Some 150 delegates participated in the Round Table. The Moderator, Irene Freudenschuss-Reichl (Special Representative and Assistant Director-General for UN Affairs of the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), encouraged delegates to take advantage of the informal nature of the meeting. She proposed that "Agriculture" should be dropped as a separate topic but that it should be taken up in the context of both food security and water.
Andrew MacMillan (Director, FAO Field Programme Division) introduced "Food Security", suggesting four inter-related themes which the round table might wish to consider in its deliberations.
• Hunger can
be eradicated: this requires programmes on a scale relevant to the size
of the food insecurity problem which combine improvements in
small farmer productivity, using known technology, with the creation of social
safety nets to enable vulnerable persons to eat adequately.
• The fact that we have the means to eradicate hunger yet fail to do so
is morally unacceptable, but it is also economic folly. The high rates of economic
growth required to reduce poverty are unlikely to be attainable (still less
sustainable) as long as there are high incidences of chronic hunger in a
country. To the extent that food insecurity contributes to and perpetuates
poverty, investing in hunger reduction as an immediate objective opens the
door for rapid economic growth.
• It is in everyone's self-interest - rich and poor alike - to eradicate
hunger: by combining forces, the goal can be more quickly achieved. In addition
to
fuelling economic growth, hunger reduction will also contribute to greater
social stability, nationally and internationally. Recognising the need for
solidarity between all those committed to ending hunger, the 4 Rome-based
food and agricultural agencies of the UN - The International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Plant
Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) and FAO - had jointly launched an International
Alliance Against Hunger, and are calling on countries to form analogous national
alliances.
• Developing countries have a real comparative advantage in helping each
other design and implement the farming-related dimensions of food security programmes.
South-South cooperation provides an ideal, and relatively low-cost, way of
sharing practical experience between developing countries which have led
the way in various aspects of agricultural and rural development and others
which have made slower progress. FAO is harnessing this potential through
a South-South Cooperation Programme which supports the implementation of
the Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS). Some 28 of the 89 countries
participating in the SPFS have signed agreements for the supply of experts
and technicians from 10 source countries. A less tangible but equally important
form of SSC is the power of inspiration offered by developing countries which
had been successful in improving the performance of their small-farm sector
or were uncompromisingly committed to eradicating hunger.
Mokhtar Bzioui (Director for Water Research and Planning in Morocco's Ministry of Land, Water and Environmental Management) introduced "Water", recalling that the immense significance of the subject was evidenced by the number of international meetings held on water-related issues in recent years. He drew attention to the rapid increases in demand for water, coming from agriculture, industry and an expansion in household usage and hence for the need to introduce measures to improve water use efficiency. There was also the concern over the rising frequency of alternating floods and droughts. He noted the particular relevance of Morocco's successful strategy for dam construction, started in the 1960's, which was enabling the country to reduce the economic impact of seasonal water shortages and droughts.
The recognition of the need for strengthened collaboration in dealing with water sector development had led to the creation of the African Water Ministers' Committee (AWMCO). He acknowledged that Morocco had been active in assisting neighbouring countries through South-South Cooperation in irrigation, and felt that there was ample room to expand the sharing of his country's valuable experience, provided that financial constraints could be addressed, particularly through triangular arrangements. Finally, he noted the need to develop information systems, providing data on expertise available for South-South Cooperation as well as on demand for services.
Over 20 interventions were made in the ensuing discussion. There was a consensus on the immense importance of tackling the problem of food insecurity, as well as of food safety, as a matter of great urgency. The linkage between secure access to clean drinking water and food security was stressed, as was the need to improve the efficiency and sustainability with which natural resources including water were utilised. The need and opportunity for members of G-77 and China to expand programmes of South-South Cooperation in support of food security and water resources management, through both bilateral and triangular arrangements, were widely acknowledged. Concern, however, was expressed about the decline in international funding for agricultural development and the need to mobilise additional resources for an expansion in South-South Cooperation.
In relation to food security, several speakers pointed to the need for complementary investments in expanded agricultural research (with attention given to technologies, such as for water harvesting and composting, which farmers could readily take up). Better use could also be made of the findings of international research institutes in relation to food security. There were also calls for higher quality agricultural extension services, better market access and improved rural financial services including micro-credit. More attention needs also to be given to reducing wastage in storage and to the processing of farm products. Options for regional food stock holding should be examined.
The need was noted to empower communities to become more self-reliant, through better access not only to finance but also to knowledge. One delegate pointed to the particular importance of nutrition education in raising food security. Others called for a fuller engagement of civil society, especially the private sector and NGOs in food security programmes.
Delegations also recognised the advantages of an integrated approach to rural development which would include measures to diversify agricultural production, minimise post-harvest losses, develop energy and transport infrastructure, develop agroindustries and assist them to move up the value chain and access local, regional and international markets. UNIDO's services in assisting these endeavours were acknowledged by several delegates.
Several interventions related to the need for improving the policy environment for food security both nationally and internationally. Current trading arrangements and the subsidy policies applied by developing countries were reducing the options for farmers in developing countries to expand the output of marketable products. There was a need for a more balanced development of agriculture between developed and developing countries on the basis of true comparative advantage.
The importance of optimising the use of shared water resources, both surface and sub-surface, was emphasised. This was an area in which constructive cooperation between neighbouring countries and countries sharing large river basins was essential. Indeed the existence of such shared resources could become a catalyst for coordinated South-South action. Regional organisations had a potentially important role to play in bringing together interested parties and reducing the risk of conflict as competition for scarce resources increased.
The need to guard against the possible negative environmental effects of programmes to improve food security as well as of water resources development programmes was noted. Problems of excessive groundwater extraction, soil fertility decline and desertification were highlighted.
Most speakers called for an expansion of South-South Cooperation in support of both food security and water resources development. Many delegates outlined thematic areas in which they believed that their countries had particularly relevant experience which they would be glad to share with other countries, and indicated their willingness to make such assistance available either bilaterally or through triangular arrangements. The advantages of engaging the international financing institutions and other donors in such triangular arrangements was widely acknowledged. Several countries recommended participation in the FAO-brokered South-South Cooperation programme in support of the Special Programme for Food Security.
Specific proposals were made for strengthening South-South Cooperation. These included:
• encouraging
linkages between research institutions;
• supporting study tours by national counterpart staff and farm leaders;
• studying supply and demand for South-South Cooperation, building an information
system which would facilitate a rapid response to requests as well as the
engagement of third parties under triangular arrangements;
• integrating environmental protection in South-South Cooperation related
to food security and water resources development.
Two speakers also proposed that the G-77 and China should consider the establishment of an Executive Secretariat to organise and promote South-South Cooperation.
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