Segunda sesión regular de la Junta Directiva de UNDP, UNOPS, UNFPA

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1 DC Agr Familiar Intervención Embajador Juan Carlos Mendoza García Segunda sesión regular de la Junta Directiva de UNDP, UNOPS, UNFPA 71 Sesión de la Asamblea General, Nueva York, Septiembre 5, Introduction. I want to thank FAO, IFAD, the World Rural Forum, the Core Group in support of the Decade of Family Farming and all the participants of this session for making this event a reality. In the course of several months, my delegation has worked in collaboration with the mentioned actors to coordinate the of such initiative, with the conviction that this declaration within the 72 nd session of the United Nations General Assembly will have a positive impact in the SDG implementation worldwife. In different fora, my delegation has stressed this international importance but, in this occasion, I would like to focus on our national experiences in connection the International Year of Family Farming, showcasing our advances and challenges, as an exercise of sharing of experiences to build on the strategic nature of this strategy. 1

2 The challenges related to family farming. In broad terms, Costa Rica is a middle-income country with high indicators of development. However, instruments like our draft CPD from UNDP and our VNR, as delivered during the HLPF 2017, reflect many national challenges to eradicate poverty, fight inequality, eliminate gender gaps and combat climate change, among others. Considerign the environmental sustainability, Costa Rica understands the impact from farming to the general well-being and the need to integrate a social, economic and environmental perspective in its development, considering that our country was built with farming as the center of our economic growth for decades. However, this economic model had not incorporated an environmental perspective and, as a result, the forest coverage of 75% of the national territory in 1940 was reduced to only 21% by 1987, due to the expansion of the farming activities. To date, Costa Rica has regained a forest coverage of 52,4% by reformulating the legal and institutional approach to farming and sustainable development. Regarding nutritional aspects, Costa Rica has shown a average between 34,9%-31,4% of overweight in both the urban and rural children in That same year, students showed signs of overweight or obesity, especially in regions with low Human Development Index. Our national initiatives. 2

3 Our VNR has recognized that, these and other challenges faced by Costa Rica, can be effectively tackled by supporting family farming initiatives. To ensure the promotion of policies that are articulated, coordinated and well represented in the national dialogues, the Costa Rican Network of Family Farming (REDCAF) was strenghtened. Nearly agricultural systems owned by family farmers are incorporated in a strategy of sustainable production, and farming families have been benefited by projects to improve their productive systems, or being provided with materials and equipment. In rural zones, families have been included in projects to acquire lands, improve the rural infrastructure, provide access to rural credit or food safety initiatives. By fostering public-private partnerships, a set of specialized policies were promoted and disseminated, stressing the importance of family farming for the civil society, and a set of 9 workshops were carried out in different areas of the country to create capacity and shared knowledge between producers and public officials. 3

4 The international support. In addition to our national plans and efforts, the international agencies still play a crucial role in achieving long term results and creating capacity for development in countries like Costa Rica. For instance, FAO has proven instrumental in the coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock in creating national strategies for: Food security with a social perspective; and Family Farming and territorial development. The strategies incorporate programs for sustainable production, creation of opportunities and job creation, promotion of micro-small and medium entreprises, and the empowerment of women and the youth. The positive outcomes. Our common initiatives have been traduced in several positive outcomes for family farmers. To mention a few of these results we can mention that: Families have been trained to incorporate hydroponic systems to use empty spaces in their houses and producer have been trained to create environmentally sustainable bioplaguicides for the control of plant disease and plagues, while improving the soil usage. Infraestructure was developed to support irrigation for several sectors of the country. The Program of Food Safety distributed funds for the conservation of small family farms. Four different production systems were designed to promote 4

5 the plans of developing family farms, and programs were created to stress the importance of family farmers and the use of clean energies. Incorporation of technologies to organize lands and the application of products to avoid land degradation. Diagnostics were run to determine the capacities of different family farming units to support their growth and planning. Conclusion: The Decade of Family Farming. We would like to conclude by reiterating that our national experience has indicated how family farming has been placed at the center of our development over the years. We are convinced that family farmers represent the core combination of the social, economic and environmental needs of Costa Rica as a developing country. As a result, Costa Rica is honored to be part of the Core Group of countries that introduced an initiative to declare a Decade of Family Farming in We are convinced that small-scale food production, particularly family farming, provides a unique opportunity to approach the people centered nature of the SDGs. Thank you. 5