Fighting hunger in times of growing world population, climate change and food

speculation

FES, 15 June 2015

Carmen Torres, European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM)

ct@ecdpm.org

• Established in 1986 as an independent foundation to improve European cooperation with the group of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP)

• Our main goal today is to broker effective partnerships between the European Union and the developing world, especially Africa, across a broad range of issue areas: peace and security, trade and economic transformation, food security, etc.

• Our work involves dialogue and facilitation; evidence-based policy research, knowledge management and networking; capacity development through strategic partnerships; long-term engagement with transformative policy processes

Introduction: ECDPM

• “Think and Do tank”

• Some of our “mantras”

• “From policy to practice”• “Process/Policy facilitation”• “Knowledge brokerage”• “Closing the implementation gap”

Introduction: ECDPM

Some examples of ECDPM work

• Share policy analysis and information to key audiences in both Europe and the developing world

• Facilitate policy dialogue amongst global actors in development and international relations

• Provide practical and tailored policy research and independent advice

• Focus on the practice of international cooperation

• Support capacity and institutional development for government and non-governmental organisations

• Engage for the long-term with the policy processes and adopt a long-term perspective to development

• Get “things done” and results with stakeholders on the ground.

Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme

➢ Framework for stimulating and guiding national, regional and continental initiatives on enhanced agricultural productivity and food security

➢ Aims to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty through agriculture

➢ Centered around development of national and regional plans (‘Compacts’) and investment programmes

ECDPM and Food Security Programme

CAADP:

• To foster the implementation of the regional dimensions of CAADP

• To contribute to more effective regional integration, combining broad regional policy frameworks and business-driven initiatives

• To bridge trade and agricultural policies and programmes at the regional level and to create synergies for food security

• To improve public-private cooperation for trade and agricultural development

ECDPM and Food Security Programme

Objectives:

FSP: Our key local partnersRegional Economic Communities & Regional Farmers Organizations

• Food security a concern throughout human history

• But 2007-2008 crisis an important moment in policy thinking about food security (raised visibility)

• In 2008, real international food commodity prices reached levels not seen for 30+ years

• Price boom was also accompanied by much higher price volatility than in the past (which complicates responses)

• Brought an end to the ‘cheap food’ era

2007-2008 Food Price Crisis

• Triggered by complex set of long-term factors affecting demand and short term factors affecting supply

• Demand side factors➢ Rising energy prices and subsidized biofuel production➢ Income growth, population growth and urbanization➢ Globalization

2007-2008 Food Price Crisis: Causes

• Supply side factors➢ Declining agricultural productivity growth due to underinvestment in

rural infrastructure and agricultural innovation ➢ Record oil prices➢ Production shortfalls due to bad weather (droughts / climate change)➢ Exacerbated by malfunctioning markets, speculation and national

policy responses (export restrictions, etc.)

2007-2008 Food Price Crisis: Causes

• The substantial rise in the cost of food, especially staple foods such as rice, wheat and maize had a devastating effect on poor households, especially in the developing world

• High product prices did not prove to be an opportunity for farmers in developing countries

• According to the FAO, an additional 115 million people were pushed into chronic hunger

• Impacts felt globally, but Africa perhaps hardest hit (‘food riots’ in at least 14 African countries)

• Served as a wake-up call to the global community on the inadequacies of existing global food system

• Was the crisis a catalyst for change?

2007-2008 Food Price Crisis: Impact

• A flexible concept as reflected in the many attempts at definition in research and policy usage

• World Food Summit, 1996: Food security is achieved “when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”

➢ Included ‘social’ access in State of Food Insecurity in the World 2001

• The WFS also established four dimensions of food security: availability, access, stability and utilization

What is food security?

• Results from a a complex interplay of factors which are often context specific

• Common risk factors include:➢ Drought and other extreme weather events (climate change)➢ Wars and conflict➢ Population growth and poverty➢ Water scarcity➢ Economic crises➢ Food speculation➢ Poorly designed public policy (and lack of social safety nets)➢ Corruption and political instability➢ Inefficient or unsustainable farming practices (reliance on single crops)➢ Pests, livestock diseases and other agricultural problems➢ Human health factors (e.g. HIV/AIDS)

What causes food insecurity?

