Corinna Hawkes the Director of the FAO Division of Meals Methods and Meals Security says a holistic and sustainable method is required that considers financial, social, and environmental elements, and that brings individuals collectively, to make sure nutritious meals and sustainable livelihoods for all.
She was talking forward of the UN Food Systems Summit+2 Stocktaking moment, which is able to contemplate world agrifood programs.
What’s the agrifood system?
Corinna Hawkes: The agrifood system is all the things that’s related to meals and agriculture. What we eat in addition to the way in which that meals is bought, distributed and processed. It additionally contains how meals is grown or harvested on land, at sea, and different non-food merchandise, equivalent to gas and fibre. All these processes contain an entire host of actions, investments, and choices.
© FAO/Giuseppe Carotenuto
Corinna Hawkes, Director of Meals Methods and Meals Security Division at FAO.
An agrifood system pulls collectively all of this into an interconnected system; for instance, if we need to develop fruit and veggies for individuals to eat more healthy, now we have to assume not nearly rising the greens, but in addition about how they’re delivered to individuals.
Agrifood programs are additionally an area for options together with for local weather change, biodiversity loss, malnutrition, persistent illnesses, unsafe meals, poverty and to counter a scarcity of city sustainability. Agrifood programs are the answer to the world’s most vital challenges.
Why does the world want to rework agrifood programs?
Proper now, the facility to offer these options shouldn’t be there. The agrifood system is sick. The way in which it’s designed and features signifies that it’s weak, worn out and lacks resilience.
So, the frustration and the problem right here, is that the potential energy of the agrifood system to offer these options is misplaced till we remodel it to make it stronger.
Among the main challenges embrace the way in which meals is grown and produced is contributing to local weather change, which in flip weakens the agrifood system.
What’s an instance of a present main problem in agrifood programs?
One factor now we have carried out is to take an excessive amount of range out of the system which incorporates all the things from what’s on our plates all the way in which again to the farm. So, we have to deliver that range again.
Over the past many years there was a specialization in producing sure key commodity crops. This was an important thought from the attitude of productiveness and effectivity; it cheapens meals, it means you possibly can commerce the meals, and it reduces the price of manufacturing. It is crucial we produce these crops effectively.
However what now we have seen is that lowering range an excessive amount of reduces the resilience of the system. And now we have seen with latest conflicts how reliance on sure key producers additional weakens resilience.
Variety can be good for biodiversity and the surroundings, in addition to nutritionally for customers.
How can these challenges be overcome?
© WFP/Evelyn Fey
In Senegal, new farming approaches are being launched to counter the impacts of local weather change.
There are a lot of methods to rework agrifood programs. Crucial method is to deliver all of the programs collectively which necessiates bringing individuals collectively.
One of many main challenges is that completely different persons are making an attempt to repair biodiversity, diet or meals security, whereas others try to repair poverty and the livelihoods of agricultural producers.
We have to come work collectively within the system and determine the way to present these options. This fashion we’ll start to see that the agrifood system might look like an issue as a result of it’s weak, nevertheless it really is one thing actually highly effective.
What good practices are being superior proper now?
I’m actually enthusiastic about a few of the initiatives which are happening on the subnational, city and metropolis ranges. There’s a lot power in giant and small cities the place native authorities and a number of stakeholders are actually taking motion.
They’re enhancing market infrastructure in order that persons are extra capable of entry meals, in order that meals is protected and loss and waste is lowered.
So, we’re starting to see these vital connections being made, and that’s occurring in lots of of cities around the globe.
What can we count on from the upcoming UN Meals Methods Summit +2 Stocktaking Second?
What I’m hoping to see from the Stocktaking assembly two years after the UN Meals Methods Summit is that governments and plenty of different stakeholders will come collectively to actually talk about the challenges and to share their successes and their challenges in making change.
I want to see a way of solidarity between governments and different stakeholders who can agree that they may do higher collectively in the event that they share experiences and good practices to beat challenges.
The perfect final result of the summit is that the momentum created will proceed and that the dedication to vary won’t simply keep as a dedication however will result in actions on the bottom to actually deliver change.
