Transcript Sustainable Infrastructure for Agriculture towards Green Economy

Sustainable Infrastructure for
Agriculture towards a Green
Economy
Dr. Katinka Weinberger
Director, Centre for the Alleviation of Poverty through
Sustainable Agriculture (CAPSA)
The Concept of “Green Economy”
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An economic system compatible with the natural
environment while being socially just
Complies with a number of criteria
 Environmentally friendly
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Use renewable resources within regenerative capacity
Create substitutes for loss of non-renewable resources
Limit pollution to sink function of nature
Maintain ecosystem stability and resilience
 Socially just
- Not compromise the ability of future generations capability to
meet their needs
- Recognize the right for development
- Ensure equal treatment of women and men
- Ensure decent labor conditions
Three Pillars of Sustainable Development
Society
Health & safety
Skilled workforce
Supporting communities
Healthy
environment
Climate
Water
Biodiversity
Land
Forests
Environment
Social
equity
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
Sustainable
economy
Jobs
Income
Assets
Economy
Constraint or Opportunity?
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Modern view implies that new economic
opportunities are created
Jobs and incomes
Green growth “emphasizes environmentally
sustainable economic progress to foster lowcarbon, socially inclusive development” (ESCAP,
2010)
Can Agriculture Contribute to a Green Economy?
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Agriculture a major contributor to green-house
gases: ~ 30%
High environmental cost of green revolution
 High energy crop production
 Sharp increases in fertilizer, pesticide and water use
 Increased emission of nitrates and pesticides into the
environment
 Depletion of groundwater aquifers
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Population and income growth will drive food
demand – to increase by 70% until 2050
 Meat: 80%
 Cereals: 60%
 Roots and tubers: 30%
Can we have a Green Economy Without Agriculture?
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Food security is a key global challenge of this
century
900 million people undernourished, 2 billion people
suffer from micronutrient malnutrition
75% of the world’s poor in developing countries live
in rural areas
Smallholder farmers depend on natural resources
and ecosystem services for livelihoods
Threats Faced by the Agricultural Sector
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Reduced productivity growth in agriculture
 Increased temperatures (estimated 2-4∘C, reduced
yields in the tropics, increased yields in temperate
climate zones)
 Changes in water availability (critical in arid and semiarid zones)
 Extreme weather events (reduced yields)
 Soil degradation (water & wind erosion)
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Rural poor suffer most from deterioration of natural
environment
Investment into Agricultural Sector is Urgently Required
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A "perfect storm" of food shortages, scarce water
and insufficient energy resources threaten to
unleash public unrest, cross-border conflicts and
mass migration (Beddington, 2009)
Business as usual is not an option (International
Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and
Technology for Development, 2008)
Governments should prioritize investments in the
small farm sector and alternative food systems that
are socially inclusive as well as environmentally
sustainable (High Level Panel of Experts on Food
Security and Nutrition, 2011)
Five Priority Areas to Facilitate Green Growth
Refocus
from
quantity to
quality
Invest in
development
of mitigation
strategies
Allow prices to
reflect real cost
of production
and
consumption
Promote
green
products
and
services
Urban areas
Transport
Water
Land
Energy
Capacity building
ESCAP, 2012
Message 1: Facilitate (Peri-) Urban Agriculture
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Rapid urbanization, urban sprawl and car-centered
development put sustainability of cities at risk
Asia-Pacific region: 1.5 billion urban population eat
2.5 million MT of food every day
Integrate peri-urban agriculture and city planning by
mixing different land uses and enhancing public and
green spaces
Infrastructure needs:
 Waste management
 Water harvesting
Message 2: Focus on Transport Systems
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Market access for agricultural production relies on
the availability of transport systems
Vast areas suffer from underinvestment into transport systems
Land-based transport infrastructure in the region
requires development and upgrading
Cont’d: Focus on Transport Systems
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Region is experiencing rapid motorization based on
car-centred transport systems
Hidden costs include chronic congestion, energy
consumption, carbon emissions, air pollution and
traffic accidents  add up to more than 10 per cent
of a country’s GDP
Greater investment in public transport, especially rail
connectivity
Message 3: Improve Energy Efficiency
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In the Asia-Pacific region, 675 million people do not
have access to sustainable energy services
Strong reliance of agriculture and food chain on
fossil fuels for agrochemicals, machinery, transport
and distribution
Increase energy efficiency and develop and use
cleaner, sustainable energy sources for agriculture
Message 4: Build Infrastructure to Reduce Postharvest
Loss
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Up to 25% of grains
and 50% of horticulture
produce lost from farm
to fork
Feasible to half current
losses, can save the
use of 17% of arable
land
Accelerate investment
into
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Markets
Roads
Cold chains
Market informationn
Message 5: Enhance Capacity Building and South-South
Cooperation
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No green economy
without sound science,
research and access to
knowledge
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Source: Beintema and Stads, 2008
Targeted scientific and
technological capacity
building required
Development and
strengthening of national,
regional and international
innovation systems
Example: SATNET Asia
Network that aims to
increase and accelerate
the rate of adoption of
sustainable and
productivity-enhancing
agricultural technologies
by strengthening South–
South dialogue and
intraregional learning
No “Golden Bullet”
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No technological panacea, “no one-size-fits-all”
Trade-offs and local complexities
Diversity of approaches, specific to
 Crops
 Localities
 Cultures
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Many countries of Asia-Pacific region have
developed own versions of green economic policies
and strategies
The Potential for Sustainable Agriculture Exists!
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Issue is not the WHAT – it is the HOW TO
 Policies to incentivize behavior to produce enough
food and safeguard the environment
 Information required to measure impact of
consumption on sustainability
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Multisectoral approaches to coordinate contributions
to agriculture with investments in other sectors
- Investment priorities
- Political tradeoffs in budgetary processes
- Intersectoral coordination of implementation
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Collaboration is key
 Knowledge sharing
 Pooling of resources
Thank you!
Towards a Future without Poverty
Supporting Sustainable Agriculture in Asia and the Pacific