At this year’s High-Level Political Forum, the session “Transformation from the Ground Up: Acting at Local Level” highlighted how sustainable development begins with communities. Representing the global Farmers Major Group, German farmer and founder of the Schwäbisch Hall Farmers Association, Rudolf Heinrich Bühler, delivered a compelling statement on the central role of farmers in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.
Bühler underscored that the strength of farmer-led organisations has become a global lighthouse for rural development. Originating in Germany’s Hohenlohe region, these models have inspired and supported farmers’ associations across Eastern Europe, Ghana, Kerala, and beyond. Their growth speaks for itself:
from 8 to 1,500 members in Hohenlohe,
from 5 to 1,030 in Ghana,
from 120 to 17,000 in Wayanad, India.
These examples illustrate how solidarity-based organising empowers farmers, strengthens rural livelihoods, and advances core SDG targets.
