The International Cooperative Agricultural Organisation (ICAO) is a sectoral body of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), founded in 1951 to represent global agricultural cooperatives. Its Chair is Hodong Kang, who also chairs the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF) in Korea.
Here we speak with Mr Kang about ICAO’s plans, and how it will be supporting its members through the challenges of the future.
How is ICAO building on the success of the 2025 UN International Year of Cooperatives?
2025 was a meaningful year for all ICAO members. Member organisations held diverse events to commemorate the 2025 UN IYC and gathered in Seoul, Korea, in October for the proclamation of the Seoul Declaration. The Declaration reflects the spirit of the “Farmer’s Will, Heaven’s Will” Movement, written to stress the value of agriculture to the global society, while showcasing a sustainable growth methodology for the agricultural field.
We declared seven commitments, including the promotion of agricultural value and nurturing youth and women farmers. To develop a more actionable approach, 44 members from 19 organisations participated in a CEO Training Program for three days, right after the declaration ceremony, where they learnt the successful agricultural cooperative model of Korea NongHyup. Moving forward, ICAO will continue in the spirit of the UN IYC by providing training programs to and supporting the sustainable development of our members.
What are your main strands of work planned for this year?
As ICAO’s President, I have spent a lot of time communicating with ICAO’s cooperative member Presidents and employees. Through this, I was able to gauge the general consensus that their common wish was to build a platform that strengthens inter-cooperative communication and members’ leadership capabilities.
Reflecting their opinions, ICAO Secretariat will increase the number of participants for the ICAO Global Leadership Capacity Building Project from two participants to four. This project allows employees from ICAO member organisations to stay in Korea for three months, at the ICAO Secretariat in Seoul, while learning the know-how and the system of Korea NongHyup; while at the same time, seeking partnership opportunities. Also, we will upgrade ICAO With, our mobile app. To enhance communication functions, we are planning to add AI features and optimise and expand the current messenger functionality. For these exchanges to materialise, we will continue to support the ICAO Regional Project, where we provide financial support of EUR 10,000 per region; this enables the participating organisations to contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
How are you supporting your members through rising issues in the Middle East (particularly in terms of any possible fuel or fertiliser shortages)?
Due to the conflict in the Middle East, prices of oil, fertiliser, and agricultural materials are surging, along with a looming supply chain crisis, caused by maritime logistics disruption. Thus, as the Secretariat of ICAO, we held Regional Members’ Meetings to listen to the challenges faced by each member, while seeking common response measures.
In the meantime, Korea NongHyup has preemptively secured 50% of the annual consumption of urea and compound fertiliser, and provided a USD 18.5 million worth of tax-exempt agricultural fuel subsidy to support our member farmers. With a task force currently in place, we are gathering opinions from on-field stakeholders, and at the same time, engaging in price deliberations of agricultural films (vinyl sheeting) with producers to minimise the financial burden on farmers when purchasing agricultural materials. In the long run, Korea NongHyup will strive to advance the agricultural sector and the farming community through the “Farmers’ Will, heaven’s Will” Movement. All the while building a resilient and competitive agricultural community with the launch of the rural solar energy initiative, agricultural labour supply system advancement, and young farmer development programs.
Is the organisation engaging with the 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer?
According to the UN FAO, the world’s GDP will increase by USD 1 trillion, all the while saving 4.5 million food-insecure people just by closing the gender gap in rural areas. In this sense, the fact that this year marks the International Year of the Woman Farmer is critical. In order to nurture woman farmers with high growth potential, we are discussing ways to add weighted points to regional project submissions, which empower women farmers when selecting our ICAO Regional Project this round. And we have added visits to women-led associations such as the National Association of Rural Housewives and Hometown-Loving Housewives Association for the ICAO Global Capacity Building Project. Participating secondees will learn about the roles of women-led groups and of cooperatives first-hand, on-site. Also, we are considering convening a webinar in conjunction with the ICA and regional offices, in commemoration of the International Year of the Woman Farmer.
To read more about ICAO's 2025 activities, click here (in English)
