Last spring, the United Nations (UN) announced that it would recognize 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming. The declaration aims to increase awareness on the importance of family farming in addressing world issues such as poverty, food security and protecting the environment.On its website, the UN says that the goal of the declaration is to “reposition family farming at the centre of agricultural, environmental and social policies in the national agendas.” It hopes that it will spur discussion at local, national and international levels of governments. The declaration includes both developing and developed countries.According to the UN, family farming is important in three main ways: it is linked to world food security, it also promotes balanced diets and helps protect biodiversity; and lastly, it promotes strong local economies when coupled with other policies which serve to protect the well-being of communities.