From left, Montana Farmers Union President Alan Merrill, North Dakota Farmers Union President Mark Watne, Michelle Watne and Minnesota Farmers Union President Doug Peterson enjoy the opening reception of the World Farmers’ Organization meeting last Wednesday on the campus of Politecnico di Milano, an educational institution in Milan. (Jerry Hagstrom/The Hagstrom Report)

MILAN — Delegates to the World Farmers’ Organization including members of the National Farmers Union last week adopted a pronouncement to make sure that the farmers’ perspective would be heard at Expo Milano 2015, “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life,” a six-month, universal exhibition focused on feeding the planet in 2050.

The pronouncement, or declaration, points out that farmers produce safe food and protect the environment, but also notes that farmers have to make a living.

“We, farmers of the world, men, women and youth, taking care of small, medium and large-scale farms and cooperatives, recognize that Agriculture, including crops, horticulture, feedstock, livestock, breeding, fisheries and forestry, is at the heart of sustainable development,” the pronouncement says.

“Farmers feed the planet, producing Energy for Life, transportation and heat and are integral to support sustainable development, globally. However, we also feel humble facing the responsibilities that come with the tasks of feeding the world and caring for the earth.”

The WFO made the following statements:

• We, farmers, require reasonable farm gate prices. In a food supply chain where farmers are clasped between the dealers and the input providers, farmers are most often price takers with little bargaining power constraining our adaptability to the market.
• The key issue to meet our challenges is to deliver profitability at the farm level. This ensures that farming remains a viable, sustainable career option for young people and supports transitioning between generations.
• Competitiveness cannot be at the expense of developing farming potential in other regions. Assuring the right to develop its own agricultural potential contributes to the goal of reducing inequality among countries. It also contributes to the achievement of food security and broadens the variety and hence resilience of the agrifood system as a whole.
• In too many fora, at national, regional and international levels, farmers are marginalized and deprived of the right to speak and be listened to. We, farmers, need the ear of decisionmakers. Policy makers must talk and listen to farmers rather than speak about farmers without us present.

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson canceled his trip to Milan to remain in Washington for the debate over country-of-origin labeling for meat, but he issued a statement praising the declaration and the NFU delegation’s role in its development.

Farmers Union leaders attending the WFO meeting included Dave Velde, NFU vice president of international relations; North Dakota Farmers Union President Mark Watne; Minnesota Farmers Union President Doug Peterson; Montana Farmers Union President Alan Merrill, and Robert Carlson, former North Dakota Farmers Union president and first president of the WFO.

• World Farmers’ Organization — Feeding the Planet. Energy for Life. The Farmers’ perspective