Lok Niti on Food Security: Reviving Global Commitment for a Sustainable Future

8/11/2019 Lok Niti on Food Security: Reviving Global Commitment for a Sustainable Future

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J O U R N A L O F T H E A S I A

N N

G O

C O A L I T I O N

Reviving global commitmentfor a sustainable future

LOK NITIISSN 0116-9602 Volume 18/2 2012

Reviving global commitmentfor a sustainable future


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LOK NITI and Raj Niti are terms coinedfrom the Sanskrit by Mahatma Gandhi. LokNiti signi es peoples politicsthe people

in command and direct governance bythe sovereign people, as opposed to RajNitithe politics of the nation state orindirect rule by a centralized governmentleadership based on current democraticforms of party and representative politicalinstitutions.

This concept of Lok Niti was the politicalbasis of Gandhis socio-economicConstruction Programme, which is now

known in India as Sarvodaya.

An increasing number of us who areassociated with the Asian NGO Coalition(ANGOC) feel that we have begun tond our bearings in the tangled terrainof development through commitmentto the gentle anarchism of MahatmaGandhia body of principles for bothpersonal and social transformation throughwork in support of decentralized, village

community oriented, rural development,guided by the ideals of satyagraha andnon-violence and harmonization with bothnature and tradition.

Lok Niti is the journal of the Asian NGOCoalition.

Chandra de Fonseka former Lok Niti editor-in-chief

What is Lok Niti?


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Editorial 5

Re ection: Old Issues & New Challengesto Food Security in Asia 8

Brie ng Paper: The Task of Reformingthe FAO Committee on Food Security 19

Brie ng Paper: UN High-Level Task Force

and the Two-Track ApproachTowards Food Security 26

Brie ng Paper: FAOs VoluntaryGuidelines on the ResponsibleGovernance of Tenure of Land, Fisheriesand Forests in the Contextof National Food Security 33

Brie ng Paper: Is This The Future We Want?A briefer on the Zero Draft Paperfor the Proposed Agenda for Rio+20 42

Perspective: The Search for a SustainableFramework for Food Securityand Livelihoods of the Rural Poor 50

CONTENTS


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ANGOC would like to thank Mr. Antonio B. Quizonfor his reection paper on Old Issues and NewChallenges to Food Security in Asia and the conferenceparticipants of the regional conference on Translating

Commitments to Actions towards Results: An AsianMulti-stakeholder Regional Workshop on FoodSovereignty held last August 22-23, 2011 in Jakarta,Indonesia for their valuable inputs to sharpen thediscussion.

We would appreciate receiving your views. Please sendthem to [email protected]

Tis issue of Lok Niti was made possible by support from theInternational Land Coalition (ILC), the Alliance AgainstHunger and Malnutrition (AAHM) and MISEREOR. Tecontents do not necessarily reect the views of ILC, AAHMand MISEREOR.

Editorial eam: Antonio B. Quizon, Gerard JeromeDumlao, Nathaniel Don Marquez, Maricel TolentinoDesign and Layout: Gerard Jerome DumlaoCover art:Katti Sta. Ana Production Team: Catherine Liamzon, Chi Liquica,Frances Mae Ramos, Joseph Onesa and Lennie RoseCahusay

CITATION:

Lok Niti Vol. 18/2. Asian NGO Coalition for AgrarianReform and Rural Development (ANGOC), QuezonCity, Philippines.


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EDITORIAL

BY 2050, the global population is expected to riseto nine billion. Food production needs to increaseby 70% to feed the extra two billion persons 40years from now. Meanwhile, competition for land,water, and energy is increasing amidst worseningeffects of climate change.

With almost a billion people hungry, an unstableclimate affecting food production, and thevolatility of food prices, agriculture is ironicallyback on the international agenda. For civil society

organizations (CSOs) and rural communities inAsia who have clamored for changes and decriedinjustice in this sector, this renewed attention is awelcome development.

Presently, we put forward our questions: Whatkind of agriculture and what kind of support toagriculture are being promoted by internationalorganizations and national governments? Why isit that hunger and malnutrition continue to plaguethe Asian region despite the pronouncements and

programs introduced by various institutions?

The ANGOC network and its partners have longadvocated food sovereignty as the framework foragriculture, supported by agro-ecological systemsof food production. Many farmer groups havealready demonstrated the potential of sustainableagriculture to ensure household food securitywhile raising farm productivity and preservingbiodiversity. Governments thus should upholdsustainable agriculture in the mainstream to achieve

the best impact to productivity, conservation ofthe resource base, and sustainable developmentin general.

During the food crisis, Asia was the site of a glaringirony: higher food prices did not accrue bene tsto the farmers. The recent spikes in food prices(2007 to 2008 and 2010 to 2011) corroborated

this marginalizing trend. Studies show higher foodprices saw to more losers than gainers, becausesmall farmers have been largely left out of thecommercial food market chain (ADB, IFAD).Moreover, small farmers rank among the poorwho spend about half their incomes on food.Any increase in the domestic price of staples andfood affects household nutrition and other basicneeds, including those of small producers.

Many small food producers have neitherownership nor access to land and resourcesneeded to improve land productivity. Many ofthe resource-poor farmers remain isolated andunorganized, detached from centers of powerand government. Gender imbalances in landownership exist, as traditional and customarypractices preventing women from gaining accessto land and resources prevail. At the same time,farmers are ageing, with more women takingover farming, while men and the youth continue

to migrate to towns and cities in search of betteremployment. Farming communities also take a hitfrom calamities and political upheavals, to add totheir dire situation.

The ANGOC netwoand its partners

have long advocated

food sovereignty as

the framework for

agriculture, supporte

by agro-ecological

systems of food

production.


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ANGOC believes that food insecurity stemsprimarily from unequal distribution of resourcesand the inequitable access to productive assets,prejudicing the rural poor. In most cases, thenational economic development agendas set bynational governments promote grants of landconcessions, expansion of plantations, miningoperations, joint venture agreements, corporatefarming, and the establishment of specialeconomic zones all of which require that landbe distributed to the landless poor.

In 1996, ANGOC organized a Regional Forumwith the theme Food and Freedom, Jobs and

Justice, Land and Labor, Peace and Prosperityamong NGOs and Peoples Movements. Theparticipants called for an alternative people-centered sustainable development paradigmthat restores the environment and the rights ofcommunities to their resources and livelihood,enhances the capacities and participation in

governance of the rural poor, and enables themto be self-suf cient in their basic needs. Thisparadigm has ve major elements:

stewardship through community-basednatural resource management;

ecological and food security through thepromotion of sustainable agriculture;

equity through the promotion of communitysocial enterprises;

spirituality as the basis of the Asiancommunity; and

decentralization and democratization as theguiding principles towards rede ning politicalaccountability and security.

Sixteen years later, we nd that the principlesof people-centered sustainable developmenthold true and magnify the concept of foodsovereignty.

Democratic controlf the food system

s the ultimate test

f democracy. Food

ecurity cannot be

nsured by entrusting

griculture, food

roduction and trade to

lobal markets.


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We likewise evoke the call made by over 100CSOs through the 1996 Bangkok Declaration forthe World Food Summit:

Democratic control of the food system isthe ultimate test of democracy. Food securitycannot be ensured by entrusting agriculture, foodproduction and trade to global markets. Land,water, biodiversity and traditional/intellectualpractices, which are the vital resources thatmake food security possible, should be underthe democratic control of those who producefood.1

Beyond policy changes and patches of agriculturalprograms, there is a need to restructure globalgovernance and push institutional reforms forcommitments to be translated into actions,and eventually to results. Unless there is nofundamental shift in the current agriculturalparadigm, then small producers lack of accessand control over agriculture and land will persist.

Several international platforms are openingdiscussions to avert another food crisis andto propound a more sustainable solution tothe perennial problem of hunger and poverty.However, reform should happen within the UNsystem for food and agriculture. The ANGOCnetwork is one with many CSOs in calling not

just for tighter coherence, but reform of policiesto respond directly to the needs of small farmersand producers, indigenous communities and

other rural poor groups of the UN, and otherinternational and intergovermental institutions suchas the FAO, WFP, IFAD, World Bank, ADB, GFAR,the CGIAR, APAARI, ASEAN, SAARC, and othersimilar platforms. More importantly, reforms and

1 The Asia-Paci c NGO Declaration for the World FoodSummit of 1996 (known as The Bangkok Declaration), astatement signed by101 CSO representatives on 30 April1996 in Bangkok, Thailand at the Asia-Paci c Consultation ofNGOs on the World Food Summit.

actions should also be elevated to the regionaland national level.

