Member of the Ukrainian Agri Council Ihor Novytskyi, on behalf of a group of young farmers from all continents, was granted the right to address the forum participants and ministers of agriculture at the annual Global Forum of Food and Agriculture (GFFA) in Berlin. The text of the statement was prepared and approved by young farmers from 20 countries. 

According to the farmers, the numerous crises they face, including climate change, biodiversity loss, war-related supply chain disruptions, and the monopolization of the food system by a few companies, threaten global food security.

According to the statement, food should flow into and out of conflict zones without trade and other barriers, and agricultural land should not be sold to large corporations during wartime.

"Conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, the Middle East and Africa are a reality that is changing our future. It is important to solve an urgent problem: the sale of agricultural land to large corporations during wartime. When governments allow such sales, they are not just transferring land, they are stealing the future of young food producers for decades," said Ihor Novytskyi in his speech.

He also emphasized that Ukraine needs the support of international partners to demine agricultural areas.

"Another urgent issue is the dangerous task of demining agricultural land. This task is too large and dangerous for food producers to handle alone. We urgently need the support of the United Nations and international organizations in providing technical and financial assistance for demining," said Ihor Novytskyi, Member of the UAC Board.

The joint statement of the young farmers also addressed key issues of vital global agricultural and food policy, such as: ensuring the human right to food and the right to food sovereignty, which should be central to all policies, programs and governance processes related to food and agriculture; ensuring the rights of agricultural producers to make key decisions affecting their operations; supporting sustainable agricultural supply chains; gender equality and youth rights.

The full text of the statement is available in English here: https://www.gffa-berlin.de/app/uploads/sites/3/2024/01/Young-Farmers-Statement-2024.pdf

The Forum is organized by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. This year's event was held on January 17-20 in Berlin under the theme "Food Systems for Our Future: Joining Forces for Zero World Hunger" and aimed to intensify and give impetus to the international dialogue on agricultural policy. The forum was chaired by Federal Minister of Agriculture Jem Ozdemir and brought together ministers of agriculture from 65 countries.

As a reminder, the UAC opposes the increase in the limits of land sales from 100 hectares to 10,000 hectares per one enterprise. The desire of small and medium-sized farmers to maintain land sales limits at 100 hectares per person during the war and for two years after the victory is explained by the critical financial condition of these agricultural enterprises in 2023 compared to large companies.