Food Security in the context of Rio+20

Conference

Riccardo Mesiano Productivity Sectors Section,

Sustainable Development and Productivity Division

Outline

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• FS, Sustainable Agriculture and Sustainable

Land Management

• FS for the Arab Region: Challenges

• International Commitments on FS

• FS and Rio+20

• Conclusions

Sustainable environment and natural resource

management (ENRM) lies at the heart of

delivering food security and lasting poverty

reduction

Long-term food security is contingent on the

sustainable and equitable management and

conservation of the world’s natural capital

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Sustainable Development and Food

Security

Food security exists 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. Food

security covers availability, access, utilization and stability issues.

Sustainable agriculture refers to the capacity of agriculture over time to

contribute to overall welfare by providing sufficient food and other goods

and services in ways that are economically efficient and profitable,

socially responsible, and environmentally sound.

Sustainable Land Management involves the use of land resources for

the production of goods to meet human needs while ensuring their long-

term productive potential and the maintenance of their environmental

functions

Par 92 Zero Draft: “We recognize the economic and social significance of land, particularly

its contribution to growth, food security, and poverty eradication, and note that the intensity

of desertification of most of Africa’s arable land is a serious challenge to sustainable

development in the region”

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Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture and

Sustainable Land Management

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Per capita land availability in the region

Source: ESCWA based on FAOSTAT (2007) and United Nations Population Division (2006)

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Aridity in the Arab region

HyperArid

92%

Arid

1% Semi-Arid

3%

Dry Sub-

Humid

4%

ESCWA; 2007: Land Degradation Assessment and Prevention, ESCWA, Beirut, Lebanon

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FS for the Arab Region: Challenges

• Policy /political level: lack of appropriate policies,

legislations &/or incentives, failure to mainstream

Sustainability in planning (including land use) & rural

development; political agenda prevailing over sustainable

development;

• Technical level: low investments in new technologies,

paucity of data for planning, and for M&E;

• Community level: relevance of sustainability importance

not always apparent, difficulty of scaling up & replicating

experiences, unrealistic expectation-building. Need to

maintain livelihoods in rural areas (land is the major or only

asset for many);

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FS for the Arab Region: Challenges

• Knowledge & technology: Limited access to easily

understandable and applicable land management and food

security practices

• Governance: No decentralized management and

participatory governance of natural resources

Economic & financial aspects:

Environmental concerns not mainstreamed into production

programs, policies and cross-cutting sectors. Dependency

of the region to external food markets;

Social & behavioral motivation:

Rural illiteracy and poor education especially

environmental education

International time-bound and qualitative commitments

in the area of food security and sustainable agriculture

in:

Agenda 21 (1992) the action plan of the United Nations

Conference of Rio on Environment and Development . • Chapter 14 of Agenda 21 is dedicated to sustainable agriculture and rural development

(SARD). Ten time‐bound commitments and cross‐references are made to chapter 18,19,

and 21.

Rome Declaration on World Food Security (1996)

CSD8 (2000)

JPOI (2002)

MDGs (2000)

CSD17 (2009) • All reaffirmed the objective of, and called for the implementation of, the World Food

Summit in 1996

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International Commitments on FS

The Rome Declaration on World Food Security (1996) had

seven detailed commitments (without targets or time limits)

• (1) to provide enabling political, social, and economic environment

• (2) and (4) policies, including trade policies to improve food security

• (3) pursue participatory and sustainable food, agriculture, fisheries,

forestry and rural development policies and practices everywhere and at

all levels

• (5) prevent and be prepared for natural disasters and man‐made

emergencies

• (6) promote optimal allocation and use of public and private investments

to foster human resources, sustainable food, agriculture, fisheries and

forestry systems, and rural development

• (7) implement, monitor, and follow‐up this Plan of Action at all levels in

cooperation with the international community

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Rome Declaration on FS

Until 2009, global delivery of the food security and sustainable

agriculture‐related commitments have been disappointing.

CSD‐17 reiterated several of the quantitative Agenda 21 objectives. The

summary of the Secretary General Report on Agriculture for CSD‐17

called for “renewed commitment and a new vision for global cooperation

to implement policies that simultaneously aim at increasing agricultural

productivity, creating fair trade regimes, conserving natural resources

and promoting investment in agricultural related infrastructure.”