Towards this end, the ANGOC network willcontinue to engage with relevant stakeholdersand decision-makers in constructive policydialogue. We vow to explore other modalities ofcooperation in enhancing household food securityand furthering the rights and empowerment ofsmall food producers in Asia. r


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REFLECTION

HUNGER continues to stalk the lives of 925million people in the world today, and theirnumbers continue to rise. Over three- fths, or578 million hungry live in Asia (FAO, 2010).

Poverty lies at the root of hunger. About 70% ofthe worlds poor live in the rural areas farand isolated from centers of decision and power,

deprived of assets, having limited economic

opportunities, poor education and skills, andhampered by socio-political inequities (by gender,age or indigenous roots).

Asia has two-thirds of the worlds poor and 63%of the worlds undernourished people. About 1.7billion people (or more than half of the populationof developing countries in Asia) live on less than

$2 a day, majority of them in rural areas.

This re ection paper by Antonio B. Quizon is based on a regional workshop held on 22 23 August 2011 in Jakarta,Indonesia, on the theme of Translating Commitments to Actions towards Results: An Asian Multi-stakeholderRegional Workshop on Food Sovereignty. This meeting brought together CSOs and community representativesworking on food and nutrition security from 12 countries Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam as well as representatives of academic institutions and IGOs,particularly the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP). It had threeobjectives:

1. Keep abreast on the current global and regional processes spearheaded by international organizations on the

area of food security, hunger and malnutrition;

2. Identify central issues that shape the current debates on food sovereignty in the region; and

3. Explore possible areas for regional cooperation among CSOs in Asia in attaining food security and de ne andagree on way forward and next steps.

The two-day Conference was organized jointly by the Asian NGO Coalition (ANGOC) and the International Alliance AgainstHunger and Malnutrition (AAHM), with the support of the International Land Coalition, MISEREOR and the FAO ResidentOf ce in Indonesia. The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily re ect all those whoattended the Conference.

Old Issues & New Challengesto Food Security in Asia


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Throughout history, small farmers and producershave served as the backbone of Asian agricultureand food security. Asia is home to 75% of the

worlds farming households, 80% of whom aresmall-scale farmers and producers. However,majority of them are resource-poor and lackaccess to productive assets, especially land andwater. As with other regions of the world, smallrural producers in Asia also lack access to nancialservices, education opportunities, advisoryservices, infrastructure, and well-functioningmarkets.

Will Asia continue to be able to feed itself? With

4 billion people or 60% of the worlds population,Asia has 34% of the worlds agricultural area, 15%of the worlds forests, and a wealth of ecological,ethnic, and biological diversity. Already four timesmore densely populated than Europe, Asiaspopulation growth and accelerated urbanizationin the coming decades will bring even greaterpressures and con ict on existing land, agricultural,and ecological resources, along with changes inpeoples lifestyles and consumption patterns. Inthe transforming economies of Asia (including

that of China), poverty remains overwhelminglyrural, yet agriculture is no longer seen as thehistorical main engine of economic growth, andsmall producers are no longer supported. 1 Thismay have tragic consequences, as rural povertypersists, and rural-urban disparities grow widerthan ever.

Asias continuing silent crisis

In the developing countries of Asia, povertyand hunger are rooted largely in the rural andagricultural. The great irony is that small food

producers are the most vulnerable to hunger. Small farmers and producers, rural artisans, andindigenous peoples are often deprived of access

1 The World Development Report of 2008 describes threetypes of countries, based on their development agendas foragriculture: (i) agriculture-based, (ii) transforming countries,and (iii) urbanized countries. (World Bank 2008).

and control over productive resources (i.e., land,water, forests and coastlines) for their livelihood.In the Philippines, statistics show that shing

communities and farmers are the two poorestsectors. Filipino farmer households have apoverty incidence of 40% and shing households,50% compared to national poverty incidence of21% in 2009. In Vietnam, poverty rates are higheramong the 53 ethnic minorities compared to theethnic majority. Poverty incidence is also highestin mountainous regions and in areas vulnerable tooods, droughts, and storms, as these conditionslimit agricultural development and obstructaccess to infrastructure and markets.

Indeed, many are forced to eke out a livingfrom their fragile environments. Long-termsustainability is sacri ced for immediate survival.Meanwhile, rural youth migrate to towns andcities in search of work, adding to the growingnumbers in urban slums.

Bangladesh has a population of about 140 millionpeople living in a territory of approximately14 million hectares, making it one of the mostdensely-populated countries of the world. Thelands are fertile but scarce; available land percapita is just 0.28 hectare. Based on of cial data,56% of the population or 72 million peopleare in poverty. About 80% of the poor are inrural areas, and half of them are dependent onagriculture. Another 25 million people are atconstant risk of falling into poverty. Already, 45%of the 140 million people are experiencing foodde cits consuming less than their daily calorierequirements.

In Sri Lanka, the victims of war and internally-displaced persons also count among thosein poverty and hunger. The country is stillrecovering from the war of 2007, especially inthe North, where there were massive losses inlives, agriculture, and infrastructure. While thecon ict has ended, social tensions remained, withmany people still missing, most of them men. In

Will Asia continue t

be able to feed itself

With 4 billion peoplor 60% of the world

population, Asia has

34% of the worlds

agricultural area, 15

of the worlds forest

and a wealth of

ecological, ethnic, an

biological diversity.


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the Northern Province, there are at least 300,000internally-displaced people and a large numberof female-headed households who have been

resettled since.

Chronic rural poverty is caused by landlessnessand the lack of tenurial security, whichcontinues to rise in many countries. Poor

governance contributes to landlessness. InBangladesh, agriculture remains the largest sectorof the economy, employing three- fths of the totallabor force. Yet, there is growing landlessness inagriculture; the percentage of landless households(or those owning 0.19 hectare and below)

rose from 19% in 1960 to 56% in 1996. Studiesshow a strong association between landlessnessand poverty, i.e., that poverty is reduced withincreased land ownership. 2 Yet land reformsremain un nished business. Only a portion of thetotal collected khas lands (1.34 million hectares,or some 10% of the total area of Bangladesh asof 2001) has been distributed, often involvingbribes and corruption. The remaining khas landssupposedly under government custody have beenillegally occupied by rich peasants.3

Pakistan is the worlds sixth most populouscountry, with 173 million people in 2008. About68% live in the rural areas, where two-thirds ofthe people rely on agriculture for their livelihood.Data from Pakistans Planning Commission showthat at least 64 million people were living belowpoverty line in 2008, mostly rural and dependenton agriculture. Land ownership is highly skewed,and landlessness is the main cause of ruralpoverty; some 60% of the rural poor are landless.

Since independence in 1945, three land reformswere instituted, but they had little or no effect

2 ALRD (2008 ). Land Watch Asia Campaign: BangladeshStatus Report . Association for Land Reform andDevelopment. Unpublished. The paper provides a table onPoverty and Landownership Trends using data from theMinistry of Finance, 2003.3 Barkat, Abdul, S. Zaman and S. Raihan (2001). PoliticalEconomy of Khas Land in Bangladesh. Dhaka: Association forLand Reform and Development.

due to poor governance and corruption undersuccessive military rulers. In Pakistan, the militaryhas signi cant landholdings throughout the

country. Military personnel control an estimated4.9 million hectares, constituting about 12% ofstate land, including 2.8 million hectares of primeagricultural lands in Punjab and Sindh.

In Cambodia, farmers continue to suffer frominsecurity of land tenure. Political upheavals inthe last 40 years have overturned the countrysland and property rights systems, causing massiveconfusion and dislocation in the ownership anduse of land. Implementation of the 2001 Land Law

and related decrees is plagued by corruption, asthe government grants economic land concessions(ELCs) to corporations. From 2008-2011 alone,over 2 million hectares were given as concessionsto 222 private companies.

Hunger is not due to insuf cient foodsupplies, but to the lack of access to food. With 16% of the worlds population and only 2%of the worlds land, India has managed to avoidmajor famines due to crop failures that plagued

the country in the past. However, chronic povertyand hunger persist because of peoples lack ofeconomic access (purchasing power). 4 About 77%of the population live on half a US dollar (INR20)per person per day (Arjun Sengupta Commission,2009). The 2010 Global Hunger Index ranks India67th out of 122 developing countries.

In many countries, the poor suffer not onlyfrom hunger but also from malnutrition, knownas the silent killer. Disproportionatelyaffected are children and women. In India,overall poverty incidence was placed at 28%,or more than 300 million in 2004-05, based on

4 The Indian economist Amartya Sen, in his 1981 studyPoverty and Famines, showed how famines thrive evenwithout a general decline in food availability. He broughtforward the concept of entitlements.