• FAO’s State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI) 2014:➢ About 805 million people are estimated to be chronically

undernourished in 2012–14 (down more than 100 million over the last decade, and 209 million lower than in 1990–92)

➢ Vast majority of undernourished (791 million) are in developing countries

➢ Overall, developing countries are making significant progress in improving food security and nutrition, but this progress has been uneven across regions

• The two subregions that have made the least headway are Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, with almost all indicators still pointing to low levels of food security in these regions

• Sub-Saharan Africa has highest prevalence of undernourishment, with only modest progress in recent years. Around one in four people in the region is undernourished

The state of food insecurity in the world today

• UN recognized the right to food in the Declaration of Human Rights in 1948

• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) specifically recognizes right to be free from hunger

• MDG 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger➢ Target 1c: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

• Likely ‘strong’ SDG on food security and sustainable agriculture

• Work of the Rome-based UN agencies (FAO, WFP, IFAD) and the Committee on World Food Security (CWFS)

➢ Global Strategic Framework for Food Security and Nutrition

➢ Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems

• But criticism of some governance institutions (e.g. WTO, G20)

Addressing food security at the global level…

• CAADP – Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme

➢ Framework for stimulating and guiding national, regional and continental initiatives on enhanced agricultural productivity and food security

➢ Aims to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty through agriculture

➢ Centred around development of national and regional plans (‘Compacts’) and investment programmes

➢ Important features: African ‘ownership’; plans for mutual accountability and M&E; sets specific targets; linkages to other sectors (trade, infrastructure, etc.); ODA predictability; and regular donor coordination

• Other regional initiatives ➢ IGAD Drought Disaster Resilience and Sustainability Initiative (IDDRSI) and

IDDRSI Regional Platform – aim to operationalise the drought resilience agenda in the region’s arid and semi-arid lands 

…at the regional level….

• Ex: Rwanda• First country to sign its CAADP Compact (2007)

• Built on Rwanda’s various development plans - Vision 2020, Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS I), Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture (PSTA II), etc.

• CAADP I years (2003-2013) have seen significant poverty reduction in Rwanda, much of this attributed to developments in agriculture

• Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability and National Nutrition Survey of 2012 revealed households falling below the minimum food requirement fell from 35% to 21%

• Government and donor support for the CAADP-aligned PSTA II has translated into increased investment in the agricultural sector and increases in productivity and production (Rwanda has exceeded Maputo targets)

• Some criticisms (needs of rural farmers/smallholders, sale of land to MNCs)

… and at the national level

• Is there sufficient production to feed the global population adequately? Is distribution the problem? Is food waste the problem?

• Can future nutritional needs be met by current levels of production? How can we make agricultural and development policies more “nutrition sensitive”?

• What are the benefits of ‘large’ VS ‘small’ agriculture? Can they coexist?

• Should countries target self-sufficiency? Or is this no longer necessary due to regional/international trade?

• What is the impact of globalization on the persistence of food insecurity and poverty in rural communities?

Significant debate on the topic…

• What is the impact of climate change on food production and resilience? What can we do to mitigate the impact of CC? Is Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) the “what to go”?

• How can we improve food markets information and transparency to prevent speculation?

• How can we better link farmers to markets? How can we remove T&NT barriers to trade?

Significant debate on the topic…

• How can we help women empowerment in rural areas? How can we improve their access to land and credit?

• Can we make agricultural and food & nutrition development policies go beyond peace stability and political leadership changes in developing countries and regions?

Significant debate on the topic…

“Latin Americas and the EU’s contributions fighting hunger in times of growing world population, climate change and food speculation”.

Let’s discuss…

• 2007-08 Food Price Crisis – http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/i0854e/i0854e00.htm

• Introduction to food security - http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/al936e/al936e00.pdf

• State of Food Insecurity in the World – http://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/2014/en/

• Food security in the Sustainable Development Goals – https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=9502&menu=1565&nr=1

• http://www.siani.se/sites/clients.codepositive.com/files/document/sdg_brief.pdf

• Global Strategic Framework For Food Security & Nutrition – http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/cfs/Docs1314/GSF/GSF_Version_3_EN.pdf

• CAADP – http://www.caadp.net/

• Regional approaches to food security in Africa – http://ecdpm.org/publications/regional-approaches-food-security-africa/

• GREAT Insights (Food and nutrition security special edition) – http://ecdpm.org/great-insights/food-nutrition-security-inclusive-partnerships/

Useful resources / further reading…

Thank you