Promoting sustainable agri-food systems: united for a more people-centred, prosperous and shared future – FAO Director-General

AKIPRESS.COM – By QU Dongyu

Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Europe and Central Asia have great potential for global contributions to food security by producing more with less. However, the challenges to our shared vision of a more people-centered, prosperous and just future are as diverse and vast as the terrains of the fifty-plus countries that make up this region.

The complexity of issues in areas such as food security, health, conflict and the environment require a holistic transformation. Take, for example, the consequences of the climate crisis, including rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns and escalating climate uncertainties. Particularly vulnerable are agricultural food systems and rural areas that experience increased exposure to floods, earthquakes, landslides, storms, droughts and other natural disasters.

The World Bank estimates that if no action is taken, economic damage from droughts and floods in Central Asia alone could amount to 1.3 percent of gross domestic product per year, while crop yields could increase by as much as 30 percent by 2050. percent could decrease – as a result of as many as 5.1 million climate migrants.

Other European countries are also at risk. Without adaptation and resilience, it is estimated that more than 400,000 jobs could be lost annually by 2050, with the total cost of climate-related extreme weather reaching €170 billion by the end of the century.

Although the prevalence of hunger and food insecurity is relatively low in Europe and Central Asia, there is a significant increase in rates of overweight in children and obesity in adults. The affordability of nutritious food is a major factor contributing to this trend: an estimated 25 million people in the region could not afford a healthy diet in 2021.

At FAO we believe that the solution lies in the pursuit of “Celebrate Better” – Better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.

First, we must strive for it better production. Decision makers and actors within the food value chain must be willing to forego short-term economic gains in favor of greater resilience, sustainability and reduced climate impacts. We must improve inefficient agricultural structures, excessive land fragmentation and land abandonment, and ensure the generational renewal of family farms. We need to increase investments in rural infrastructure for resilience, embrace green and digital agriculture, ensure accessibility for smallholder farmers and vulnerable populations, and improve the competitiveness of agri-food systems. We must catalyze and expand innovation efforts, regenerative agriculture and other nature-positive solutions. Improved water management – ​​particularly beneficial to the region’s landlocked developing countries, most of which are in Central Asia – can also significantly help rural areas. Recognizing that science, technology and innovation are the drivers of evidence-based policy and the transformation of agri-food systems, we must continue to integrate data, technology and innovation as cross-cutting actions to strengthen our mandate and make them available to policy makers and assist in translation of it in normative and policy guidelines and practical instruments.

Secondly, we must ensure that all population groups in Europe and Central Asia have access to this country better nutrition, which remains out of reach for too many people. FAO stands ready to help address these challenges while safeguarding the livelihoods of farmers and other agri-food partners. Better food distribution and consumption patterns, reduced food loss and waste, greater community self-sufficiency and better food and agricultural policies are crucial.

Third, joint efforts for one better environment are needed to protect and restore terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, as the region’s agri-food systems are threatened by long-term ecological and human-induced stresses such as climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss and natural resource degradation. Well-managed local livestock breeds can enable rural communities to maintain traditional livelihoods, and climate-smart agricultural practices can help strengthen farmers’ resilience. Given their ecological significance and biodiversity, the region’s forests are of global importance, and their conservation provides essential services to local and mountain communities.

To a better life for all, it is crucial to tackle inequalities and promote inclusive economic growth. This includes ensuring that small farmers and family farmers receive a fair wage for their work to provide us with food. It also means ensuring secure land tenure, especially for women and youth, who often have less secure land rights than men, and for indigenous peoples. Reducing gender inequality in rural areas is also crucial. Moreover, it is necessary to empower the youth to participate in meaningful ways and with renewed hope as their future is at stake.

In line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31, these four steps provide a path to overcoming the overlapping crises facing the region. The thirty-fourth session of the FAO Regional Ministerial Conference for Europe – to be held on 14 and 17 May 2024 – will bring together FAO members from the region in the pursuit of more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems to ensure that no one remains behind.

By dismantling silos, co-designing solutions and galvanizing a group of forward-thinking actors, we can navigate towards agri-food systems that are efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable.

Achieving these objectives is a shared responsibility. As Director-General of the FAO – the United Nations specialized agency leading global efforts to combat hunger and malnutrition – I invite all of you to join me in taking strong steps forward. By working together, we can help ensure a people-centered and prosperous world for all.