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of cial estimates. 5 Yet a larger segment of thepopulation is chronically malnourished. A recentsurvey by Naandi Foundation showed that

42% of children in India below 5 years old areunderweight. Malnutrition leads to diseases thatshould be preventable. Meanwhile, anemia amongchildren and women is on the rise; about 79% ofchildren aged 6-35 months and 56% of women of15-49 years are anemic. According to UNICEFdata, one-third of malnourished children in theworld live in India. (FAO, 2012)

Malnutrition stunts growth among youngchildren, and could leave a permanent scar in

their lives. Malnutrition also robs adults oftheir capacity to work, limiting their ability toimprove their own lives. In Pakistan, 26% of thepopulation is undernourished, and at least 38%of the undernourished are children. At present,77 million or almost half the population is food-insecure, with a daily calorie intake below therecommended level.

In Cambodia, about 35% of the population livebelow the poverty line, and 23% of the population,

or over 3 million people, are food-deprivedor food-insecure consuming less than theirminimum dietary energy requirement. Childrenare hit hardest by the effects of poverty andmalnutrition. Two out of every ve children (40%)below 5 years old are chronically malnourished,with nearly one in ten (9%) of children below5 years old acutely malnourished. Some 29% ofall children are underweight. Malnutrition is thecause of 54% of premature deaths among children(1 in 8 children dies before the age of 5).

Lao PDR is the poorest country in Southeast Asia,where majority of the population are dependenton subsistence farming. Despite having doubled itscereal production and tripled its meat productionin the last 25 years, Lao PDR still remains in a state

5 Some sectors claim that of cial estimates of povertyare too low. Another government report shows an overallpoverty incidence of 37.2% or more than 400 million peoplein 2004-05. (Dev, 2010)

of food insecurity. One fth of the population isundernourished, 40% children are underweightand at least 42% suffer from stunted growth due

to lack of proper nutrition.

Despite the importance of agricultureto employment generation and povertyreduction, however, there has been declining

government emphasis and investmentin agriculture, especially in support ofsmallholders.In Pakistan, the agriculture sector contributes 22%of GDP, 60% of exports, and provides employmentto 45% of the labor force. In Cambodia, 85% of all

households live in the rural areas engaged in rice-based agriculture, collection of forest products,and livestock production. The agricultural sectorgenerates one-third of GDP and providesemployment to 80% of the countrys labor force.Some of the key challenges include: landlessness,poor infrastructure, high costs of agriculturalinputs, credit and production related concerns,land reform, and land titling.

In Vietnam, only 7% of the national budget is

spent for agriculture, showing a decline in publicspending for agriculture. Agriculture contributes20% of GDP and employs at least 70% of the laborforce. Other issues faced by producers are landdegradation, loss of land to industry, degradationof environment, heavy use of chemicals, populationgrowth, increasing food prices, natural calamities,and climate change.

Asian governments all have food security as anational priority. However, programs do not focuson improving smallholder farming and productionsystems. Many issues remain policy coherence,land tenure, support for smallholders, agriculturesubsidies, women empowerment, and addressingrisks and vulnerabilities of malnutrition andfood insecurity of the rural poor and the mostvulnerable sectors.

Asian governments

all have food securit

as a national priorityHowever, programs

not focus on improv

smallholder farming

and production syste


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The direct response of governments to hungerhas been through safety net programs forthe poor. But while these distribution programs

alleviate hunger, they are not intended to addressits underlying causes. In Indonesia and thePhilippines, the government provides food (rice)subsidies by retailing food to poor consumersat government-subsidized prices. However, lowprices could also act as a disincentive for smallproducers. In Asia, staples like rice and wheatare considered not only as economic goods, butalso as political crops. Suf ciency of suppliesand price stability in rice and staples are oftenused as benchmarks for food security, economic

performance, and political stability. Ensuring anadequate supply of low-priced staples is seen aspart of a larger development strategy i.e., tokeep urban wages low, and to stave off politicaluncertainty and social discontent. While Indonesiais self-suf cient as a rice producer, the Philippinesranks among the worlds top importers of rice.

In India, the governments direct response tohunger is the Public Distribution System (PDS)where food grains procured and stored by the

government are delivered through nearly half amillion Fair Price shops. Yet the program has beenplagued by leakage and the high costs of delivery.The Philippine government meanwhile has carriedout a Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programsince 2008 which provides cash to the pooresthouseholds (2.2 million people as of 2011). CCTswere also implemented in Indonesia, Pakistan,and Sri Lanka, where the cash-transfer approachwas rst piloted in 1991 under the JanasaviyaProgram.

Safety net programs in Asia are still growing. InIndia, the Parliament is discussing a Food SecurityBill that would extend subsidized food grains to75% of the rural population and about half ofurban households in this country of 1.2 billionpeople. In the Philippines, the government plansto expand the CCT program with an additionalUSD 100 million loan from the World Bank.

The key question about safety net programs iswhether these are sustainable in the long term, andwhether they empower poor people to escape

from chronic poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.

Ensuring food security for all remains as a prime responsibility and mandate of the state. The right to food is a basic principle enshrined inthe Universal Declaration of Human Rights thatstipulates the rights of everyone to a standardof living adequate for the health and well being ofhimself and of his family, including food, clothing,housing and medical care and necessary socialservices. The right to food is also enshrined in

the constitutions of each country. The PakistanConstitution (Article 38d) ensures the provisionof basic necessities of life including food for all itscitizens. It states: The State shall provide basicnecessities of life, such as food, clothing, housing,education and medical relief, for all citizens,irrespective of sex, caste, creed or race, as arepermanently or temporarily unable to earn theirlivelihood on account of in rmity, sickness orunemployment.

Nepals interim constitution of 2007 establishesthe fundamental right of each citizen to foodsovereignty, and it is the responsibility of thestate to protect this right. As the country isstill recovering from a decade of civil war, foodinsecurity remains a serious developmentalchallenge.

In India, a public interest litigation petition wasrecently led by the Peoples Union for CivilLiberties over the rotting food in warehouses,despite the existence of widespread hunger. Inan unprecedented decision, the Indian SupremeCourt upheld the fundamental right to foodand ordered that the surplus food-grains bedistributed among the poor for free or be soldat low cost. Similarly, the Standing Committee ofParliament advised that the surplus food-grainsbe distributed among the poor free of cost orexported (AVARD, 2011).


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China has made major strides in reducingpoverty and hunger. With only 9% of the worldscultivated land, China has managed to meet the

food demands of most of its 1.3 billion people,or 20% of the worlds population. Carefully-managed market reforms since the 1980s havebrought rapid economic growth and increasesin household incomes. A major factor was theintroduction of the household responsibilitysystem (HRS) in the late 1970s, where collectivefarms were dismantled and land was distributedamong individual farming households. The impacton production was dramatic: between 1978 and1983, per capita incomes of rural people doubled,

and food calorie intake increased. Over theyears, poverty has signi cantly been reduced toabout 11% of the population (150 million) today. 6 However, there is concern over growing incomedisparities: average urban incomes are thricehigher than rural incomes.

Similarly, since introducing economic reformsunder Doi Moi (renovation) in 1986, food securityin Vietnam has also signi cantly improved. Hungerand poverty have been reduced from 58% ofthe population in 1993 to 18% today. Within theagriculture sector, peasant households were givenusufruct rights to land. Vietnam has transformedfrom a rice importer to the 2 nd largest exporterof rice in the world today.

Emerging Issues inAsias Food Security

In recent years, Asia and the world experienceda new round of food crises that brought foodsecurity back into public attention and intonational development agendas. 7 These food crisesperiods were different from those of the past;they were marked by sudden spikes in globaland domestic food prices especially of rice and

6 China uses a local measure of poverty at USD 0.5 perday, compared to USD 1.25 per day of the World Bank.7 Asias food crisis occurred in three periods: 1997-98,2007-08 and 2010-11.

wheat, two key staples produced and consumedin Asia. And even after the market stabilized, foodprices have remained high thus suggesting that

the problems are deeper and systemic, rather than just a matter of temporary price uctuations.

In several countries, the crises forced people tostand in long queues to purchase government-subsidized grains and to receive food rations.Poor families spend about half their income onfood; thus, any sudden price hikes of rice andstaples force poor families to cut back on food,resulting in food insecurity and malnutrition. Thelack of food, in turn, hinders the ability of poor

people to work, and this sinks them deeper intodebt and poverty. It is said that a 10% spike indomestic food prices in developing Asia couldpush an additional 64.4 million into poverty(ADB, 2011). Indeed, when a crisis strikes, therich get away unscathed, while the poor starveeven more.

Several factors have been cited for the rise infood prices. On the demand side: Asias growingpopulations and changing tastes and diets awayfrom traditional staples produced by smallfarmers, and towards increased consumptionof commercially-grown meats and processedfoods that require more resources and energyto produce. 8 On the supply side, factors include:rising costs of inputs; competing use of crops forbiofuels;unsustainable production systems that causesoil erosion and reduce soil fertility; increasingscarcity of fresh water ; and reduction of farmlands due to urban expansion, commercialization, andclimate change.

