The Food System

Governance, tensions, challenges, paradigms

JOSE LUIS VIVERO POL 20-21 Sept, Doctoral Seminar, University Seville

HUNGER DAMAGES THE BRAIN

Malnourished child brain

Well nourished child brain

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Well-nourished child neurone

Malnourished Child Neurone

Hunger in Africa

Hunger in Latin America

Hunger in Spain

OUR HOME

Planetary Boundaries

• Food system is the greatest driver of Earth transformation

Low cost food system: • a) Low food prices that do not reflect either food’s multiple

values to humans or production costs and environmental externalities,

• (b) overemphasis of hyper-caloric, unhealthy and ultra-processed food

• (c) hugely subsidised by citizen’s taxes through governments, • (d) wasted by tonnes in illogical and inefficient food chains• e) destructive of limited natural resources, contributing to

climate change and biodiversity reduction.

• Many eat poorly (the hungry of Global South) to enable others to eat badly & cheaply (the over-weighted of North)

IndustrialFood

Systemproduces

30-40% of total food

Small farming System produces 60-70% of total food

Corporations control 80% of food exports

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HUNGER GAMES: PLAYING WITH NUMBERS

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795 MILLION HUNGRY PEOPLE

According to “The State fo Food Insecurity in 2015” (FAO-WFP-IFAD, 2015), hunger affects 795 million people now, 216 millon less that in 1990 (from 23.3% a 12.9%)

Out of those, 155 millon correspond to China (72%)

Africa is doing badly

Although Food pikes reduced caloric intake in poor households…

…no effect was detected by FAO statistics

Angola: best anti-hunger performer in the world (two data, latest from 2009, SOFI 2015)

A tale of two hungers

17 M households

7 M households

Food price effect

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HUNGER IN UK

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EU Food Charity

Non universal

Non accountable

Non demandable

No right holders and duty bearers

Money-restricted

3.8 Billion € in 7 years

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The paradox of the INDUSTRIAL FOOD SYSTEM

Foto: Patty´s Flickr Creative Commons

The food sector is the 2nd biggest: A BIG CAKE (10% GDP & 7 trillion USD in 2015)

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160 million chronically malnourished

19 million severely wasted children

HUNGER is largest contributor (35%) to child mortality

1.4 BILLION OVERWEIGHT(300 MILLION OBESE)

2.3 BILLION MALNOURISHED PEOPLE – WE EAT BADLY

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OBESITY

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Food System Paradoxes FOOD PRODUCERS STAY HUNGRY800 million hungry people, or more (SPI 2013) 70% are food producers FOOD KILLS PEOPLE Food-related diseases are a primary cause of death (6.5 M deaths per year). FOOD IS (INCREASINGLY) NOT FOR HUMANS 47% of food for human consumption, FOOD IS WASTED 1.3 billion tons end up in the garbage every year (1/3 of global food production) enough to feed 600 million hungry people.

Foto: Fringe Hoj Flickr Creative Commons

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WASTED FOOD (33%) 1.3 billion tonnes (to feed 600 million hungry people)

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The actual way of producing,

distributing and eating food is

unsustainable and it cannot be maintained as a such for the next

50 years

IAASTD (2008)

UNEP (2009)

UNCTAD (2013)UK Foresight (2011)

How the global food system is governed?

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“FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY exists when…” Technocrats, technicians, official statements, consensus

Twin track approach (production & acces to food)No questioning food is a commodity:

ACCESS IS THE MAIN ISSUE

OFICIAL DEFINITION

World Food Summits

1996 & 2002Foto: FAO

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Paradigms

Dominant state-driven transition to get rid of old knowledge/varieties (backwardness) as they didn´t fit with modernization of agriculture.

Stringent legal frameworks (IP rights & safety regulations) + political (dis)incentives replaced

open local landraces by modern patent-restricted varieties.

Alternative transition: citizens/state-driven to reclaim the commons, sustainable agriculture, meaningful landscapes & communal practices that reinforce connectedness, social & economic benefits & pleasure in doing things with others.

Agro-biodiversity

The way we produce and eat food will greatly determine the likelihood of human presence on this planet