22 Febbraio 2012
President Nwanze,
Madam Chairman,
Honourable Ministers and Governors,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honour for me to address the Governing Council of IFAD at a time in which food security is once again at the center of the global agenda.
In recent years, the global community invested a lot of attention and energy in the resolution of the economic and financial crisis. Yet, we must not lose sight of the fact that we are confronted with a much wider and deeper crisis, which is at the same time an energy crisis and a food security crisis. The rise in energy prices and the pressure on the global food system are a signal that we are putting unsustainable pressure on the world’s natural resources.
The 2007 food crisis, which had a dramatic impact on the world’s most vulnerable countries and populations, has preceded the economic and financial crisis.
While agricultural commodities prices have had ups and downs since then, the problems that led to that crisis have not gone away. The long term picture remains a reason of concern. The world will need to feed a rising population in the next decades. We need to find innovative and bold solutions to the conflicting needs of demographic change, job creation and environmental sustainability. Food security must remain a priority issue for the international community.
For Italy, food security is an obvious policy priority. Italy has an important agricultural sector and we are very much aware of the importance of sustainable agriculture for economic development, social cohesion and protection of biodiversity. This is why Italy is proud to host in Rome the United Nations agro-food pole.
Indeed, the theme of the 2015 EXPO “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life” is an indication of our awareness that in this increasingly globalized world, the right of every individual to a healthy and nutritious diet must be guaranteed.
Mr President,
In recent years, following the food commodities crisis of 2007 and 2008, our country has contributed greatly to bringing this crucial issue back onto the international political agenda.
On the occasion of our presidency of the G8 in 2009, in the town of L’Aquila, former Prime Minister Berlusconi launched a food security initiative in which more than 40 countries and International Organizations agreed to mobilize 20 billion dollars over three years in order to help farmers in poor countries boost their productivity.
Furthermore, the principles laid out in L’Aquila were subsequently approved at the World Summit on Food Security in November 2009 and are now known as the Five Rome Principles for Sustainable Global Food Security. Thanks to the renewed attention of the international community, the same World Summit saw the approval of the reform of the Committee on Food Security and the creation of a High Level Panel of Experts, thereby giving life to a more coordinated system of global governance.
Again during our presidency of the G8, Italy organized the first ever G8 Agriculture Ministers’ summit.
We highlighted on that occasion the risk that unless structural changes were made, food crises would not only have grave social and economic repercussions, but could also seriously affect political stability worldwide.
Mr President,
Two years on, food security is back on the top of our agendas and shows all its humanitarian, development and security implications.
Food prices reached new heights in 2011, coupled with the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa. Last year’s riots in North Africa and the Middle East were not triggered by economic hardship alone, but it is no mere coincidence that the popular uprisings occurred following a sudden increase in food prices and in particular in the price of wheat.
The truth is that inflation in agricultural prices brings about an exponential rise in political, economic and social vulnerability and instability, especially in countries where a large part of households’ income is spent on feeding the family. A hungry world is an unjust world. It is also an instable world.
In July 2011, the G20 Agriculture Ministers launched in Paris an Action Plan on food price volatility and agriculture to strengthen the long-term response to food insecurity. An Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) was established.
A decision that I consider extremely positive for the role it can play in improving market transparency.
This mechanism, housed in the FAO, not only could be very useful in reducing price volatility, but also serves as an example of new partnerships that need to be created in order to deal with global challenges such as ending poverty and food insecurity.
In fact, besides G20 countries, AMIS engages all relevant international organizations and is open to collaboration with the main grain and oilseed producing, exporting and importing countries, as well as representatives from major commodity exchange markets and the private sector.
Mr President,
In such a challenging international context, continuing collaboration between the Rome-based agencies is indeed critical. It is, however, not enough.
The international community has to do more to promote a sustainable global food system and a balanced development of the agricultural sector. It is indeed known that agricultural development is two to four times more effective at reducing hunger and poverty than any other sector.
For economic development and food security to go hand in hand, there is a need for a comprehensive approach cutting across interrelated policies, countries and institutions and calling for new ways of working and cooperating between governments, the private sector and civil society. The Rome-based agencies must be at the forefront of these new partnerships. They must reinforce their cooperation in order to contribute to the success of the renewed Committee on World Food Security.
Mr President,
IFAD’s focus on smallholders means that its operations must engage two important categories: namely the private sector and women.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, agriculture is mostly a smallholder activity. Therefore the private sector has a critical role in enhancing productivity. But in order to do so, an enabling environment needs to be created to allow small farmers - which are the bulk of agriculture producers - to gain better access to markets and value chains.
An integrated approach to development is needed, including improved national and regional policies, improved access to land, water, credit, education, as well as research on seeds and fertilizers. Private sector investments can effectively contribute to increased productivity only if all or most of these elements are in place.
Women make up a significant portion of the agricultural workforce in developing countries.
Giving women equal access to agricultural resources and inputs is one of the most powerful ways of reducing poverty and hunger. Large gender gaps exist in access to credit and land tenure, and these are at odds with women’s contributions and potential into agriculture.
In dedicating the upcoming International Women’s Day 2012 to the objective ‘Empower Rural Women – End Hunger and Poverty’, the Secretary General of the United Nations reminds us that according to FAO estimates, if women had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yields on their farms by 20–30 percent, lifting 100-150 million people out of hunger. I strongly encourage IFAD to continue to focus on this important dimension in all of its activities.
Mr President,
We cannot have strong action on food security without strong global institutions. The successful results of the IFAD’s Ninth Replenishment which saw a 25% increase on previous figures, is a strong indication of the support that IFAD and its President enjoy.
Italy has done its part. We have decided a 10% increase in the Replenishment of IFAD’s resources despite our severe domestic budget constraints. This is a clear sign of our intention to continue support IFAD’s mandate while fully sharing its strategy.
Within all the international fora, notably the G8/G20, Italy will also continue to stress that we should not forget our common responsibility for fighting hunger and promoting a sustainable and fair global food system.
I wish you, Mr President, and all the members of the Governing Council, a fruitful debate and every success in your future activities.
