At the SDIA annual general meeting in Amanecer, Colombia, members met and, among other things, discussed the challenge of food security that faces many countries, with devastating consequences for the poorest nations. We shared our analyses of the food crisis, which members saw as being based on the following causes:
- Neglect of national agriculture policy in many developing countries — Thirty years of trade liberalization and structural adjustment in many developing countries, particularly in Africa, have weakened government support to their agricultural systems, which now spend an average of only four percent of their budgets on a sector that accounts for 60-80 percent of their citizens’ livelihoods.
- Donor retreat from aid for agricultural development — international aid donors drastically cut the portion of their aid directed to agriculture starting in 1990 falling from 20 percent in the late 80′s to 5-7 percent today.
- Expanding meat and dairy product consumption — over the past 50 years meat and dairy consumption have steadily risen in developed countries. At the same time, the use of grain-based animal feeds has also increased. Each kilogram of meat intensively produced requires 3-7 kilograms of grain. Now rapidly growing developing country super-powers (China, India and Brazil) are also increasing their consumption of meat and dairy products although they still lag far behind rich country consumers.
- Biofuel development — the rapid rise in the international price for corn, soybeans and other edible oils is directly attributable to expanding biofuel production in the US and Europe. There are ‘knock-on’ effects on the prices of other cereals as well. While biofuel agriculture is just beginning in developing countries, in these countries investors are already rushing to grab more land for biofuel production, threatening biologically diverse regions and the access by small-scale producers to land on which to grow food.
- Increased market volitity and speculation — the liberalization and deregulation of agricultural markets of the past three decades has contributed to an increase in the market price of food.
Solen Lees Gratiet (SD France) and Augusto Ruiz (SD Colombia) shared their thoughts about what we as project leaders and ordinary members can do to help. Some of their ideas included:
- Supporting projects that emphasize local food production and consumption;
- Supporting those countries most affected by the food crisis;
- Creating seed and protein banks so that people can access food supplies they need.
According to a recent FAO Summit of Food Security, medium and long-term solutions include:
- An increase in investment in agriculture at the national level
- Investment in science and technology for food and agriculture
- The establishment of systems that positively contribute to the mitigation of climate change and food security
- Further dialogue on biofuels
- Further liberalisation of trade in agricultural products
In the SD Network there are several projects working in small and bigger ways on Food Security: these include Asociacion Vivir (Ecuador), Child’s Garden of Peace (Brazil), Bellingham Community Meals (USA), Anisha, Sradah and CCD (India), Albadi School and Orphanage (DRC), Sun for Life (Madagascar) and likely several more.
Do you think we need an SD Food Security Network or Discussion Group? What should be its purpose? How should we communicate? What do you think about the Food Security issue and what are you ready to do in your own Subud group or country to help?
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I would be very happy if a food security network was to be established. It would be good to hear more about the projects “under the SDIA umbrella” that have a food security component. Some of the things we might do:
1. Provide advice to the projects
2. Create a special publication about SDIA food security projects
3. Publicize the Right to Food by writing articles etc.
4. Establish a project addressing food security issues.
I am currently designing an undergraduate level course called World Hunger and the Right to Food and would be happy to share resources with anyone.
Food security is an important issue, and a discussion group sounds like a good place to start. I have two questions: first, what is meant by “Food Security Network?” — in other words, what does such a network do and what are its goals? — second, I know what a “seed bank” is, but at the Amanecer meeting the term “protein bank” was also used. What is a protein bank?
Cassidy asks what a “Food Security Network” is, to me it seems it would have two aspects to it.
1) A voluntary group of people discussing and ultimately working towards food security within their own country, and networking within their own country.
2) A network between these groups in these various different countries seeing how they can work together to promote food security worldwide, seeing what works in other countries, and deciding whether it can work in their own.
Food security issues do of course, differ hugely between countries, and although people are of course concerned about food security at home, the reality of globalisation means food security throughout the world is interdependant and complex. Hence the two approaches.
These are of course very broad approaches, and i think that is then when Iljas’ comments come into play…
1. A network with links to SD projects, working with people in the country who know the situation, supported by those without but who might have an insight or unique perspective.
2. A specialised publication about SDIA food security products.
3) Publicise the Right to Food and other issues by writing articles, networking, blogging…
4) Establish a project addressing Food Security issues… although I’m not so clear what Iljas means by this?
I suppose i see it as a process of talking to people in different countries, seeing who wants to get involved, or who may already be involved in other similar networks. Once a basic network is established, start identifying specific causes/problems within a country. Some may have the potential to be solved on a national level, some may require the use of the international network to find a solution.
