Regional Dialogue on Family Farming

11- 12 December 2013, Brussels, Belgium. FAO in collaboration with the World Rural Forum, the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), the World Farmers Organization (WFO) are hold a series of regional dialogues. The 66th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, declared 2014 as the “International Year of Family Farming” (IYFF) and invited FAO to facilitate its implementation, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.

Their outcomes will set the ground to provide regional overview of Family Farming issues that will be further discussed at the Global Forum and Expo on Family Farming to take place in Budapest on 4-7 March and be addressed in the IYFF Global Dialogue to be held in Rome in October 2014.

By focusing on the regional perspectives, Regional Dialogue for Europe and Central Asia will be complementary to the conference on "Family farming: A dialogue towards more sustainable and resilient farming in Europe and the world" organized by European Commission, which took place in Brussels, on 29 November 2013.

The Regional Dialogue of Family Farming for Europe was designed to:

• Understand the “state-of-the art” on family farming in different parts of the Region in terms of opportunities and challenges, including existing policy environment.
• Identify cases of successful family farming models at regional or country level including innovation, effective organizational models through producer organizations and cooperatives in each sub-region. 
• Propose common priorities for the promotion of family farming in each sub-region.

	Concept note
	Background Report
Presentations
	Family Farming: a Europe and Central Asia Perspective Sophia Davidova, Centre for European Agri-Environmental Studies (CEAS), University of Kent
	Enabling Environment and Existing Programmes and Strategies in Support of Family Farming, including Research and Innovation Programmes focused on Family Farming Professor Ken Thomson, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
	Livestock Farmers at the Wheel of their Development  Experience of yak herders in the Eastern Pamirs