The difference with previous reviews is the focus on social issues, on

small holder, especially women farmers, who must be at the center of

any intervention. “Reducing the gender gap in access to agricultural

inputs alone would increase women’s yields by 20‐30%.”

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CSD 17- A new Focus

G8‐led l’Aquila Food Security Initiative (2009) committed to mobilise

$22 billion over three years to support country‐led plans for agriculture

and food and nutrition security

Rome World Summit on Food Security (2009):

The Five Rome Principles for Sustainable Global Food Security and the

High Level Task Force on Global Food Security (principles and a

framework for increased investment in agriculture and food security)

Improved coordination of international interventions through the updated

Comprehensive Framework for Action (CFA).

The Committee on Food Security reformed

Global Strategic Framework for Food Security and Nutrition (GSF) now

provides strategies to foster coordinated and coherent global and

national action

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L’Aquila and Rome for FS

The Decision to convene UNCSD (Rio+20) was decided in Dec 2009 by

the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 64/236, in 2012 in Rio

de Janeiro in Brazil.

Objectives:

• To secure renewed political commitment for sustainable

development;

• To assess progress and implementation gaps in summit outcomes

on sustainable Development implementation;

• To address new and emerging challenges.

Themes:

I. Institutional framework for sustainable development;

II. A green economy in the context of sustainable development and

poverty eradication.

RIO+20 Conference

New issues facing the Arab region that will be addressed

at Rio+20 Conference:

Climate change and climate change adaptation;

Food security;

Water security;

Increasing drought and desertification, land degradation;

Natural disasters and extreme events;

Diseases and epidemics Par 88 Zero Draft :”We reaffirm that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of

our time, and express our deep concern that developing countries are particularly

vulnerable to and are experiencing increased negative impacts from climate change,

which is severely undermining food security and efforts to eradicate poverty”

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Rio+20: New and Emerging Challenges

64. We reaffirm the right to food and call upon all States to

prioritize sustainable intensification of food production through

increased investment in local food production, improved access to

local and global agri-food markets, and reduced waste throughout the

supply chain, with special attention to women, smallholders, youth,

and indigenous farmers. We are committed to ensuring proper

nutrition for our people.

65. We call for more transparent and open trading systems

and, where appropriate, practices that contribute to the stability of

food prices and domestic markets; ensure access to land, water and

other resources; and support social protection programmes.

66. We further support initiatives at all levels that improve

access to information, enhance interactions among farmers and

experts through education and extension services, and increase the

use of appropriate technologies for sustainable agriculture.

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Food Security and Rio+20: Zero Draft

Governments should work on setting up the following enabling

conditions:

Increase efficiency in the food system by reducing waste in the production

and distribution of food;

Address the inequitable distribution of natural resources by actively

promoting changed consumption patterns in high-income countries,

including more balanced diets, which are less rich in meat, fish and dairy

Promoting pro-poor conservation measures to support the diversification

of rural incomes

Help break the link between food prices and oil prices by encouraging more

diversified production and consumption as well as reducing the use of

synthetic fertilizers;

Investing in support to small sustainable farmers in developing

countries for measures that maximize their potential contribution to

food

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Food Security and Rio+20: issues to be

addressed

Reduce the footprint of the agriculture sector by making sustainable food

production central to development and encouraging the treatment and

re-use of wastewater for agricultural purposes;

Take into account the food-water nexus, especially in a changing climate,

with water availability becoming increasingly unpredictable and extreme

water events, such as floods and droughts, more frequent and intense;

reduce the pressure on land and water resources from agriculture

Develop frameworks to limit urban sprawl and promote urban agriculture

and sustainable waste water management to support peri-urban

agriculture, thus increasing urban food security and reducing waste of land,

water and nutrients

Conserve natural habitats such as forests that harbor the genetic origins of

many of today’s agricultural staples and commodities, as a form of insurance

against future disease resistance and as reservoirs for future breeding and

crop development

Prioritizing the rehabilitation of degraded, abandoned or underperforming

lands rather than farming in new areas

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Food Security and Rio+20: issues to be

addressed

Scale up and catalyze new and additional sources of funding, from both public

and private funding with a view to raise the capital necessary to transition

to green economies;

Finance leapfrogging technologies and refitting programmes with a view

to capture the increased returns inherent in economies that better address

social and environmental concerns;

Invest in the food, water and energy nexus, particularly on technology

cooperation

Eliminating all subsidies that undermine sustainable development,

particularly those underpinning fossil fuel use, unsustainable agriculture and

fisheries, taking appropriate action to offset this measures’ regressive impact.

