This year marked five years of #IGrowYourFood, the annual global action day celebrating farmers growing our food in a sustainable way.
On 14 September 2023, we provided the platform for people worldwide to come together virtually to acknowledge the work of organic and agroecological farmers, ensuring that we consume food grown in harmony with nature.
To facilitate participation, we created a tutorial video with tips on actively joining and contributing to the action day. When we received contributions from various farmers, we shared the videos, articles and quotes on social media, featuring messages directly from the farmers. They shared their challenges and how we could best support them.
For each message shared, a farmer’s voice was heard and amplified!
Partnering with INOFO.
To diversify, maximise and strengthen our impact, this year we partnered with the Intercontinental Network of Organic Farmers’ Organisations (INOFO) to host a live discussion. This discussion featured four organic farmers under the theme “Nourishing the world in times of crises – Farming and food production for the future”.
A highly engaging and insightful conversation unfolded among these four organic farmers, each sharing their experiences and innovations. They represented various branches of farming and hailed from different parts of the world.
Meet our Phenomenal Panellists!
Thales Mendonça
Thales Mendonça is the Global Relationship Manager at INOFO and was the moderator of the discussion. He is an organic farmer from Brazil working with agroforestry and mushrooms. He is also a technical consultant specialist in organic production and commercialisation.
Bibong Widyarti
Bibong Widyarti has dedicated over 25 years to being an organic farmer and activist in Indonesia. She continues to work as a trainer and farmer assistant, covering topics related to Internal Control Systems (ICS) and Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS).
Hans Bartelme
Hans Bartelme is an organic farmer from Germany with 50 hectares of arable land, 10 hectares of grassland, and one hectare of forest focussing on layer-hen farming. He also serves as the Vice President of Naturland e. V. and is one of the chairmen of the Working Group on Organic Farming (AÖL).
Julitza Nieves
Julitza Nieves is the founder of Productos Montemar, a food community that is developing value-added products from fruit farm production, particularly focusing on traditional and “forgotten” tropical fruits grown in Puerto Rico. Additionally, she is a Slow Food Convivium Leader.
How to continue amplifying farmers’ voices beyond the action day!
- Check out our #IGrowYourFood Trello board that has curated content directly from the farmers as well as tips on how to create your content
- Use the #IGrowYourFood playlists from 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 to find videos that resonate with you and post them from your channels. Alternatively, you can also go to your favourite social media channels, search #IGrowYourFood, and then like and share as many videos and articles as you can!
- Choose organic produce which ultimately supports the farmers who work to put organic on our tables
- Check out the social media wall where you will see the content produced by farmers shared worldwide!
Thank you for participating 💚
Thanks to your engagement, we amplified the voices of organic and agroecological farmers across the globe. However, that should not stop with the #IGrowYourFood action day, let us continue celebrating our food heroes every day by sharing their ever-green messages and supporting them by choosing products that are organically farmed.
“For us, organic is not just about business or environmental friendliness of products. It is about harmony. Harmony with our customers, the environment and ourselves. And in spite of the war in the country, we do not stop
. We keep on working, making plans for the future.”
Yan from Ukraine 
shares his message for #IGrowYourFood.
