Transcript 3. What`s the Problem?

Food Security in a Changing World:
International Assessment of Agricultural
Knowledge, Science and Technology for
Development (www.agassessment.org)
Hans R. Herren, Co-Chair IAASTD,
President Millennium Institute
2009 FAWCO Conference
March 20, 2009
The food security issue:
1. Background
2. Global context and recent trends
3. What’s the problem?
4. Future challenges
5. Options for action
1. Background to the IAASTD: Who
• Co-sponsors FAO, UNEP, UNESCO, UNDP, WB, WHO, GEF
• Bureau (30 countries and 30 delegates from the private sector,
civil society/NGOs
1. Background to the IAASTD: How
•
- multi-thematic approach (nutritional security, livelihoods, human
health, environmental sustainability);
- multi-spatial (global and sub-global assessments);
- multi-temporal (1950 to 2050);
•
- Global Report: 230 authors and REs, 52 countries
- Sub-Global Reports: each 30/35 authors, 5 regions
•
Peer reviewed by Governments and experts
•
Integrates local Knowledge with institutional Knowledge and
looks at policy and institutional issues in light of history (50
years) and proposes options for action
•
Created a common vision of the future of agriculture approved
by 58 countries in April 2008, and welcomed by 61 countries
IAASTD The Reports
1. Background to the IAASTD: What
Stakeholder identified the IAASTD Development and
Sustainability Goals (=MDG) that the assessment will
have to address in respect of AKST’s past, present and
future impact on:
• Reducing Hunger and Poverty
• Improving Rural Livelihoods
• Improving Nutrition and Human Health
• Facilitating Environmentally, Socially, Equitable and
Economically Sustainable Development
…under the Challenges of:
• Climate Change (new)
• Population and Demand Growth
• Shrinking Natural Resources / Energy
2. Global context and recent trends
• Food crisis
• Water crisis
• Environmental crisis
• Climate crisis
• Fiancial and credit crisis
• Hunger crisis
• Biodiversity crisis
• …etc.
2. Global context and recent trends
Drivers of the recent increase in food prices
• Increased demand from rapidly developing countries, e.g.,
China, Brazil, India……
• Poor harvests due to variable weather -possibly related to
human-induced climate change
• Increased use of agro-fuels, especially maize in the US
• High energy prices,
prices
fertilizer/agro chemicals land
• Export bans from some large exporting countries
• Speculation on the commodity markets
Key question is whether this is a blip or a harbinger
2. Global context and recent trends
Unprecedented increase in ag productivity through R&D
?
2008
3. What’s the Problem?
1. People have benefited unevenly
from the very significant yield
increases across regions
• inequity, poverty
• health / nutrition
• uneven trade
…and
2. this productivity increase has
come at costs:
• environmental sustainability
• soils
• water
• biodiversity
• climate change
3. What’s the Problem?
More people means less cultivated land per person
for food, feed, (agro)-fuel and fiber production
3. What’s the Problem?
3. What’s the Problem?
4. Critical Challenges: Climate change
Source: Stern Review
3. What’s the Problem? Key findings
Today's agriculture is characterized by
Disconnects, both in the developed and
developing world:
Disconnects between agriculture and the
environment
Disconnects between consumers and
farmers or land and cities
Disconnects between policies and
consequences (intended and un-intended)
4. Future Challenges
Demand for food will double within the next 25-50 years
Need sustained and sustainable growth across the
agricultural sector
• to feed the world with nutritious and healthy food
• to enhance rural livelihoods
• to stimulate economic growth
…while meeting
• food safety standards (i.e.,phytotoxins)
• farmers health concerns (i.e., pesticides)
• environmental concerns (i.e., ability of the ecosystems to
sustain production of goods and services)
…all in an environmentally, economically and
socially sustainable manner……
4. Critical Challenges: Multifunctional agriculture
Changing the R&D paradigm and focus
4. Critical Challenges: Multifunctional agriculture
Realizing the IAASTD
sustainability goals requires
acknowledging the
multifunctionality of agriculture:
The challenge is to
simultaneously meet
development and sustainability
goals while increasing
agricultural production
4. A major challenge and opportunity:
The small scale farmer
• Pro-poor progress requires:
– creating opportunities for innovation and
entrepreneurship
– Increased public research and extension
investment
• Small scale farm sustainability – poses
challenging policy choices
– payment for ecological services
– decentralized governance systems and
technology choices
4. A major challenge and opportunity:
The small scale farmer
• Small scale farmers:
– Produce the bulk of global food
– Are the largest number of stewards for the
environmental services and biodiversity
– Higher and sustainable productivity increase at
their level will have a major impact on all the
development goals
Critical need to inform and support a suite of policy
approaches that address small-scale / family
producers, including AKST designed to improve
profitability of the sector
5. Options for action
New Equitable & Sustainable Way Forward
1.
Empower, involve and support farmers (women) in
sustainable agricultural practices, restoration and
management of ecosystem services; crop/animal
and labor productivity increases; safety nets
1.
Improve access to production resources and remunerative
employment on and off farm; recognize the critical role of women and
empower them (education, land tenure, add value locally to
agricultural products)
1.
Improve markets, infrastructure, and institutions
2.
Expand and disseminate ecosystem sustainability oriented research,
knowledge, and technology with stakeholder participation (soil
fertility, animals on farms, diversity, IP)
5. Options for action
1. Empower, involve and support farmers
Targeting AKST strategies that combine productivity with
protection of natural resources (i.e., pollination)
5. Options for action
New Equitable & Sustainable Way Forward
1.