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Food Security and Rio+20:Finance, fiscal,

regulation

At Rio+20 leaders should ensure the effective

integration of the social, economic and environmental

pillars and coordinate synergies with the UN agencies with

sustainable development mandates across the UN system

Creation of a Sustainable Development Council (SDC).

The SDC should be granted authority to bring agenda items

to the Security Council

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Food Security and Rio+20: Institutions

• Food Security amongst the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (Par107 Zero Draft. We propose that the Sustainable Development Goals could include

sustainable consumption and production patterns as well as priority areas such as

oceans; food security and sustainable agriculture; sustainable energy for all; water

access and efficiency; sustainable cities; green jobs, decent work and social inclusion;

and disaster risk reduction and resilience)

An overarching goal in this area could be universal access to

nutritious foods

Several specific targets have been proposed in various submissions

to the compilation text for Rio+20:

(1) zero net land degradation;

(2) 20% increase in total food supply‐chain efficiency – reducing losses and waste from

field to fork;

(3) 20% increase in water efficiency in agriculture–more nutrition and crop per drop;

(4) 70% of irrigated land using technology that increases crop per drop

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Rio+20: Sustainable Development Goals

Farmers’ major groups

1. Increase the proportion of ODA focused on agriculture and rural

development to 20%; countries meeting their l’Aquila commitments;

2. Increase yields on women’s farms by 2.5% to 4%.

The Bonn DPI/NGO conference declaration from 1400 Civil Society

Organizations:

1. By 2030, global agricultural production is transformed from industrial

to sustainable. Chemical inputs, herbicides, and pesticides are largely

replaced with organic and biological alternatives. Food for export is

secondary to food for local consumption. Cultivated crop strains are

diversified, as are production techniques and the mix of agricultural

producers.

2. Best management practices reduce erosion by 90% and nitrogen

runoff by 50% or more

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Rio+20: Sustainable Development Goals

Rio+20: Green Economy

• UNEP Definition *:

– “Green economy is an economy that results in

improved human well-being and social equity, while

significantly reducing environmental risks and

ecological scarcities”

*Source: UNEP, 2011, Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication,

www.unep.org/greeneconomy

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Examples: G E Sectors

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Green building materials, reducing energy

and water consumption, etc.

Hybrid cars, public transportation, etc.

Solar and wind energy, biofuel, etc.

Water recycling, rainwater harvesting, etc.

Recycling, toxic waste remediation, etc.

Organic agriculture, soil stabilization,

reforestation, habitat conservation, etc.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

GREEN BUILDINGS

SUSTAINABLE

TRANSPORTATION

WATER MANAGEMENT

AGRICULTURE/LAND

MANAGEMENT

WASTE MANAGEMENT

C. Palmer for ESCWA Consultative Workshop on Green Economy Principles and Application for Sustainable Development in the

ESCWA Region (Beirut, 6-7 October, 2010)

• As Sustainable Land Management and Food Security impact poverty

alleviation, livelihood improvement and ecosystem service, it involves

the 3 dimension of SD (economic, social and environmental) that a

Green Economy aims to address

• Maintaining the social, economic and environmental functions of the

land with a view to support livelihoods and food security…fits within the

globally adopted water-energy-food security nexus and Green Economy

• Need for environmental preservation (to combat degradation) while

responding appropriately to scarcity of resources plaguing the region is

amongst the goal of the Green Economy paradigm

• Par. 25 Zero Draft: “We are convinced that a green economy in the context of sustainable

development and poverty eradication should contribute to meeting key goals – in particular

the priorities of poverty eradication, food security…”

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Rio+20: Green Economy

Rio+20 comes at the right moment to:

Address the poor management and regulation of natural

assets and ecosystems (major factor behind food, water and

energy insecurity)

Deliver a new framework to address the interlinkages

between these common challenges

Ensure integrated discussions between new and emerging

issues such as economic security, water, security, climate

security, energy security, food security and natural

disasters.

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Food Security and Rio+20: Conclusions

Thank you!

Productive Sectors Section

Sustainable Development and Productivity Division

UN-ESCWA

Tel: +961 1 978 519

Fax: +961 1 981 510

Email: mesiano@un.org

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