The world is getting smaller, to be sure. As it does, an international organization called the Global Farmer Network® (GFN®) is connecting farmers from across the globe.
Established in 2000, the GFN amplifies the farmers’ voice in promoting trade, technology, sustainable farming, economic growth, and food security. The organization identifies, engages and supports strong farmer leaders from around the world who can work with others to innovate, encourage and lead as full stakeholders in the work that is being done to fill the world’s food and nutrition security gap in a sustainable manner.
GFN members come from farms around the world, ranging from Canadian wheat farms to Brazilian soybean farms, and Indian sugarcane farms to Australian sheep and cattle ranches.
Most recently, the GFN has been following the activity and commentary of Kees Huizinga, a Dutch farmer who relocated to Ukraine more than 20 years ago. Huizinga has provided a running account of the impact of the Russian invasion on Ukrainian agriculture, and its possible implications on the world food supply.
“Ukraine can meet the food needs of 600 million people, according to one estimate. That’s pretty good for a nation of 44 million people and about 35,000 farms,” he noted recently. “If we drop out of the global market, food prices will rise everywhere. Price inflation is already hurting ordinary consumers around the world, but now it will worsen.
“This means that Russia’s unprovoked war on Ukraine is not only Ukraine’s problem,” Huizinga continued. “It’s a threat to everyone on the planet. Russia has attacked us all.”
GFN also recently highlighted the activities of Jim McCarthy, an Irish farmer who now farms near the Romania border. McCarthy details how he and his farm staff are using their vehicles and housing quarters to rescue Ukrainian refugees by providing shelter and transporting them to airports and other safe destinations.
Each year, the GFN hosts a Global Farmer Network Roundtable & Communication Training program, which gathers about 30 farmers from various backgrounds and cultures. At the meeting, they discuss current issues in food, feed, fiber, and fuel production and trade, and then continue to be part of the organization’s network of producers.
The GFN website also houses a speakers’ list and virtual farm tours, like this one featuring recent drought conditions in the Argentinian corn and soybean crop.
GFN relies heavily on social media platforms to share its members’ stories and updates, using the hashtag #GlobalFarmer. Updates can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