Rising competition from the biofuel industryfor land and food cropsOne reason cited for rising food prices is thegrowth of the biofuel industry worldwide, which

8 With increased incomes and growing urbanization,people move up the food chain towards consumption ofmeat, dairy and high-value products, which require moreresources to produce. To cite: 1 kilo of meat requires aminimum of 5-7 kilos of feed grain.

Poor families spend

about half their inco

on food; thus, anysudden price hikes o

rice and staples forc

poor families to cut

back on food, resulti

in food insecurity an

malnutrition.


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has increased the demand and competition forAsias land and food products. Market demand forbiofuels rose with the sudden spike in global oil

prices and with Western governments supportfor renewable fuels. 9 Biofuels productionworldwide grew from 1 million hectares in 2001to 25 million hectares in 2008, and is expected tomore than double between 2007 and 2017 (FAO,2008b).

Biofuel production affects agricultural productionby shifting land use from forests and food, tobiofuel crops. Biofuel production is capital-intensive and thus favors large-scale plantations.

Palm oil is one of the major crops used for biofuel.Although Indonesia already has 6 million hectaresof oil palm plantations, it has plans for expandingby another 4 million hectares by 2015, dedicatedto biofuel production alone. 10

Biofuel is produced also from food crops thatinclude sugarcane, maize, and soybean, and theend-use of these crops is often undetermineduntil they have been harvested and sold. Thus,it is market prices that determine whether thesecrops end up as food for people or as fuel forcars. According to FAO, global biofuel productionbased on agricultural commodities increasedmore than three-fold from 2000 to 2008. Andbecause crops such as maize and sugar can bediverted to biofuel, food prices are now exposedto other factors, such as the volatility of oil prices,hoarding, and the growing energy market.

9 Global demand for biofuels is driven by a EuropeanUnion policy of sourcing 10% of all transport fuels fromrenewable fuels by year 2020. About 80-90% of this target islikely to be met by biofuels. (Cotula, 2011) Also, in 2007 theUS passed the Energy Independence and Security Act whichseeks to reduce the countrys dependence on oil importsthrough mandatory use of renewable energy sources.10 The Indonesian government has reportedly givenconcessions to 600 companies for 9.4 million hectares ofland for oil palm companies, mostly from Malaysia, Singaporeand the Middle East. From the report of Iwan Nurdin, KPA,22 June 2011.

The impact of non-sustainable productionsystemsAgricultural production in Asia increased by some

62% from 1990 to 2002, but this was achievedlargely through more intensive use of land andwater resources. 11 This involved heavy use ofagrochemicals and freshwater. During the sameperiod, Asias application of mineral fertilizers perhectare of agricultural land increased by some15%, in contrast to a decline in the rest of theworld. In 2002 twice as much mineral fertilizerwas used per hectare in the region as in the rest ofthe world (FAO, 2004). Overuse of agrochemicalsaffects the long-term productive capacities of the

soil, and affects water quality, wildlife, and humanhealth.

Many of Asias developing countries suffer fromsoil erosion and degradation. According to a1997 UNEP study, 35% of the productive land inAsia has been affected by deserti cation. The maincauses of land degradation are deforestation, poorirrigation and drainage practices, inadequate soilconservation, steep slopes, and over-grazing. Some25% of soil degradation in the Asia-Paci c regionis directly attributed to agricultural activities.

While Asia has 61% of the global population, ithas only 36% of global fresh water resources(UNESCAP, 2011). Water withdrawals in Asiaincreased by almost 25% in the past 20 years(1990-2010), due mainly to the agricultural sector,which dominates water use. In all sub-regionsof Asia, between 60% and 90% of freshwaterwithdrawal is used for agriculture (FAOSTAT).An increasing amount of water for irrigation isextracted from the ground through tubewells andmechanized pumps that deplete the aquifer, andcontribute to deserti cation and salinization inmany countries.

11 During this time, global agricultural productionincreased by only 27%.


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The new competition for Asias farmlands andfresh water Population growth, coupled with urbanization

and industrial development, also contributesto the growing competition for land and water.Yet, in recent years, a new kind of commercialcompetition has come from wealthy food-importing countries and private investors whohave begun acquiring farmlands overseas for thelarge-scale production of food, biofuel, livestock& other products.

Because of rising world food prices, many wealthycountries have decided to produce directly their

own food abroad, and thereby avoid the risks ofdepending too much on world markets for theirfood supply. Yet this rush for securing farmlandsoverseas is driven not only by the need forfood, but increasingly by commercial pro t , as therise in agricultural commodity prices has madeproduction more pro table.

About one million hectares of land in Cambodiawere acquired for agriculture and forestry byforeign governments and companies between

1988 and 2006, and more than 415,000 hectaresacquired in two provinces of Lao PDR (Cotula,2011). Land acquisitions in Asia have been led bycapital-rich Arab Gulf States and the prosperouscountries of East Asia. Based on one estimate,China, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Japan,and Saudi Arabia controlled an estimated 7.6million hectares overseas as of the end of 2008(Kugelman, 2009). Control of the land also bringswith it the control of water resources that arelocked up beneath the surface. Meanwhile, Chinasoverseas acquisitions include shing rights to theexclusive economic zones (EEZs) of 32 countriesthat include Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma and SriLanka, as well as West Africa, Fiji and Argentina.

The new investments differ from those of thepast. Foreign investors seek resources (land, water)rather than just commodities and markets. The

investments are also much larger in scale, andare now spearheaded more by government-ledinvestment than in the past.

The new land deals affect domestic foodproduction in host countries, as large tracts ofproductive land are ceded to foreigners, eventhough the host countries are chronically shorton food supplies for their growing populationsand have to depend on imports. Also, there aredocumented cases of small farmers and settlersbeing displaced or evicted from their lands, evenwhen so called public, surplus or unusedlands such as forests are leased to foreign ventures.

The new land deals increase the concentration ofland ownership in a few corporations, and oftenleave the rural poor outside of both land andmarkets.

The supermarketization of Asias foodsector With growing urbanization, Asias foodindustry has also been undergoing a qualitativetransformation since the 1980s. There is a shifttowards vertical integration of the food value chain

linking production to wholesaling, processing,and retailing. Corporations now dominate thefood sector. Profound changes are occurringin the retail sector through the supermarketrevolution. The spread of supermarkets and fastfood chains started in East Asia, then in SoutheastAsia and China, where the share of supermarketsin food retailing will double to 23% by 2015. 12 Supermarkets have expanded to include the saleof fresh produce (grains, vegetables, and meat),and they now compete directly with traditionalfresh markets supplied by small producers. Withthe growing integration of the food productionand distribution chains, the big traders and retailstores are now able to dictate the terms overtheir suppliers, and this leaves the small producersin a weak bargaining position.

12 In South Asia, however, the rapid growth ofsupermarkets is not expected in the immediate term,because of low incomes and highly rural economies (FAO,2008).


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For the small farmers in Asia, the opening ofagriculture to trade liberalization since the 1990shas meant the abolition of agricultural credit

and subsidies from government, the privatizationof agricultural support services, and increasedcompetition from cheaper imports. There has alsobeen a decline in public investment and spendingin agriculture in many Asian countries, in sharpcontrast to US and European countries whereagriculture continues to be subsidized heavily bythe State.

With the vertical integration of the food industry,Asias small farmers today face a new layer of

barriers dif culty in accessing services andcredit, weak extension services, and pricingpolicies that work against farmers (e.g., pricecontrols on the farmgate prices of staples grainsand traditional food crops). Small producers arealso faced with new market demands: high-valueproducts, continuous supply of uniform products,use of new production technologies, formalcontracting arrangements, and new institutionalrequirements (permits and certi cation). The newrules of the market inadvertently serve as barriers

against smallholders, and these include variousindustry requirements and standards. 13 Giventhe high costs of certi cation and compliancemonitoring, trading companies are likely to switchfrom smallholders to large agribusiness farms.Companies generally prefer to source from largerproducers because of the lower transactioncosts involved and because these producers alsohave easier access to facilities such as storage,greenhouses, irrigation, and transport.

Looking forward

With half a billion people in Asia undernourished,the demand for food is expected to grow furtherwith the increase in population. It is projected13 This includes those stipulated under the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme (Codex Alimentarius).However, different countries and corporations imposeadditional food standards including on safety and hygiene,nutrition, labeling, traceability, processing, packaging, organicstandards, etc.

that Asia will exceed 5.25 billion people by 2050,requiring a 70% increase in food production toachieve food for all.

