Global forum on food security and nutrition

33.Luis Fernando Medina Leguízamo, Colombia

Original contribution in Spanish

FAO y otras organizaciones internacionales podrían trabajar mancomunadamente con ls gobiernos de cada país con el fin de lograr la utilización sostenible, razonable, equitativa y justa de las tierras y los recursos de producción de alimentos con enfoque de autoabastecimiento y seguridad alimentaria local. Más que una guía para gobiernos insto a trabajar en un mandato internacional.   

English translation

FAO and other international organizations could work together with the governments of each country to achieve a sustainable, reasonable, equitable and fair use of land and food production resources, focusing on self-sufficiency and local food security. Rather than developing guidelines for governments, I urge to work in an international mandate.

34.Mariela Contreras, Consultant, Honduras

It is important that governments are hold accountable and include nutrition as a priority in their agendas. A way this can be done is by engaging them in platforms such as the SUN movement. Then, it will be much easier that governmental budget is allocated through Ministries that are in line with implementing nutrition sensitive and specific interventions at the local levels.

It is also vital that the roll out of nutrition interventions are in line with conceptual frameworks that include immediate determinants of undernutrition such as inadequate dietary practices and illnesses, but also less commonly targeted underlying factors such as inadequate women´s care to thus promote adequate nutrition in vulnerable populations. 

It is time that agriculture interventions are linked more with nutrition priorities. Examples of these are biofortification with the aim to decrease undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in vulnerable populations. I also hope that donors prioritize not only undernutrition but also overweight and multiple micronutrient deficiencies as they are common ailments in today´s low and middle income countries. 

35.Román Jiménez-Vera, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Mexico

Original contribution in Spanish

Buen día a todos, reciban un cordial saludo desde México. Hasta ahora, la seguridad alimentaria y la buena nutrición han sido temas de importancia en el gobierno de muchos países. En México se han creado muchos programas, todos incluyentes y con gran difusión entre la población. Sin embargo, no han tenido el impacto deseado debido a que la población, y el ciudadano en particular, no quiere cambiar y mejorar su vida y su entorno. Los habitantes que viven en el campo ya no trabajan la tierra, no la hacen productiva; tenemos muchos cuerpos de agua y tierras fértiles que no están siendo trabajados. El ciudadano que antes hacía producir el campo, lo ha dejado de hacer y se ha convertido en cliente de los programas sociales. Veo dificil que las personas vuelvan a cultivar la tierra y los cuerpos de agua. Se puede comenzar a inculcar otra vez el cuidado de la naturaleza a los nuevos ciudadanos, probablemente una acción a largo plazo, por algo hay que comenzar. Es importante promover la formación de hogares sostenibles, donde todos cooperen en la producción de alimentos, ya que de esa manera, probablemente se vuelva a cultivar los campos.

English translation

Good morning, best regards from Mexico. So far, food security and nutrition have been important topics for the governments of many countries. Mexico has developed many programmes, all of them inclusive and widespread among the population. However, they have not achieved the desired outcome as citizens do not want to change and improve their lives and environment. The rural population no longer work as farmers, and many water bodies and fertile lands remain untapped. Farmers have become customers of social programmes. I doubt people will farm land and water bodies again. Fostering nature protection can be a suitable long-term initiative for new generations. Promoting the development of sustainable households, where all the family members contribute to food production, is important. In this way, land would be probably farmed again.

36.Simeon Onya, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria

It is imperative that Nigeria government first and foremost eradicate corruption, and encourage local production of goods and services especially agricultural products for which we have comparative advantage to produce in terms of weather, soil and vegetation and de-emphasize high expenditure on foreign consumption of things we can locally produce. Also small and medium scale farmers should be encouraged through the provision of improved inputs, subsidy and new production innovations. Non- farm activities should also be encouraged among the rural farmers in rural Africa to suplement their farm income and eradicate poverty.

37.Komlan Assignon, Institut Togolais de Recherche Agronomique, Togo

Original contribution in French

A la question 1, mon espoir est de voir une décennie avec une faim 0, qu'il y ait une meilleur redistribution des vivres au niveau mondial car la nourriture ne manque pas dans le monde, c'est la redistribution qui est injuste. Pour mon pays le Togo, que les décideurs politiques consacrent plus de ressources financières à la production agricole.

A la question 2, le programme des institutions des NU doit nécessairement comporter un volet restructuration, information et formation des groupes professionnels de production agricole surtout des les pays en développement et singulièrement en Afrique.

Au Togo, il faut mettre l'accent sur la professionnalisation de l'agriculture, la maîtrise de l'eau, la mécanisation et que le gouvernement respecte la location de 10% du budget national à l'agriculture tel que c'était décidé au sommet de Nairobi au Kénya.

Question 3 : il faut une franche volonté politique des décideurs et libérer les organisations de la société civile afin qu'elles jouent pleinement leur rôle de veille et de contrôle de l'action politique.

Question 4 : Ces organisations citées doivent jouer le rôle de plaidoirie et d'éveil auprès des instances politiques et surtout sensibiliser les peuples de l'occident pour éviter le gaspillage alimentaire, proposer des voies de redistribution efficiente à travers le monde de sorte que ceux qui en ont trop cèdent à ceux qui ont peu ou pas du tout.

English translation

To question 1, my hope is to see a decade with zero hunger, that there may be a better re-distribution of food supplies at global level because there is no shortage of food in the world; it is the distribution that is unjust. For my country, Togo, may the political decision makers dedicate more financial resources to agricultural production.

To question 2, the program of UN institutions must necessarily include a dossier on restructuring, information and training for groups of agricultural production professionals, above all in developing countries and especially in Africa.

In Togo, the emphasis should be on professionalization of agriculture, water control, mechanization and respect by the government for the allocation of 10% of the national budget to agriculture as agreed at the Nairobi Summit, in Kenya.

To question 3:  a straightforward political will is needed from the decision makers and freeing of the civil society organizations so that they can fully play their role of watching over and monitoring political activities.

To question 4 : The mentioned organizations must play the role of defence and alertness towards political developments and in particular to make the West aware of the need to avoid food waste, to propose efficient re-distribution channels throughout the world so that those who have too much give to those that have little or nothing at all.