World Food Day highlights importance of local agriculture

OTTAWA, Oct. 16, 2008--In observing World Food Day, October 16, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) calls on government policy makers to recognize the importance of investing in agricultural infrastructure, both in Canada and in the developing world.
 
Designated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Day aims to draw attention to the plight of more than 850 million people living with hunger.  As the FAO notes, most of these people live in rural areas where their main source of income is the agricultural sector. 
 
CFA has been advocating for worldwide investments in agriculture through its membership in the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP), whose members comprise 80 countries and 600 million farmers.
 
'The role of farmers, particularly smallholder farmers in developing countries, as solution providers to world hunger has never been more essential. These farmers are eager to plant more fields -- with the support of effective government policy -- to increase production in a sustainable manner, and grow more food,' said Laurent Pellerin, CFA 1st Vice President, echoing calls from IFAP for governments to get more involved in building a healthy farm sector.
 
'In Canada, consumers are fortunate to have access to high quality, safe, and afforbable food. On World Food Day, we recognize the importance of community-based agriculture to establish food security in vulnerable parts of the world,' said Ron Bonnett, CFA 2nd Vice President.
 
CFA looks forward to communicating with the newly elected government to emphasize the essential contributions of local agriculture, here in Canada and abroad.
 
 
About the Canadian Federation of Agriculture
 
Founded in 1935 to provide Canada's farmers with a single voice in Ottawa, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture is the country's largest farmers' organization. Its members include provincial general farm organizations, national and inter-provincial commodity organizations, and cooperatives from every province. Through its members, CFA represents over 225,000 Canadian farmers and farm families.