Throughout its long history, Asias foodsecurity and agriculture have been built on theproductivity and resiliency of smallholder farming.Smallholders continue to face many constraints.They cultivate small plots often with little or nopublic support; they continue to count among thepoorest and most food-insecure sectors in Asiaand the world today. Many lack access to landand facilities, and increasingly depend on pricesdictated by buyers. Recent trends in agriculture

and the food industry are putting small farmers ateven greater risk.

Yet even with the barriers they face, smallholderscontribute a signi cant amount to the totalvalue of agricultural output. In India, smallholderscontribute over 50% of the countrys total farmoutput although they cultivate only 44% of the land.Throughout Asia, smallholders continue as themain producers of staples such as rice, corn, rootcrops, and pulses that feed growing populations. 14

Small farms also serve as conservators as theyalso tend to grow a wider variety of crops andcultivars; these, in turn, serve to increase theresiliency of small farms against pests, diseases,droughts, and other stresses. Small farms havehigher use of labor; they have generally highercropping intensity and are more diversi ed thanlarge farms. There is a growing body of evidencethat shows small farms to be more productive

per unit area than large farms. This provides acompelling argument in favor of land reform, asland redistribution would increase productivity,ef ciency and equity.

14 Smallholders also dominate in certain tree crops. Smallfarmers and rural communities produce three-fourths ofIndonesias rubber, 95% of its coffee and most of its coconut/copra production. (smallholder agroforestry) are managedso that they reproduce the functions of natural forests.Cinnamon, rattan, resins, coffee, durian are cultivated amongtimber species and agricultural crops (Contreras-Hermosillaand Fay, 2005).

Throughout its long

history, Asias food

ecurity and agriculturehave been built on

he productivity and

esiliency of smallholder

arming.


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Meeting the new challenges and market demandsfor food security will require technologicaland institutional innovations, supported by

government policy and public investments. Inthe eld of agriculture, actions for food securitymust be based on a genuine appreciation andrecognition of the central role of smallholderagriculture. r

Selected references:

Selected workshop papers and presentations:

AVARD (2011). Food Security in India: Status and

Prospects. Powerpoint presentation by P.M.Tripathi.

CANGO (2011). Promoting Food Security amidst

Growing Competition for Land China. China

Association for NGO Cooperation. November

2010.

CARRD (2011). Philippine Country Report

Powerpoint presentation by Edwin Nerva.

SCOPE (2011). Food Security Situation in Pakistan.Food Security Situation in Pakistan. Powerpoint

presentation by Tanveer Arif.

Van Thanh, Pham (2011). Food Security and Poverty

Reduction in Vietnam: Opportunity and

Challenge. CIFPEN Vietnam Food Security and

Poverty Elimination Network

Other sources :

ADB (2011). Global Food Price In ation and Developing

Asia. Pasig: Asian Development Bank. http://www.adb.org/documents/reports/global-food-price-

in ation/food-price-in ation.pdf

Alave, Kristine (2011). Filipino farmers, shers most

vulnerable to hunger - Oxfam. Philippine Daily

Inquirer, Oct 14, 2011.

ALRD (2008). Landwatch Asia Campaign: Bangladesh

Status Report. Association of Land Reform and

Development, Dhaka. Unpublished.

ANGOC (2009). Securing the Right to Land; A CSO

Overview on Access to Land in Asia. Quezon City:

Asian NGO Coalition and International Land

Coalition, Rome.

Barkat, Abdul and Prosanta K Roy (2004). Political

Economy of Land Litigation in Bangladesh: A Case of

Collossal National Wastage. Dhaka: Association for

Land Reform and Development and Nijeri Kori.

Contreras-Hermosilla, Arnoldo and Chip Fay (2005).Strengthening Forest Management in Indonesia

through Land Tenure Reform: Issues and Framework

for Action. Forest Trends and World Agroforestry

Centre.

Cotula, Lorenzo (2011). The Outlook on Farmland

Acquisitions. Rome: International Land Coalition,

International Institute for Environment and

Development and CIRAD.

Dev, Mahendra and Alakh Sharma (2010). FoodSecurity in India: Performance, Challenges and

Policies. Oxfam-India Working Paper Series.September 2010.


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FAO (2008a). How to Feed the World in 2050. Rome:

Food and Agriculture Organization. http://www.

fao.org/ leadmin/templates/wsfs/docs/expert_

paper/How_to_Feed_the_World_in_2050.pdf

FAO (2008b). The State of Food and Agriculture in

Asia and the Paci c Region. Bangkok: Food and

Agriculture Organization Regional Of ce for Asia

and the Paci c.

FAO (2009). The State of Food Insecurity in the World:

Economic crises impacts and lessons learned.

Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization.

FAO (2012). Indian PM concerned about malnutritionamong children. Asia Paci c Food Situation Update ,

January 2012.

FAO. http://faostat.fao.org

Huggins, Chris (2011). A Historical Perspective on the

Global Land Rush. Rome: International Land

Coalition and CIRAD.

Kugelman, Michael and Susan Levenstein, eds. (2009).

Land Grab? The Race for the Worlds Farmland. Washington DC: Woodrow Wilson International

Center for Scholars.

Quizon, Antonio (2011). Understanding the Debates

in Land Tenure Rights and Land Reforms in

the Asian Context. Paper prepared for the

International Land Coalition. Draft, 30 September

2011.

Thapa, Ganesh and Raghav Gaiha (2011). Smallholder

Farming in Asia and the Paci c: Challenges andOpportunities. Paper presented at the IFAD

Conference on New Directions for Smallholder

Agriculture, 24-25 January 2011.

Suharto, Imam and Dwi Astuti. Food Crisis: Response

to the Neglect of Farmers. Jakarta: APNFS, VECO

Indonesia and Bina Desa.

UNEP (1997). Asia Paci c Environment Outlook - 1997. United Nations Environment Programme.

UN ESCAP. Statistical Yearbook for Asia and thePaci c - 2011. Website: http://www.unescap.org

World Bank (2008). World Development Report 2008:

Agriculture for Development. Washington DC: The

World Bank.


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1BRIEFING PAPER

THE COMMITTEE on World Food Security (CFS)is an inter-governmental body established in 1974 bythe FAO following a global food crisis. It serves as aforum for discussion and coordination of policy andactions to promote food security.

Through the years, however, the CFS found itselfineffective in the face of a host of problems including

spikes in commodity prices, poor harvests amidsthigher demand, and protectionist measures taken bysome governments. All of these combined to causeinstability in the global food market, resulting in yetanother crisis in 2007/08. Today, an estimated onebillion people live in chronic hunger.

One of the weaknesses of the CFS then was itsinability to coordinate national policies. Its mandatedid not allow it.

It also lacked the authority to decide on and implementits policy recommendations. This prompted the CFSto rethink and re-evaluate its position, lest it becomeirrelevant. In 2009, it underwent a restructuring. Itrede ned its vision and mission in order to be a moreeffective forum towards achieving food security.

A CFS reform document states: The CFS as a centralcomponent of the evolving Global Partnership for

Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, will constitutethe foremost inclusive and inter-governmental platformfor a broad range of committed stakeholders to worktogether in a coordinated manner and in supportof country-led processes towards the elimination ofhunger and ensuring security and nutrition for allhuman beings.

Purpose of this paper

This brie ng paper gives an overview of the workof the CFS and the areas where the CFS engagesvarious stakeholders on different levels to addressfood insecurity and hunger. This paper serves as a

guide for civil society organizations in their campaignto improve the consultation process and other aspectsof governance in the CFS. Included are some of theconcerns of civil society groups that need to be raisedin international discussions.

The Global Food Market:Then and Now

From the time of the rst World Food Conferencein 1974 up until the 2009 World Summit on FoodSecurity, experts noted recurring problems inthe global food market, among them high foodprices, the lack of access of the worlds poor to

Te ask of Reforming the FAOCommittee on Food Security


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food and other resources, and a serious supply-demand imbalance.

While many of the problems remain, the currentenvironment is fundamentally different from whatit was decades ago. New factors have emergedwhich in uence the direction and behavior ofthe market. Experts now say that no policy oraction should be taken without considering thefollowing:

Disinvestment by governments inagricultural support services

Continued recognition of the productive

and income-generating role of smallfarming

Increased role of the private sector inservice provision and marketing chains

Globalization of phyto-sanitaryregulations and long-distance foodchains

Emergence of bio-energy crops as a newagricultural frontier, thereby increasingthe demand for bio-fuels that competewith production of food crops

Impacts of climate change onagriculture

Increased capacity of governments andthe expanded role of civil society

Access to instant information due totechnology

With increased access to information, it is hopedthat decision-making processes within the CFSwould also improve.

