Discussion: training manuals on food security

Contribution by Alemu Asfaw from FAO, Sudan

Dear all,

Can we really feed the world in 2050? Some of our targets are too ambitious and doesn’t seem to be achievable. Putting some quantifiable, and measurable indicators and goals looks to be reasonable.
It will also be good to introduce some sort of intermediary indicators and hence classifying the overall goal into decades will further refine the bigger goal? That division can also be done by continent or by providing it spatial dimension. Let’s then tone down the goal and target of pursuing those achievable targets. Let then the whole world be given some tangible tasks at national, regional, and global level.
My technical contribution to the issue:
There is a general agreement that the world has enough food to feed the whole world. However, for various reasons, people cannot access the available food. Some of the reasons may include lack of purchasing power, inaccessible markets, sky rocketing prices, conflict, corruption, other hazards, etc. Hence, the solution of feeding the world cannot come from a dramatic increase in food supply, unless we avoid problem of income distribution and tackle the issue of ‘access’!
There is a clear paradigm shift in the current food security thinking. The underlying causes of the current problem are more structural. People can only be starving if there is no clear accountability and governance in the Government, regional and global system. If people do not have access to resources and entitlements in acquiring their food, then the Government should have a proper safety net in place to ensure that people are fed at all times, especially children, the elderly, disabled, lactating mothers, etc. who do not have a choice. If Governments are not holding up with that capacity, the international community and regional organizations should support that kind of effort.
We would then be forced to think ‘can we feed the world’ without resolving the underlying causes of the problem? Can we eliminate the current dictators by 2050 that are knowingly or unknowingly starving their own people? Can we eliminate resource or non-resource based conflicts by 2050?  Can we create transparent governance by 2050? Can we avoid rampant corruption in the developing world? When will be the rule of law to prevail against tyranny and ciaos? Can we avoid the current skewed individual and country level income inequalities? When are we going to establish a respected constitution that reflects the real values of the society? When are we going to tolerate ‘contextualized democracy’ versus a traditional western world democracy? When do we stop sanctions, which always end up starving the majority? Can we ameliorate problem of individual greed of the financial system? When will OPEC and the oil cartel start to think for the majority (of developing countries who relies too much on oil) rather than only hunting for profit? Is the western world ready to tackle the underlying causes of climate change, unfair trading, subsidizing the inefficient agricultural system, etc.? All these issues are interrelated which have a direct or indirect bearing on food access. Aren’t we all accountable for these major problems of accountability and governance?
If we cannot resolve these problems, is there a way to make sure that the whole world is fed in 2050?
We should, therefore, conclude by saying that resolving the problem of food hunger leans heavily on resolving the underlying causes of hunger/poverty or overall food insecurity.
In addition to resolving those underlying causes, we should also be assessing the ‘business as usual’ ongoing activities. Food aid and other humanitarian provisions should somehow be confined to strict emergency situation rather than being used as a political instrument. They should also come when they are needed without contradicting the cultural consumption habits of the society. We should aim at people deciding their own destiny, avoid dependency syndrome, minimize heavy reliance on nature, pool out surplus labour from the agricultural sector and move them to technologically advanced labour intensive activities, invest on governance rather than providing resources for ‘strategic alliance reasons’, avoid creation of a parallel information system (FS) while building on existing ones, invest on basic public services (health, education, environmental sanitation, etc.) rather than on armaments, etc.
Alemu Asfaw
FAO-Sudan

Contribution by Peter Steele from FAO Egypt

Sustainability and sustainable development into the next period
No discussion on 'food security' and 'feeding the world' can be complete without reference to the sustainability of existing biosystems; and essentially this comes down to the exploitation of the 'natural capital' of the planet itself. Herein are some really complex issues which cannot be accommodated within a paragraph or two and targeting 2050 and estimated nine billion people who will be living here when most of the rest of us have been recycled. You don't need to understand the Laws of Thermodynamics - but it helps - when appreciating that even the most highly structured forms produced by nature (you and me included) are eventually broken down into individual elements within the conservation cycles that apply. Our exploitation of the planetary ecological cycles that prevail has enabled us to boost food and materials production to meet increasing demands for 'sustainable development'. Note, this is different from 'sustainability' for it introduces the concept of 'quality of life'. All forms of life can exist on reduced resources - up to a point (and people are no exception), it's just that the nine billion people expected in 40 years time will probably be unable to exist within current exploitation systems. The challenge for agricultural producers and everyone else meantime is to shift to a more benign set of rules where the planet is concerned. Herein are the challenges that will face decision-makers in Copenhagen later in the year, for >95% of those nine billion people will be living in regions, countries and communities that cannot simply copy the production and/or living systems of the <5% of world population living in industrial societies. Not that they will not try to do so.
You reach a stage in geo-planning where the 10 major food crops - all cereals excepting potatoes - need to link firmly to those regions where sufficient systems, resources, expertise and experience exist and which can be further protected and/or developed to provide the cities of the mid-21 century (and the supermarkets in those cities) with sufficient food to ensure social harmony. Read 'Hunger & Markets' in the World Hunger Series published jointly by WFP and Earthscan and/or the FAO/IFAD/World Bank publication 'Improving Food Security in Arab Countries' for a more balanced/pragmatic view of feeding people into the next period. A focus upon the Middle East highlights issues of people living in agro-resource-poor and food insecure regions no matter their access to funds (well, half the countries are petro-producers); if no one is selling food then you simply can't buy it and your people will go hungry. This may be a case of the Middle East today and the rest of the world tomorrow, but lessonsin food security can be learned.
Food production, trading and markets are best undertaken by the private sector - no matter the considerable arguments that have already cropped up in this debate about the role of the multi-national agro-food and agro-service companies. The technical R&D, commercial dexterity and financial success of these companies have come to dominate international food industries. Newly developing countries/regions are quick to adopt and follow similar models - because they work in practice. Follow developments in the so-called BRIC countries and project into the next period - with 40% of the world's people, 25% of the land area, etc. and you quickly come to realise that the econo-financial power centres of the 19-20 century may be shifting. It's the same with access to unexploited land, soils and/or water resources and, like people and body muscle if you don't use it, you lose it. Geo-planning brings the potential of Africa into focus; and the space and natural resources therein.
All this and no mention of the foreboding challenge of global climate change that is beginning to impact - according to current consensus. Most of us think in short-term cycles (we live such short lives on a planet estimated >4B years old), but that is no excuse for not seeking to explore the longer term issues and opportunities for making a reasonable stab at solutions that may apply. Just consider the challenge for 50% reduction in environmental impact - difficult but probably attainable - when what is really needed may be an 80% (or even 90%) improvement in efficiency when converting resources into food, structures and services that make up our everyday life. Challenges indeed.
Peter Steele
Cairo