Narendra Modi accepts FAO Agricola Medal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi accepted the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Agricola Medal in Rome on May 20, in a ceremony at FAO headquarters led by Director-General Qu Dongyu. FAO said the Agricola Medal is the organization’s highest award and said it was given in recognition of Modi’s support for food security, rural development and FAO’s anti-hunger mandate. Modi said after receiving the medal that he was accepting it as recognition of “millions of hard-working smallholder farmers of India” and of the country’s scientific and research community, according to FAO’s account of the ceremony. In a separate social media post on May 20, Modi said he dedicated the honor to India’s farmers, people linked to animal husbandry and fisheries, and others working for food security and sustainable development. (fao.org) ### What exactly did FAO award Modi in Rome? FAO said Qu presented Modi with the Agricola Medal in the Plenary Hall at its Rome headquarters on May 20. The agency described the medal as its highest distinction, conferred by the FAO director-general on leaders who have shown commitment to eradicating hunger, reducing poverty and advancing food security and nutrition. (fao.org) Qu said the award recognized Modi’s “invaluable contribution and long commitment” to the wellbeing of people in India and beyond. FAO said Qu also cited India’s farmer-focused programs, rural development efforts and work on agrifood systems during India’s G20 presidency. ### Why did FAO say Modi was chosen? (fao.org) FAO’s May 20 statement listed several initiatives it said were relevant to the award. The organization pointed to India’s food-based social safety net covering 800 million people since the COVID pandemic, direct income support to more than 110 million farmers, work on regenerative and natural farming, and promotion of millets through the International Year of Millets 2023. (fao.org) FAO also said Qu praised India’s push on digital public infrastructure, calling it a global public good that could help developing countries improve service delivery. The agency said those efforts had helped lift millions out of poverty. ### What did Modi say when he accepted it? (fao.org) Modi said the medal reflected India’s commitment to food security and sustainable development and the work of people connected to the farm sector, according to reports citing his remarks and social media post. He framed the recognition as belonging to farmers and agricultural workers rather than to him personally. (fao.org) Rome was also the setting for Modi’s broader outreach on agriculture on May 20. In posts referenced in the story briefings, he said India and FAO share a commitment to cooperation in agriculture and sustainable development. ### What happened in Modi’s meeting with Qu Dongyu? Modi said he met Qu in Rome on May 20 and discussed agriculture and food security. (fao.org) The social briefing tied to the story said Modi posted photographs and comments from the meeting the same day, describing India-FAO cooperation and sustainable development. (fao.org) FAO’s statement and Modi’s public comments place the medal ceremony and the meeting in the same Rome visit. FAO said related multimedia from Modi’s visit to the organization was available through its newsroom coverage on May 20. ### What comes next after the ceremony? FAO said additional material from Modi’s visit to its Rome headquarters was being published through its official coverage on May 20. (fao.org) Modi’s office and FAO are likely to be the primary sources for any further readouts from the Qu meeting or follow-up on India-FAO cooperation stemming from the Rome visit.