Family farming approach for local development, support from the University to the Government

Abstract

Globally, family farming produces approximately 80% of the food consumed worldwide. Through the United Nations Decade of Family Farming, a global call has been issued for its strengthening. Family farmers are indispensable to the sustainability of local development goals in Cuba, particularly in municipalities where agriculture constitutes the fundamental economic activity. While universities manage science, technology, and innovation -simultaneously assisting the Government in planning and implementing sustainable development actions- there remain gaps in the informational and scientific support regarding the social reproduction of this economic subject. Despite explicit government demands, gaps persist, including overlooked themes and significant absences in development planning. This paper aims to propose a family farming approach for sustainable local development planning by designing indicators and university-led support measures. These tools are intended to facilitate the integration of the Decade of Family Farming into government strategies. The methodology employed techniques such as documentary analysis and structured interviews. The results yielded indicators that demonstrate both applicability across a diverse range of family producers and the importance of an' expeditious, visible, and efficient incorporation of the family farming approach into Cuba's local development strategies, plans, and programs. Finally, specific actions were formulated to enable university accompaniment in achieving this objective.