There needs to be
a worldwide agricultural revolution, with farmers growing more
food at less cost to the environment, Environment Secretary
Caroline Spelman and International Development Secretary Andrew
Mitchell said today.
Responding to Foresight’s report on global food and farming
futures, Mrs Spelman and Mr Mitchell said that there was a role
for governments, the private sector and consumers to play
throughout the entire food system in achieving future food
security.
Caroline Spelman said:
“We need a global, integrated approach to food security, one that
looks beyond the food system to the inseparable goals of reducing
poverty, tackling climate change and reducing biodiversity loss –
and the UK Government is determined to show the international
leadership needed to make that happen.”
“We can unlock an agricultural revolution in the developing
world, which would benefit the poorest the most, simply by
improving access to knowledge and technology, creating better
access to markets and investing in infrastructure.
“To fuel this revolution, we must open up global markets, boost
global trade and make reforms that help the poorest. Trade
restrictions must be avoided, especially at times of scarcity. And
we must manage price volatility by building trust and cooperation
– and in particular by creating greater transparency around the
true levels of food stocks.”
Andrew Mitchell said:
“Addressing rural poverty in developing countries while producing
enough food to provide for a growing global population needs a
sustained focus on agriculture. As well as boosting economic
growth, investment in agriculture means the poorest countries are
able to feed their populations and are more resilient to shocks
caused by changing global food prices.
“This report makes very clear the implications of a population
increase to nine billion people by 2050 – two billion more hungry
mouths to feed, less land available to feed them from, higher
rates of malnutrition, and increasing food price volatility that
will hit the world’s poor hardest.
“As the report shows, the right technology and research findings
already exist to help to increase yields, reduce waste throughout
the production process, and tackle the diseases or difficult
conditions that can limit livestock and crop production. What we
must do now is ensure that those who would benefit most from these
solutions are better informed of their existence and have the
chance to put them to practical use.”
The Foresight report estimates that a third of the world’s food
is currently being wasted, and that halving food waste by 2050
would have the same effect as increasing food production today by
25 per cent. As part of its response, the UK Government will work
with the private sector and other countries to learn and share
good practice.
In immediate response to the report, Defra and DfID will:
champion a more integrated approach by governments and
international institutions to global food security that makes the
links with climate change, poverty, biodiversity, energy and other
policies;
continue to press for full integration of agricultural
greenhouse gases into the UNFCCC process, as well as increased
attention to agricultural resilience; take forward Nagoya work on
international biodiversity; and promote the importance of
sustainable intensification of agriculture more broadly;
support efforts to negotiate a conclusion to the Doha
Development Round with poverty alleviation at its heart, which
includes a significant opening of agricultural markets; and plan
an active role in talks in the G20, FAO and elsewhere aimed at
finding ways of managing volatility;
showcase what can be achieved on food waste reduction within the
UK, working with other countries, the EU Commission and
multinational companies to share and disseminate good practice;
work in partnership with our whole food chain including
consumers to ensure the UK leads the way on sustainable
intensification of agriculture;
continue to invest in research to improve the disease-resistance
and stress-tolerance of livestock and crops in the developing
world;
continue to develop innovative approaches to tackle existing
bottlenecks that stop research getting into the hands of those who
need it, whether by finding better ways to communicate findings to
rural farmers or by working to make new technology more accessible
and affordable; and
encourage national governments, their development partners,
civil society organisations and the private sector to work
together to ensure that any new efforts to improve agricultural
productivity also include a focus on tackling hunger and
malnutrition.
Notes to editors
1. The full Foresight report on global food and farming futures
can be found at http://www.bis.gov.uk/foresight/our-work/projects/current-projects/global-food-and-farming-futures.
03/11
Contacts:
Defra Press Office
Phone: 020 7238 6600
NDS.DEFRA@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Penny Fox
Phone: 020 7238 6094
penny.fox@defra.gsi.gov.uk