Interregional dialogues strengthen cooperation to improve land access and governance for family farming

Around 60 representatives from governments, family farming organizations, civil society and technical institutions from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and the Near East and North Africa (NENA) gathered in Cairo on 4–5 November for the second edition of the Interregional Dialogues on Family Farming. The discussions focused on strengthening land tenure security, improving access to land and identifying policy solutions to support family farmers.

The dialogue was jointly organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through its Regional Offices for the Near East and North Africa (RNE) and Latin America and the Caribbean (RLC), and the Government of Brazil, through the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ABC/MRE) and the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA), within the framework of the Brazil-FAO South-South Cooperation Program and in support of the United Nations Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF) 2019–2028.

Building on the first edition, held in Cairo in July 2025, the dialogue further strengthened the Regional Technical Platform for Family Farming as a channel for knowledge exchange and cooperation between the two regions.

Participants shared country experiences, including local multi-stakeholder platforms for land governance in Mauritania, efforts to address land fragmentation in Morocco and land-use consolidation in Egypt, alongside experiences from Uruguay and Brazil. Discussions also examined the challenges of securing land rights in fragile and climate-vulnerable contexts, particularly for women, young people and pastoral communities affected by conflict, displacement, climate change and water scarcity.

“Across the Near East and North Africa, strengthening land governance is fundamental to addressing the interconnected challenges of tenure insecurity, climate change, water scarcity and rural poverty. Secure land rights empower family farmers, women, youth and pastoral communities to invest in a more resilient and sustainable future,” highlighted Abdulhakim Elwaer, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa.

“Land is at the heart of some of the most pressing challenges facing rural Latin America and the Caribbean. Secure and equitable access to land can strengthen family farming, empower Indigenous Peoples, women and rural communities, and help countries tackle rural poverty and the impacts of climate change. By bringing together experiences and solutions from different regions, this process can help countries turn knowledge into more effective and inclusive land policies,” said Rene Orellana Halkyer, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean.

“This initiative reflects very well the way Brazil understands and practices South-South Cooperation. We do not seek to export models or offer ready-made solutions. We seek to share experiences, learn from different realities and jointly develop solutions, while respecting the priorities and circumstances of each partner”, stated João Luiz Clementino, Project Analyst at the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ABC/MRE).

Through participatory working groups, participants identified policy recommendations, innovative governance solutions and opportunities for South-South cooperation, alongside priority actions to advance the implementation of the UNDFF.

The outcomes will contribute to regional policy messages for NENA, a portfolio of policy solutions and good practices, and recommendations to strengthen the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) and the UNDFF.

They will also contribute to discussions at the Second Global Policy Solutions Forum for Family Farming, to be held at FAO Headquarters in Rome on 24–25 November 2026. The Forum will bring together experiences and policy solutions from the different interregional dialogues to advance global policy discussions on equitable access to land and responsible tenure governance.