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“We have made progress against hunger, but over 800 million people remain undernourished,” said José Graziano da Silva today. As head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, he was speaking at the 2014 World Food Day ceremony in Rome, urging recognition and support for the family farmers of the world.

The 2014 World Food Day theme – Family Farming: “Feeding the world, caring for the Earth” – is intended to focus world attention on the importance of family farming in eradicating hunger and poverty, providing food security and nutrition, improving livelihoods, managing natural resources, protecting the environment, and achieving sustainable development.

“Zero hunger. That is our true goal,” said Graziano da Silva. “And family farming is key in this effort.”

The UN General Assembly has designated 2014 International Year of Family Farming as a signal that the international community recognizes the contribution of family farmers to world food security.

Nine out of 10 of the world’s 570 million farms are managed by families, making the family farm a crucial agent of change in achieving sustainable food security and in eradicating hunger in the future, according to a new FAO report released today.

Family farms produce about 80 percent of the world’s food. Their prevalence and output mean they “are vital to the solution of the hunger problem” afflicting more than 800 million people, Graziano da Silva wrote in the introduction to “State of Food and Agriculture 2014.”

Family farms are the custodians of about 75 percent of all agricultural resources in the world, and so are key to improved ecological and resource sustainability.

They are also among the most vulnerable to the effects of resource depletion and climate change. While evidence shows impressive yields on land managed by family farmers, many smaller farms are unable to produce enough to provide for their families.

Family farming is faced with a triple challenge: yield growth to meet the world’s need for food security and better nutrition; environmental sustainability to protect the planet and to secure their own productive capacity; and productivity growth and livelihood diversification to lift themselves out of poverty and hunger.

According to the FAO report, these challenges mean that family farmers must innovate.

“In all cases, family farmers need to be protagonists of innovation as only this way can they take ownership of the process and ensure that the solutions offered respond to their needs,” Graziano da Silva said. “Family farming is a key component of the healthy food systems we need to lead healthier lives.”

The report calls for the public sector, working with farmers, civil society organizations and the private sector, to improve innovation systems for agriculture through investment in agricultural research, to increase access to seeds and fertilizers as well as access to markets and credit.

Policies meant to catalyze innovation must go beyond technology transfer, according to the FAO. They also must be inclusive and tailored to local contexts, so farmers have ownership of innovation, take gender and intergenerational issues into consideration, and involve youth in the future of agriculture.