farmer from Ukraine addresses Global Food and Agriculture Forum

News Letter

Member of the Ukrainian Agri Council,Ihor Novytskyi, on behalf of a group of young farmers from all continents, was granted the right to address forum participants and ministers of agriculture at the annual Global Food and Agriculture Forum.

Transcript

00:00 So I would now like to ask Karolina Slojcic-Machado from Brazil and Igor Novitskiy from Ukraine

00:08 to come here.

00:09 You are the representatives of the young farmers.

00:18 Dear ministers, ladies and gentlemen, here is the statement of young farmers at Global

00:24 Forum for Food and Agriculture 2024.

00:38 Global food security and sovereignty are threatened due to climate change, loss of biodiversity,

00:45 world-related supply chain disruptions and monopoly of the food system.

00:50 While the farming community is aging, young people struggle to access land, knowledge,

00:56 finance and other productive assets.

00:59 The multiple crises that we are facing remind us that we can no longer afford the ecological

01:05 and social cost of the current food system.

01:08 We need to change it to make it more sustainable and more just.

01:14 When you talk about promotion, sustainable production and food sovereignty, food producers

01:19 should be at the heart of decisions that affect them.

01:23 Governments should enable critical policy shifts for structural changes within the global

01:28 economy to cut net emissions and build resilient and sustainable food systems.

01:35 Human rights, particularly the right to food and the right to food sovereignty, must be

01:40 central to all policies, programs and governance process related to food and agriculture.

01:47 We observe healthy, culturally appropriated food produced through ecological, sound and

01:54 sustainable methods.

01:56 This right can only be enjoyed by everyone if nation states realize the right of people

02:03 to democratically define and control their own food and agricultural systems.

02:09 To support resilient and sustainable supply chain, many problems of the industrialized

02:15 food system need to be systematic societal transformation.

02:19 There is a need to develop policies and infrastructures to de-risk the farming sector, especially

02:25 for the smallholders and to enhance their access to technology and agroecological approaches,

02:33 improve market access and strengthen rural communities.

02:37 But to pursue research and education as sustainable food systems is highly crucial to achieve

02:44 food security and sovereignty, poverty, elevation and sustainability for all.

02:50 Additionally, investing in training and consultation services, peer to peer exchanges and agroecological

02:59 approaches and other sustainable techniques for food producers, especially family and

03:04 the smallholder farmers, will further strengthen food security by diversity, preservation and

03:12 community well-being.

03:14 Food loss and waste is a global problem.

03:17 However, there are many approaches to tackle it, such as minimizing overproduction and

03:23 educating consumers, as well as students in schools.

03:27 Governments could invest in post-harvest infrastructure, public stocks, training producers in food handling

03:33 techniques, data collection and food loss analysis.

03:38 Gender equity and youth rights.

03:45 And high rates of youth migration away from rural areas.

03:51 The biggest obstacle is the difficult access to land due to high land prices, land concentration,

03:58 land grabbing and access to finance.

04:01 We need policies and market instruments to make the farming sector attractive.

04:07 First and foremost, by ensuring fair pricing practices and stable incomes to food producers.

04:14 Equitable access to productive assets must take into account youth diversity in terms

04:21 of gender, social economic status, ethnicity, race, class, levels of education, citizenship

04:29 and disability status.

04:31 We are the generation facing the consequences of climate change, which puts us in a situation

04:39 of extreme vulnerability and we demand justice for climate now.

04:45 Conflicts and food security.

04:48 Conflicts like war in Ukraine, in the Middle East and in Africa are realities that reshape

04:53 our future.

04:55 It is critical to address a pressing issue that the sales of agricultural land to a large

05:01 corporation during the war.

05:03 When government allows these sales, they are not only just transferring land, they are

05:08 stealing the future of young food producers for decades.

05:12 Food should move in and out of conflict areas without trade and any other barriers, not

05:18 to undermine the right to adequate food and nutrition.

05:22 We urgently need the support of the United Nations and other financial organizations,

05:28 to provide technical and financial assistance for demining the fields.

05:35 In conclusion, we, young farmers, call for inclusive and transformative change in global

05:41 food system.

05:42 Join forces for a more just and zero hunger world.

05:48 Thank you.

05:49 Thank you very much.

05:50 [Applause]

05:53 [Music]

05:55 (upbeat music)

05:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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