I’m aware this is all very optimistic, and I’m assuming everything is possible. I’m not so naive, but a network like this has to start somewhere. Let’s use what is unique to us, in this case, the SD projects and people as well as others on the outskirts. I also believe it’s important to pay attention to what other networks or organisations are doing in the area.
An example of a particular issue that could be researched, written about, and publicised is the issue of Traditional Farming Methods Vs. Science. In this case, it seems the only way to approach this is on a case by case basis within a country. Traditional methods are, I think most would agree, good. They have been developed over generations and there are reasons why it is the way it is. However that is not to say that science cannot improve those methods… what doesn’t work is the two fighting to better one another, rather than working together to find the best way.
In the ideal world every country would produce what it can, distribute it locally first, then internationally. Food is for the people first, not for profit. I doubt I’ll see such a world, but it’s aiming in the right direction.
I’m also interested in finding out what a ‘protein bank’ is, so far I’ve only come up with ‘protein data bank’ which seems to be something completely unrelated.
Hadrian brings up the issue of Traditional Farming Methods vs. Science. I don’t think that such a conflict exists. Rather, the conflict is between Traditional Agriculture and the pressures of the market economy and it’s technology. Amartya Sen has shown pretty conclusively that famine is almost never a result of a lack of available food, but is instead a matter of dysfunctional economic forces preventing the proper distribution of food and causing destruction of local ecosystems. It’s a mistake to confuse current global economic forces and capital intensive technology with Science.
Sabariah Van der Beek has sent us a really interesting link to a newsletter filled with material relevant to this discussion.
It´s the IPS (Inter Press Service)news special with a focus on food security. Of special note: there is a FAO summit on food security on 16th-18th November – coming up fast, and can be followed via webcasting: http://www.fao.org/
Here is some of the IPS newsletter, with links to the complete articles:
IPS News Special – FEEDING THE FUTURE
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More than 1 billion people suffer hunger today, according to the UN. A crucial part of this complex problem is food production and distribution. Is it possible to increase food production in an environmentally and socially sustainable way? Can modernisation, research and investment enhance food security? Is there anything to learn from traditional knowledge? How do trade and energy policies affect the equation? And gender? Where and when is food aid really needed? Can the upswing of commodity prices be positive for some countries? How are farmers coping with climate change?
IPS finds the stories behind the current food crisis to understand local and global causes of shortages and rising prices, and their long-term effects.
Rome, where the largest global food organisations – FAO, IFAD and WFP – are headquartered, is the venue of the World Summit on Food Security (Nov. 16-18). The situation couldn’t be more momentous.
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DEVELOPMENT: Land Grabs for Food Production Under Fire
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – A move by governments and rich investors to raise food crops on farmland purchased in some of the world’s poorer countries is coming under fire.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48979
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DEVELOPMENT: More Food May Not Mean Less Hunger
By Paul Virgo
ROME (IPS) – Achieving ambitious Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) production targets to meet growing world demands will not suffice to feed the world, and focusing too much on churning out crops may even be damaging, experts warn.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49050
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DEVELOPMENT: More Than a Billion Going Hungry
By Eli Clifton
WASHINGTON (IPS) – The global economic crisis has led to an historic increase in hunger and undernourishment in the world’s poorest countries, with broad consequences for political security and stability, according to two reports released for World Food Day, observed Friday.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48898
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DEVELOPMENT: For a Greener Green Revolution
By Paul Virgo
ROME (IPS) – A new Green Revolution that is truly green is needed to prevent efforts to eradicate hunger colliding with climate change goals, environmentalists say.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49003
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DEVELOPMENT: For-Profit Seeds Hurting Farmers, Biodiversity
By Haider Rizvi
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – Large biotechnology firms are not only depriving poor farmers of inputs essential for their livelihoods, but are also pushing up food prices, according to a new U.N. report.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48976
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Read More IPS Coverage of the Food Crisis from around the world:
http://www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/feedingfuture/
“Is There Enough Food Out There For Nine Billion People?” asks Bradford Plumer in The New Republic.
“Sometime around 2050, there are going to be nine billion people roaming this planet—two billion more than there are today. It’s a safe bet that all those folks will want to eat. And that’s… an incredibly daunting prospect. Right now, an estimated one billion people go hungry each day. So add two billion more people, a limited supply of arable land, plus the fact that rising incomes will boost demand for meat and dairy products, plus the fact that many key natural resources (fisheries, say) are already being overexploited… and it’s hard to see the situation getting better. And that’s before we get into the fact that the planet’s heating up, which is expected to wreak havoc on agricultural yields….”
Read the full article here! http://www.tnr.com/node/72936