Back in November, the United Nations General Assembly announced 2014 as the International Year of the Family Farmer. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization, there are more than 500 million family farms in the world, making it the "predominant form of agriculture in both developed and developing countries."
The FAO also recognizes that family farmers are an important part of the solution for a world free from poverty and hunger since these farmers—Heifer International farmers—are the main producers of food.
Another statistic that is particularly interesting to us here at Heifer that the FAO includes on the Year of Family Farming site is that "all kind of evidence shows that poor family farmers can quickly deploy their productivity potential when the appropriate policy environment is effectively put in place."
Pietro Turilli, Heifer's vice president for partnerships and business development, points to an example in the Ukraine where Heifer is having success with local administrations so that farmers realize more productivity and profit from their dairy enterprises.
Watch the video to learn more about the work in Ukraine, and continue to check back throughout the year as we further explore the Year of Family Farming.