Japan Press Weekly

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2018 October 24 - 30 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Leaders of Japanese farmers' and fishermen's movements meets FAO Japan head

Representatives of Japanese family farmers' and fishermen's movements on October 25 asserted that they will fully cooperate with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in its global campaign for the promotion of better public policies on family farming.

In the runup to the UN campaign "Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028", the leadership of the Japan Family Farmers Movement (Nouminren) and the national union of coastal fishermen’s organizations (Gyominren or JCFU) met with Mbuli Charles Boliko, the director of the FAO Liaison Office in Japan located in Yokohama City (Kanagawa Pref.).

Nouminren President Sasawatari Yoshio opened the meeting by saying, "We sincerely welcome 'the Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028' as we share the same goal," promising to lead this campaign in Japan. Sasawatari also said, "We will push the Japanese government to make a policy shift aiming to increase Japan's food self-sufficiency rate and revitalize Japan's agricultural and fisheries communities."

Referring to the fact that family farmers produce about 80% of world's food, Boliko said, "Without the protection of family farming, our food security cannot be maintained." Boliko also said, "This is not a matter of concern only for developing nations. It is important for the world as a whole to increase efforts to protect family farmers," hoping that the campaign will become widespread in Japan.

JCFU Co-leader Suzuki Masao and JCFU Secretary General Nihira Akira explained the roles of Japanese coastal fishermen who work to protect fishing resources and contribute to local economies.