What is the new CFS?

In the wake of the 2007-08 food crisis, the CFSwas given a fresh mandate to engage a broadergroup of stakeholders in order to more effectivelypromote policies for reducing food insecurity.(http://www.fao.org/cfs/en/).

The fundamental role of the CFS is to promotecoordination and policy coherence to help ensurethat inter-related actions are in accord with one

another. Speci cally, it is tasked to: 1. Provide a platform for discussion and

coordination to strengthen collaborativeactions among relevant stakeholders whilepaying attention to countries speci c contextsand needs;

2. Promote greater policy convergence andcoordination, including the developmentof international strategies and voluntaryguidelines on food security and nutrition on

the basis of best practices, lessons learnedfrom local experience, inputs received from thenational and regional levels, and expert adviceand opinions from different stakeholders;

3. Improve coordination and guide synchronizedaction through the development of a GlobalStrategic Framework for Food Security andNutrition (GSF); and

4. Facilitate support and/or advice for regionaland nationally-owned food security strategies,policies and programs for food security and

nutrition.

The new CFS aims for greater inclusiveness toencourage an exchange of views and experiencesand draw expertise and knowledge from as widea group of stakeholders as possible. While thismay result in slower and cumbersome decision-making, the CFS hopes that this will in the longrun bene t the system because it will promotebetter transparency and governance.

New Structure of the CFS

To implement its rede ned mandate in promotingpolicy coherence, the CFS has a new structurethat allows input from different stakeholders atglobal, regional and national levels. It has a Bureauand Advisory Group, a Plenary, a High- Level Panelof Experts (HLPE) and a Secretariat.

The new CFS aims for

reater inclusiveness

o encourage anxchange of views

nd experiences and

draw expertise and

knowledge from as wide

group of stakeholders

s possible.


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The Bureau is the executive arm of the CFS. It iscomprised of a Chair and 12 member countriesthat serve a two-year term.

The Advisory Group (AG) is made up of 14 membersfrom ve different stakeholder groups, namely:

1. Six representatives from UN agencies andother UN bodies;

2. Four representatives from civil society andnon-governmental organizations particularlythose representing smallholder familyfarmers, sherfolk , herders, landless, urban

poor, agricultural and food workers, women,youth, consumers and indigenous people;

3. One representative from internationalagricultural research institutions;

4. One from international and regional nancialinstitutions (the World Bank, the InternationalMonetary Fund, regional development banksand the World Trade Organization); and

5. One from private sector associations; andone from philanthropic foundations.

The AGs mandate is to share with the Bureauexpertise and knowledge of the broad rangeof organizations it represents and providethe vehicle through which participants cancontribute to inter-sessional activities of theCFS. It is also tasked to maintain linkages withdifferent stakeholders at regional, sub-regionaland local levels and to ensure an ongoing, two-

way exchange of information.

Meeting once a year, the Plenary is the central bodyfor decision-making, debates, coordination andconvergence by all stakeholders on a global level.Participants at the plenary, including member-governments and representatives of CSOs andnon-government organizations, are accorded thesame speaking rights.

The High-Level Panel of Experts for Food Securityand Nutrition (HLPE) is the scienti c andknowledge-based arm of the Global Partnership

for Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition.

The Joint Secretariat is composed of thethree Rome-based agencies FAO, WorldFood Program and the International Fund forAgricultural Development. Its task is to supportthe work of the Plenary, the Bureau, the AG andthe HLPE.

Why is there a need fora panel of experts?

The creation of the HLPE is an essential featureof the reformed CFS. It was set up to provideindependent and comprehensive advice andanalysis on the current state of food security andnutrition and their underlying causes, as well asthe latest scienti c and knowledge-based analysisand advice on speci c policy-relevant issues. Itis also tasked to identify emerging issues and tohelp members prioritize actions in key areas.

The high-level panel has a two-tier structure. Therst is a Steering Committee made up of 15internationally recognized experts in a varietyof food security and nutrition-related eldsappointed to a two-year term. They serve intheir personal capacities and do not representtheir organizations or governments. The secondis a roster of experts for project-speci c teamswho are selected and managed by the SteeringCommittee to analyze and report on outstandingissues.

Former CFS Chair Noel de Luna, the PhilippinesAgricultural Attache to the FAO, in a conferencein Paris in March 2011, said the experts panel isexpected to improve the robustness, continuityand cohesion of policy-making by providingthe CFS with independent and comprehensiveadvice.

The creation of the

HLPE is an essentia

feature of the reformCFS. It was set up to

provide independent

and comprehensive

advice and analysis

on the current state

of food security and

nutrition and their

underlying causes.


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A document outlining the key elements of theHLPE says: Decisions need often to be takenin spite of a vast eld of uncertainties regarding

both the knowledge base, and potential effectsof policies on the ground. There is also a needto overcome the fact that at the negotiatingtable, competing interests often confrontdifferent streams of information leading to acutecontroversies, and that the fragmentation ofexpert debates by academic disciplines and byknowledge sources is often detrimental to strongand effective policy decisions.

The CFS, through the HLPE, has ongoing discussions

on the issues of land tenure, price volatility andinternational investments in agriculture, socialsafety nets and climate change. The panel is alsoproviding inputs on priority issues including theGlobal Strategic Framework for Food Securityand Nutrition (GSF) and advice on the draftVoluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governanceof Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in theContext of National Food Security.

What is the Global StrategicFramework for Food Securityand Nutrition?

A working de nition of the GSF, as approved by theCFS Bureau, is found in the Annotated Outline forthe GSF. It states: The overall purpose of the GSF isto provide a dynamic instrument to enhance the roleof the CFS and promote its vision as a platform toimprove coordination and guide synchronized actionby a wide range of stakeholders in support of global,regional and country-led actions to prevent futurefood crises, eliminate hunger and ensure food securityand nutrition for all human beings.

At its 36 th session in October 2010, the CFSlaunched a consultative process to develop aninitial draft of the Global Strategic Framework forpresentation at the 38 th plenary in October 2012.The consultations are guided by the followingprinciples:

the GSF would not create newbureaucracies and mechanisms but buildon existing frameworks including the

UNs Comprehensive Framework forAction;

to promote convergence, the GSF wouldselect and prioritize among existinglessons and policy recommendations,and would leverage regular CFSmechanisms;

the GSF would be a living, exibledocument to be prepared and updatedthrough broad participation at global,regional and national levels;

it will not be prescriptive and will highlightdiffering views when no consensus isreached; and

it will not be a binding instrument, but itsendorsement by the CFS would re ect acommitment by member-countries andother stakeholders of its goals.

The CFS opened a moderated online discussionon the GSF (http://www.km.fao.org/fsn/cfs) basedon the Annotated Outline in order to stimulate

debate and gather suggestions and concrete inputsfrom different stakeholders, including CSOs, onpriority issues and policy actions for the GSF. The electronic discussion is also being hostedby the Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition(AAHM) (http://km.fao.org/fsn/aahm) in supportof the CFS initiative.

The current global electronic consultation willcontinue with regional consultations in early 2012,followed by another online discussion and a CFS-led plenary review in July 2012 before the naldocument is presented to the 38 th session of theCFS in October 2012.

That the GSF will be a non-binding globaldocument presents dif culties. Given the differentnational situations and contexts, what assuranceis there that governments and other stakeholders


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would comply with the instrument? Civil societygroups also ask how the Framework would relateoperationally vis a vis existing food security plans

at the country level. They point out the need for aregular system to monitor, assess and update theGSF to gauge its coherence with other existingmechanisms on food security.

Challenges facing the CFS

Market Information-Sharing

The volatility of food prices is a recurringphenomenon and is an immediate concern of the

CFS. Commodity price uctuations can be avoidedor minimized and markets can be stabilized ifthere were a system to track up-to-date, reliableand accurate information on crop supply (currentcrop plus stockpiles) and demand.

But such information is often unavailable. Theabsence of relevant data during critical periods inthe past had in fact affected the ability of leadersand policy-makers to make sound decisionsand mobilize responses. The practice by some

governments and commercial enterprises ofkeeping such data con dential should be replacedby a willingness to share accurate, reliable andtimely information.

Because of its importance, the issue of marketinformation and price volatility is high on theCFS agenda and a standing item at all meetings ofthe Committees Bureau and AG, where expertsand analysts are expected to provide updates onprice situations.

De Luna had pushed for a collaborative fooddata initiative called the Agricultural MarketInformation System (AMIS), which he says needssupport from G20 economies, which are amongthe major producers of basic commoditiesand non-G20 countries whose production orconsumption has an impact on the market.

Such a system will not only contribute toimproving market information and transparency,but will also strengthen dialogue between

exporting and importing countries, commercialenterprises and international organizations, andovercome distrust.

