Editor’s Note: The Nutrition for Growth Summit presents a landmark moment for global leaders to embrace a new vision to improve nutrition and sustainable development across the globe. Ahead of the summit in Paris this year, the World Farmers organisation launches a new Position on Nutrition, calling for farmers’ empowerment to ensure a nutrition-secure future for all.
In the lead-up to the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in Paris on 27–28 March, the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) has unveiled its new Position on Nutrition, advocating for farm-produced food and farmers empowerment to improve consumer access to fresh, healthy and nutrient-rich food.
The new position builds upon the WFO Policy on Sustainable Global Food Security and Nutrition (2024) and results from WFO’s consensus-based policy development process. It reaffirms the essential role of world farmers in ensuring global nutrition security and calls for actions to remove barriers that hinder their efforts.
Getting Back on Track with SDG 2
The N4G Summit marks a pivotal moment, closing the final year of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition and assessing progress towards the World Health Assembly (WHA) global nutrition targets. 2025 will also serve as a checkpoint for global efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2)—ending hunger, improving food security and strengthening sustainable agriculture by 2030.
Yet, the latest food security indicators suggest the world is off track. Malnutrition remains a pressing challenge, with hidden hunger affecting over two billion people particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Addressing this crisis demands a shift towards diverse, nutrient-rich, and complete diets. Farmers play a crucial role in this transformation, ensuring food security by producing nutritious food while maintaining sustainable agricultural practices.
Farmers support campaigns that promote nourishing dietary habits, combining animal- and plant-derived foods, raising awareness about the origins of their products, and strengthening the connection between consumers, policymakers, and the agricultural world.
Unlocking Farmers’ Potential to Drive Global Nutrition Security
Food is more than a market commodity—it is a result of skilled farm labour, essential for human health and well-being. However, farmers worldwide face significant challenges, such as unfair remuneration and limited access to finance, training, and inputs needed to adopt climate-resilient and biodiversity-friendly practices. Removing these barriers and supporting farmers—especially family farmers, women, and youth—is crucial to building sustainable food systems and ensuring global nutrition security.
“WFO remains committed to advocating for urgent action on food insecurity and malnutrition while calling for recognition of the indispensable role of farmers as leaders in the fight against hunger and stewards of our environment,” stated Arnold Puech d’Alissac, WFO’s President.
The newly released WFO Position on Nutrition outlines key recommendations to empower farmers in driving food systems to a nutrition-secure future for all.
World farmers stand ready to collaborate with all stakeholders who recognise the value of farm labour and the priority of transitioning away from food models that undermine human health and ignore food habits and the needs of populations.
This piece was initially published by the World Farmers’ Organisation and has been revised to suit Farming First’s editorial guidelines.
Cover image from @FAO
