The UN Food and Agriculture Organization elected former Brazilian minister of food security José Graziano da Silva—a vocal supporter of small-holder farming—to its highest post on Monday.
Graziano da Silva has been recognised as a leader in the fight against hunger in his home country. In 2003, he spearheaded Brazil's comprehensive Zero Hunger Initiative, which included direct money transfers to families, water infrastructure projects, and financial support for subsistence farmers.
In just eight years, Bolsa Familia—the initiative's flagship programme—has lifted more than 12 million Brazilians out of poverty and alleviated hunger across the country.
Graziano da Silva—the first new FAO leader since 1994—will take the reins of the UN's largest agency at a critical moment. According to The Guardian, global food prices hit an all-time high in February and remain a major worry for governments around the world.
Ever-rising food prices prompted the G20's agriculture ministers to draft an action plan to curb market volatility at a meeting in Paris last week. In their report, the G20 ministers warned that biofuel production could inflate food prices to dangerous levels.
In his first press conference as director-general, however, Graziano da Silva bucked previous FAO and OECD warnings by coming to the defence of the biofuel production in his home country. The former Brazilian minister warned against "demonising" the industry, saying the international community must focus on helping food-importers rather than biofuel policies.
Earlier this month, ActionAid Australia and the Australian National University brought development experts and academics together to discuss the impending food crisis and what the international community can do to prevent it. The answer: more support for women small-holder farmers.
Graziano da Silva has welcomed a seven-point plan for supporting women small-holder farmers, published last week by ActionAid and a handful of civil service organisations. "Timeliness on the focus on women in food and agriculture could not be better," he said at a meeting on women farmers on Tuesday. "The road ahead is clear."
ActionAid is calling on the Australian government to support women small-holder farmers the world over. Canberra can start by increasing its contribution to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme, and championing the cause on the international political stage.
With a sympathetic ear in the new FAO chief, the Australian government can now be more effective than ever in pushing support for women small-holder farmers to the top of the global political agenda.
Under Graziano da Silva's guidance, Brazil was able to feed millions of its citizens by supporting small-holder and subsistence farming. Imagine what effect that might have if all countries did the same.