The bottom line, de Luna emphasizes, is thatmember countries should have the politicalwill to share reliable, timely and accurate data.Without political will and a change in attitudesby all stakeholders, nothing much can be done toprevent violent price uctuations.

Ideal versus Reality

The CFS is just one of the global forums on foodsecurity. Civil society organizations believe thatthe CFS can be a viable venue that can make adifference if member-states and governmentsexercise political will in implementing reforms .But it remains to be seen how the bene ts ofits policy decisions can trickle down to the mostvulnerable groups. Will its actions serve theinterests of the worlds hungry and most food-

insecure sectors?

A challenge for the CFS is how it will be ableto work with various stakeholders of widelydiverse views and agendas on food security andhow it can suf ciently convey the discussions,debates and decisions taking place on the globallevel to country-level constituents. Conversely,how can the engagement processes at regionaland national levels be expanded and linked to theglobal processes of the Committee?

CSO representation in the CFS is important,but how can CSOs actually lobby nationalgovernments to support a global framework andimplement agreements when some FAO countryof ces are not even aware of CFS processes?

Food security is now seen as a priority in thedevelopment agenda of governments and

The volatility of

prices is a recur

phenomenon and isimmediate concern

the CFS.


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intergovernmental organizations as a means tostimulate foreign direct investments and attractdevelopment assistance in agriculture. The

question that needs to be asked is: how are theseinvestments truly affecting and improving foodsecurity and livelihoods for the rural poor in theregion?

For instance, governments of many developingcountries encourage foreign direct investmentsby food importing countries. But these veryinvestments could displace local farmers, creatingsocial unrest and increasing the poor and hungrypopulations.

Observations/Recommendations ofAsian Civil Society on Engaging theCFS 1:

CFS processes are mostly driven top-down from the global rather thanfrom the national levels. CSOs andsocial movements should adopt ways orstrategies so that their perspectives canin uence the CFS processes.

The mode of consultation is mainlythrough electronic discussion, limitingthe participation of some stakeholdersincluding those without or little accessto the internet or available information.

Food is not merely a technical issue

about production and trade, but ahighly political issue involving questionsabout resource distribution, access andcontrol. There should be equal footing inthe dialogue process. For food securityto happen, reforms in power relations(e.g., agrarian reform, food sovereignty)must likewise be included in the topicsfor dialogue.

1 Points presented by ANGOC and discussed duringthe Regional CSO Consultation in conjunction with the FAOAsia-Paci c Regional Conference held in South Korea inSeptember 2010.

There are, at the global level, a numberof processes and mechanisms designedto boost agriculture and promote

food security. There should be tightercoherence for all these activities amongUN and other international bodies.What is more important is that reformsand actions by these global institutionsshould cascade to the regional andnational levels. National governmentsmust coordinate and harmonizeactivities for achieving food securityand recognize and support the effortsof small food producers and CSOs in

sustainable agriculture.

How civil society organizations (CSOs)strategize and organize themselvesat this juncture is critical. While theycan be participants in the CFS, theyshould still be observers in the othercommittees. They should be very clearon the parameters of their engagement,and be aware of the realistic constraintsthey face given the structural issues of

FAO and member governments. It isimperative that they strengthen theirregional platforms while also recognizingother venues and ensuring that nationaldiscussions take place. r

Sources and References:

1. www.fao.org/cfs/cfs-home/cfs-about/en

2. Updated Report by the CFS Chairman to G20Development Working Group, 19-22 March 2011 in

Paris3. Food Price Volatility: The Role of the CFSpresented by the CFS Chairman at IGC Conference, 7

June 2011 in London

4. The High-Level Panel of Experts on FoodSecurity and Nutrition (HLPE) Key Element

How civil society

rganizations (CSOs)

trategize and organizehemselves at this

uncture is critical.


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5. Global Perspective: Update on the CFSpresented by the CFS Chair at the Asian Multi-stakeholder Regional Workshop on Food Sovereignty,22-23 August 2011 in Jakarta, Indonesia

6. Agriculture and Food Governance CFS inFocus: Re ections presented by the Asian NGOCoalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development(ANGOC) at the CSO Parallel Meeting to the FAO-APRC in Geongju, South Korea, 28 September 2010

7. An Asian NGO Perspective on the Key Issuesin Attaining Food Sovereignty towards EnhancingFood Security and Ending Hunger and Malnutrition ofthe Rural Poor presented by ANGOC ChairpersonEmeritus Fr. Francis Lucas at the Asian Multi-stakeholder Regional Workshop on Food Sovereignty,22-23 August 2011 in Jakarta, Indonesia

8. CFS Annotated Outline on GSF for FoodSecurity and Nutrition

9. http://www.km.fao.org/fsn/cfs

10. http://km.fao.org/fsn/aahm

11. www.fao.org/cfs/cfs-home/cfs-portal


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THE UNITED NATIONS High-Level TaskForce on the Global Food Security Crisis(HLTF) was formed in April 2008 in responseto the extraordinary rise in world food pricesthat resulted in a sharp increase in the numberof hungry people worldwide and unstable foodsecurity conditions in many poor countries. Themarket instability was aggravated by the nancial

crisis in 2009, which led to a recession in manydeveloped countries and further impaired thecapacity of poorer nations to adequately feedtheir people. This task force is one of the many platforms thataddress food security under the UN system.That it is chaired by the UN Secretary-Generalunderscores the severity of the last food crisis,the impact of which continues. It highlights theurgency of formulating an effective response not

only to the immediate problem but also to itsunderlying causes, which require long-term andstructural solutions.

The HLTF is composed of the heads of 22 UNspecialized agencies, funds and programs, andmultilateral agencies. Its work is facilitated by aSenior Steering Group, which also serves as atechnical working group that provides the task

BRIEFING PAPER

force with analysis and advice.In July 2008, the HLTF produced theComprehensive Framework for Action (CFA) toguide policy-makers in formulating solutions tothe food crisis, with the Millennium DevelopmentGoal 1 to eradicate poverty and hunger asits starting point. The action plans aim was toaddress the immediate needs of the vulnerable

populations most affected by the food crisis whilealso looking into the more enduring solutions tothe problem.

In September 2010, the task force released anUpdated CFA (UCFA), which contains a widerrange and a more detailed treatment of issues.It also highlights environmental sustainability andgender equity in considering interventions againsthunger. The updated framework also eshes outmeasures that can operationalize the options

presented in the action plan, and identi es waysto involve as many stakeholders as possible in allactivities at all levels.

In October 2011, the HTLF released a summaryversion of the Updated ComprehensiveFramework for Action that highlights 10 principlesunderpinning and driving the action points in theframework.

UN High-Level ask Force and the wo-rack Approach owards Food Security


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This brie ng paper takes a look at the underlyingcauses of food insecurity, as articulated by theHLTF and the Asian NGO for Agrarian Reform and

Rural Development (ANGOC). It also examines theinitiatives being proposed by the HLTF, as containedin the Updated Comprehensive Framework for Action(UCFA), to address these concerns. It also makes thecase that nancial challenges to the proposed actionsare real.

Lessons from the Last Crisis

According to the HLTFs September 2010 Report,the recent food and nancial crises con rmed

inadequacies in the structure and functioningof food systems that prevented these fromwithstanding the impact of successive shocksand from improving food security in a sustainablemanner.

The turbulent period also brought to the surfacecertain factors that have continually underminedprevious efforts at addressing food insecurity. Theyinclude the lack of access by the most vulnerablegroups to land and other resources, the apparent

neglect in recent years of agriculture and ruraldevelopment, and the lack of support for safetynets and social protection systems. Price volatilityand long-ignored challenges confronting womenare also among the underlying causes of hunger,which need to be dealt with in a more sustainableway, the report adds.

In recent years, access to land has gained increasingprominence in the discussion of food security. Dr.David Nabarro, the UN Special Representative

for Food Security and Nutrition, describes landas being part of the resilience of poor people, andsays that predictable access to land is necessary.This is one of the lessons from the last crisisfactored into the updated CFA.

At an International Land Coalition (ILC) Conferencein May 2011, Nabarro, also Coordinator of theHLTF, said that access to land and tenure issues

should be fully addressed in policy making andthat local institutions and communities should beengaged in formulating strategies or solutions to

problems. .

