On Monday, 15 December 2025, the winners of the Essay Competition themed “A Decade of the UNIDROIT/FAO/IFAD Legal Guide on Contract Farming: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in a Changing World”, supported by the International Law Institute (ILI) and facilitated by the UNIDROIT Foundation, presented their research in a live webinar hosted by UNIDROIT (read more about the winners here).
The following winners presented their insights on the role of private law in sustainable agriculture and food security:
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Andrew Umali: From Soft Law to Field Realities: Examining the Influence of the UNIDROIT/FAO/IFAD Contract Farming Guide in Malawi’s Sugarcane Sector;
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Ayerango Patricia: A Decade of the UNIDROIT/FAO/IFAD Legal Guide on Contract Farming: Prospects for Equitable Agriculture and Sustainable Livelihoods for Smallholder Farmers in Uganda’s Coffee Sector;
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Samir Zime Yerima (in French): Sens et portée du Guide juridique sur l’agriculture contractuelle dans un contexte de pluralisme juridique : le cas des pays d’Afrique subsaharienne;
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Berk Eker: Invisible Partners: Strengthening Gender Equality in Agricultural Contracting through the UNIDROIT/FAO/IFAD Legal Guide.
The event was opened by Professor Don Wallace, Chairman of the ILI. The presentations and subsequent panel discussion were moderated by Professor Anna Veneziano, UNIDROIT Deputy Secretary-General. Priscila Pereira de Andrade and Philine Wehling, UNIDROIT Legal Officers leading the Institute’s work on agricultural development, also joined the webinar.
The session highlighted the impressive global reach of the competition, which received 185 submissions from around the world, and celebrated the first year that entries were welcomed in both English and French.
A recording of the webinar is available here.
