According to Vincenzo Conso, Secretary General of ICRA (International Catholic Rural Association) the family at work in agriculture is “a central subject” to be considered in the realities they deal with.
The family in this arena has always been noted for proclaiming the important values of solidarity and morality. The UN has instituted, besides the World Day of Families, the International Year of Family Farming in an effort to highlight the economic and developmental aspects pertaining to this way of life and what it brings to the economy. Rural families are present everywhere and particularly seen in the developing areas of Asia, Africa, and Latin America
The importance of these agricultural families indeed is great, and there are initiatives aimed at making key elements crucial to the rural world more visible: cooperation, development, and the battle against hunger. Pope Francis spoke on this theme in a recent audience, wishing for “clearer appreciation of the innumerable benefits that the family brings to economic, social, cultural and moral growth of the entire human community.” He stated, “In work, the family is a model of brotherhood in living out the experience of unity and solidarity among all its members, with a greater sensibility for those who are most in need of care and help, by preventing the outcrop of possible social conflicts.”
