10 Facts about food security and family farming

In celebration of the 2014 InternationalYear of Family Farming (IYFF), here are 10 facts about agricultural food production and smallholder family farming: 

1. The main source of agricultural production is located in the rural areas of the world where about 76% of the world’s rural poor depend for their livelihood.  

Farming families need more support to sustain food security.

2. Around 1.5 billion people in the world are involved in family farming in about 500 million  small farms and that 70% of the food consumed in the world is produced by small family farms.

3. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is celebrating 2014 as International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) in recognition of family farmers as leading figures in food security and preserving the natural resources.

4. Almost half of the world’s population (6.6 Billion) eat rice.

5. Ninety percent (90%) of the world’s rice supply is produced by Asian farmers.

6. The Philippines if running out of farmers as the average age of farmers and fishermen is 57 years old.

7. The Filipino farmer’s average income is only P20,000.00 or less than P2,000.00 per month and that their children don’t see farming as a lucrative career, they prefer to migrate to the cities or go abroad to work rather that go into farming.

8. Corn is the second most important crop in the Philippines wherein about 50% of the harvested yellow corn is used for livestock feed. 

9. The sugar industry in the Philippines employs around 700,000 sugarcane workers. 

10. The Philippines is the only ASEAN member with quantitative restrictions that regulate the entry of imported rice.