Empower, involve and support farmers (women) in sustainable
agricultural practices, restoration and management of ecosystem
services; crop/animal and labor productivity increases; safety nets
1.
Improve access to production resources and
remunerative employment on and off farm;
recognize the critical role of women and empower
them (education, land tenure, add value locally to
agricultural products)
2.
Improve markets, infrastructure, and institutions
3.
Expand and disseminate ecosystem sustainability oriented research,
knowledge, and technology with stakeholder participation (soil
fertility, animals on farms, diversity, IP)
5. Options for action
New Equitable & Sustainable Way Forward
1.
Empower, involve and support farmers (women) in sustainable
agricultural practices, restoration and management of ecosystem
services; crop/animal and labor productivity increases; safety nets
2.
Improve access to production resources and remunerative
employment on and off farm; recognize the critical role of women and
empower them (education, land tenure, add value locally to
agricultural products)
3.
Improve markets, infrastructure, and institutions
4.
Expand and disseminate ecosystem sustainability oriented research,
knowledge, and technology with stakeholder participation (soil
fertility, animals on farms, diversity, IP)
5. Options for action
New Equitable & Sustainable Way Forward
1.
Empower, involve and support farmers (women) in sustainable
agricultural practices, restoration and management of ecosystem
services; crop/animal and labor productivity increases; safety nets
1.
Improve access to production resources and remunerative
employment on and off farm; recognize the critical role of women and
empower them (education, land tenure, add value locally to
agricultural products)
2.
Improve markets, infrastructure, and institutions
3.
Expand and disseminate ecosystem sustainability
oriented research, knowledge, and technology with
stakeholder participation (soil fertility, animals on
farms, diversity, IP)
5. Options for action
1. Empower, involve and support farmers
Using natural
systems to
regulate pest
outbreaks
(example of
push-pull
greater farm
productivity vs
higher yields 2 to
10X)
WIRED Magazine, November 2008
5. Options for action
1. Empower, involve and support farmers
Using natural systems to restore and maintain soil fertility
5. Options for action
1. Empower, involve and support farmers
Using natural systems to regulate disease vectors (tsetse flies)
5. Options for action
5. Options for action
New Equitable & Sustainable Way Forward
5. Bring all sectors responsible for sustainable
development into a comprehensive systematic
analysis, to recognize that policy decisions in one
sector (i.e., transportation) strongly affect other
sectors (input & market access)
6. Promote responsible governance at global, regional and local
levels
7.
Invest in long term gains versus short term quick fixes (i.e.,
deal with the cause not the symptoms)
5. Options for action
New Equitable & Sustainable Way Forward
5. Bring all sectors responsible for sustainable development into
a comprehensive systematic analysis, to recognize that policy
decisions in one sector (i.e., transportation) strongly affect
other sectors (input & market access)
6. Promote responsible governance at global, regional
and local levels
7.
Invest in long term gains versus short term quick fixes (i.e.,
deal with the cause not the symptoms)
5. Options for action
The Equitable & Sustainable Way Forward
5. Bring all sectors responsible for sustainable development into
a comprehensive systematic analysis, to recognize that policy
decisions in one sector (i.e., transportation) strongly affect
other sectors (input & market access)
6. Promote responsible governance at global, regional and local
levels
7.
Invest in long term gains versus short term quick
fixes (i.e., deal with the cause not the symptoms)
5. Options for action: Trade
Opening national agricultural markets to international competition can
offer economic benefits, but can lead to long term negative effects on
poverty alleviation, food security and the environment without basic
national institutions and infrastructure being in place
5. Options for action: consumption patterns and
sustainable development
• Changes are needed both in production and consumption
patterns to reduce impacts on and contribute to the natural
resource base conservation and sustainable use
• Empowerment and education of consumers to know and
understand the process of sustainable food production and
its added value in ecosystem services
• Help the global community live off the interest of sustainably
grown and managed natural capital, (agro-ecosystems)
instead of consuming it.
Business as usual is not an option
5. Options for action: consumption patterns and
sustainable development
Business as usual is not an option
In conclusion
Need for a new paradigm
Need for individual and collective behavioral
change
Need for good/ responsible governance,
institutions
Need for better education on the
interconnectedness in the ecosystem
Need for action NOW
You cannot solve the problem with the same
kind of thinking that created the problem
Albert Einstein
Thank you
5. Options for action: immediate / short term
suggestions for decision-makers
• Build rural safety nets, enhance profitability of small scale
production systems and non-farm rural employment
• Increase AKST focus to boost
- sustainable production of locally important food
(drylands, mountain and coastal ecosystems and
other
crop-livestock and fisheries systems)
- reduce pre & post harvest losses (crop and livestock)
- adapt to climate change impacts
• Increase national public investment in rural infrastructure and
regional co-operation in AKST
• Enhance basic sciences, technological and institutional
changes to address water and land problems
Business as usual is not an option
5. Options for action: medium / long term
suggestions for decision-makers
• Target AKST towards strategies that combine productivity with
protection of natural resources -especially those practiced
sustainably by small scale producers (i.e., pollination)
• Shift focus from production technologies to understanding and
enhancing the production and adapting to environmental
climate change impacts
• Enabling crop and livestock system innovation to adjust to
increasing climate change induced variation / stress
• Improve public-private-CSO involvement in AKST with
accountability for social and environmental outcomes
• Develop macro-level policy changes and inter-sectoral linkages
to ensure that AKST serves the IAASTD development goals
• Build and reform AKST skill base (basic sciences, social,
political and legal knowledge) and innovation capacities of
rural communities (women) and consumers
Business as usual is not an option