Land, Sustainable Agriculture, WomenEmpowerment: A Perspective fromCivil Society

The recognition by policy-makers of the primacy of theland issue in the food security debate resonates withother stakeholders, especially the civil society groupsthat have long been campaigning for the issues ofaccess to land, women empowerment, sustainable

agriculture, and the need for better governance. The Asian NGO Coalition on Agrarian Reform and RuralDevelopment (ANGOC) articulates its position onthese critical issues in this section:

Link between poverty and landlessness

ANGOC believes that the high incidence ofpoverty and hunger among landless and small-scalefarm producers is primarily due to lack of securerights and tenure over land. In Asia, between 13%

to 71% of farmers are landless or near-landless,without security of tenure over their farms andhomestead. This severely limits their choices anddecisions about their lands, crops, and meansof livelihood. On the other hand, access to landbrings a source of livelihood and survival to therural poor and increases their sense of humandignity and security. It also increases the level oftheir resilience and provides them an opportunityto break out from the vicious cycle of poverty.

Sustainable agriculture is a key

Civil society groups believe that agriculture canbe a major driver of poverty reduction, wealthcreation, and employment in rural areas. Butcaution should be exercised in considering thetypes of investment to be sure that they are notdetrimental to the environment, and are not madeat the expense of poor farmers. ANGOC believes

ANGOC believes th

the high incidence o

poverty and hungeramong landless and

small-scale farm

producers is primari

due to lack of secure

rights and tenure ov

land. In Asia, betwee

13 to 71% of farmer

are landless or near-

landless, withoutsecurity of tenure

over their farms and

homestead.


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that a paradigm shift to sustainable agricultureis central to stimulating rural development andreducing poverty in poor countries in Asia.

While the Green Revolution was hailed a successin increasing food production, a closer look at theimpact of the program also exposed its negativeeffects on biodiversity, indigenous farming systems,and the environment. It proved bene cial largelyto better-off farmers in well-endowed ecosystems,but not to poor farmers working in marginalizedlands. ANGOCs position on the issue is thatshifting to high-input conventional agricultureis not a guarantee of food security. It is wise to

develop appropriate farm technologies consistentwith the principles and practices of sustainableagriculture.

Addressing the needs of the most vulnerable groups

ANGOC believes that a more promising strategyfor reducing poverty and hunger must start witha clear targeting and identi cation of the mostaffected and vulnerable groups composed of

marginalized smallholders, indigenous peoples,landless rural workers, marginalized sherfolk,upland dwellers and women. These rural poormust be given access to and control over landand water resources, agricultural inputs andextension services. These same groups mustbe given an opportunity to participate in thedesign, implementation and evaluation of ruraldevelopment programs.

In the Asian region, the participation ofvulnerable groups and civil society is key tothe democratization process starting from thegrassroots, then national up to internationallevels. Peoples participation is a prerequisite forimproving food production and sustaining accessto food. Increasing food production locally will bethe best option to reduce the vulnerability of therural poor to risks, including market uctuationsand climate change variations.

Women and food security

In many Asian countries, women constitute a

disproportionate number of the chronically poor.This is partly due to discrimination, and existinglaws and customs that curtail womens equal rightsto land and property. Especially in rural areas witha high out-migration of men, rural women areincreasingly left with the prime responsibility forincomes and farming with neither titles to the landsthey cultivate, nor access to the credit and servicesthey need. The result is increased feminization offood insecurity. Development planners shouldaddress the present gender inequality in crafting

any food security interventions. All strategiesfor the implementation of modern agriculturaltechnologies and mechanization must take intoaccount the crucial role of women for foodsecurity and the conservation of the environmentand agro-biodiversity.

Is food sovereignty possible and canthe rural poor achieve food security?

The answer is yes, the poor can achieve food

security with a more holistic framework to guideprograms and interventions. Sustainability shouldnot only target better food security and livelihoodsfor increased incomes but for the sustainability ofresources and the quality of life . The lives of futuregenerations depend on a sustainable frameworknow. ANGOC believes that food insecuritystems from unequal distribution of resourcesand the inequitable access to productive assetsby the rural poor. The prevailing unjust structuresand social systems are further aggravated by thestate policies supporting trade liberalization andcommercialization of agriculture. It is imperativethat the structures and patterns of internationaltrade and external investments be superseded bythe more important tasks of poverty reductionand ensuring food for all.


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2

The Updated CFA in a Nutshell

The Updated Comprehensive Framework for

Action (UCFA) promotes a twin-track approachand encourages policy convergence and synergyof the various initiatives of different stakeholdersengaged in promoting food security. It prioritizessustainable agriculture, better ecosystemmanagement, gender equality, the prerequisitesfor improved nutrition, and the human rights ofthose least able to enjoy the right to food.

The two-track approach consists of (a) the FirstTrack, which focuses on meeting the immediate

needs of vulnerable populations; and (b) theSecond Track, which aims to build resilience tobetter address the root causes of hunger.

The HLTF points out that the two sets of actionsdesigned to promote a comprehensive responseto food insecurity are equally important, hencethey need to be addressed simultaneously atlocal, national, regional and global levels. Tosupport these two sets of actions, the Frameworkproposes stronger coordination, assessments,

monitoring, and surveillance systems in country,regional and global levels.

The Key Principles for Actions are broken downinto three parts (see box). These 10 principlesfeed into the following Outcomes and Actionsthat are meant to operationalize the twin-trackapproach:

The objective of the frst track is to improveaccess to food and nutrition support and takeimmediate steps to increase food availability. Toachieve the outcome of meeting the immediateneeds of vulnerable populations facing hungernow, the CFA proposes four key actions. Beloware the suggested main actions, along withexamples of current activities, as enumerated inthe UCFA.

1) Emergency food assistance, nutritioninterventions and safety nets to be enhancedand made more accessible

a. Scaling up internationally-supportedsafety nets, such as school feeding,supplementary feeding for mothers andchildren, management of severe andmoderate malnutrition, promotion ofexclusive breastfeeding and appropriatecomplementary feeding practices,delivery of primary health care services,promoting food hygiene and safe foodsupply, employment and cash voucherprograms, resettlement grant for

returnees;b. Ensuring that conditions exist for

emergency operators to deliveremergency food assistance and relatedsupport;

c. Providing grants to respond to the mostimmediate, life-saving activities.

Key Principles for Actions

Overall Approach Twin-tracks to food and nutritional security Comprehensive approach

Issues to be highlighted Smallholders, particularly women at the

center of actions Increased focus on resilience of household

livelihood More and better investments Open and well-functioning markets and

trade

Process Multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral

partnerships Sustained political commitment and good

governance. Country leadership with regional support. Accountability for results


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2) Urgent increases in food availability fromsmallholder farmer food production

a. Providing nancial and technical support

for small farmers/net food buyers toincrease production and productivity;direct distribution of seeds, fertilizer,provision of vouchers, credit schemes,quality control, use of existing supplymechanisms and strengthening of localnancial institutions;

b. Supporting rapid interventions to linksmall farmers to markets, increase accessto inputs, markets, and development ofmarket information services;

c. Purchasing food assistance locally in waysthat bene t low-income farmers andproducers.

3) Adjustments to trade and tax policiesa. A review of the trade and taxation policy

options and their likely impacts;b. Advising governments on trade policy

adjustments and trade facilitationmeasures to reduce the cost of importedfood and agricultural inputs;

c. Temporary reduction of VAT and othertaxes.

4) Management of macroeconomicimplications

a. Mobilization of external support tonance additional food imports;

b. Assistance to countries in assessing theimpact of higher food and fuel prices onthe balance of payments;

c. Providing more rapid nancing in caseof shocks to help address balance ofpayment impacts.

The second track aims to strengthen food andnutrition security in the longer term by addressingthe underlying factors driving the food crisis. Tobuild longer-term resilience to similar problemsin the future, the CFA lists four critical outcomes.Below are the four main actions and the elements

of each action or examples of the activities nowunderway:

1) Expanded social protection systemsa. Balancing the need to ensure effective

coverage of the vulnerable with the needto maintain ef cient use of resources;

b. Improving the quality and diversity offoods;

c. Promoting the implementation of humanrights and governance principles in thedesign, implementation and monitoring ofsocial protection measures.

2) Sustained increases in food availabilitythrough growth in smallholder farmer food

productiona. Stimulating private investment in

agriculture with focus on small-scalefarming;

b. Supporting land tenure securityprograms;

c. Financing rehabilitation of rural andagriculture infrastructure.

3) Better managed ecosystems for food andnutrition security

a. Promoting a low-energy productiveagriculture source of diversi ed andnutritious food;

b. Investing in long-term monitoring ofenvironmental service delivery underdifferent land management options;

c. Analyzing and isolating practices thatimprove food and nutrition security andresilience to climate change.

4) Improved performance of internationalfood markets.

a. Monitoring food and nutrition policiesat national level and link to internationaltrade policies;

b. Increasing trade nance;c. Assessing feasibility of regional food

reserve systems.

n the Asian region,

he participation of

vulnerable groups andivil s

Lok Niti on Food Security: Reviving Global Commitment for a Sustainable Future

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