International Year of Family Farm

Family farms are a focus for this year.

This year has been designated by the United Nations as the International Year of the Family Farm (IYFF).

Family farming is the most dominant form of farming internationally, and is seen as more than a professional occupation as it reflects lifestyle benefits and traditions about living and working.

From a New Zealand perspective a survey carried out on farming in 2012 highlighted that 91 per cent of farmers considered that they were operating a family farming business.

A family farm in New Zealand being defined as one or more farms that are owned and operated by members of the same family.

The concept of family farming covers various elements. From a sociological perspective, family farming is associated with family values, such as solidarity, continuity and commitment.

In economic terms, family farming is identified with profit, specific entrepreneurial skills, business ownership and management, choice and risk behaviour, resilience and individual achievement.

Family farming is the most common operational farming model in Europe and thus of great importance in the European Union. The recent launch of IYFF in Brussels was attended by myself and Federated Farmers' chief executive Conor English, with the invitation and funding to travel being provided by the European Commission.

Of the European Union's 12 million farms the majority are family farms, passed down from one generation to another, and contributes to the socio-economic and environmental sustainability of rural areas.

The main message coming from the launch was how different and advanced New Zealand is when it comes to farming structures.

The Europeans are passionate about retention of subsides so that they can maintain their traditional family lifestyle farm, while the Africans just want more foreign aid so that they can produce food to eat.

The IYYF has the objective of raising the profile of family farming by focusing world attention on its role in alleviating hunger and poverty, providing food security and improving livelihoods, while protecting the environment and biodiversity.

New Zealand is certainly playing its role on providing food for the world and protecting the environment through the family farm.

During 2014 Federated Farmers will be working in with Rural Women and the greater primary sector to profile the New Zealand family farm.