Towards a hunger-free Asia, Pacific
José Graziano da Silva
Economic advance in Asia and the Pacific has been impressive in the
last decades. A recent World Bank report talks about the dramatic
progress in poverty reduction across the region. In 1981, 77% of Asians
lived in poverty -- but by 2008 the proportion was just 14%.
Nonetheless the Asia-Pacific region remains home to two out of every
three of the world's hungry. Sixty-two percent of the undernourished
population of the world lives in this region.
That means around half a billion people hungry; that is half a
billion too many.The region's challenge over the next decades to 2050
will therefore be threefold: to eradicate hunger and assure everyone's
right to food; to increase agricultural production in the face of
climate change and rapid urbanization; and to do in an environmentally,
socially and economically sustainable manner.
Those are of course global challenges, facing populations not just in
Asia but elsewhere too. But they are of particular relevance to the
world's most populous region, which is home to the vast majority of the
world's small farms and where almost all of the potential arable land is
already in use.
It follows that much of the food needed to feed approximately two
billion extra mouths between now and mid-century will need to come from
intensifying smallholder agriculture on existing land rather than by
opening up new areas for cultivation.
Doing this without further jeopardizing delicate ecosystems and
limited natural resources calls for new and sustainable approaches.In
rice production, for example, new Sustainable Rice Intensification
techniques that include non-flooded, aerobic rice fields are starting to
replace traditional paddies.
Smallholders can achieve yield increases of a ton per hectare or
more, while sharply reducing water and fertilizer use and greenhouse
emissions.But while producing more food is vital, it is not enough.
The world already has enough food, and yet 925 million people are
undernourished. The main cause of hunger is lack of adequate access. The
main issue is assuring that, starting at the local level, people have
the money to buy food or can grow enough for themselves and their
families. Hunger may be a global challenge. But people eat in their
homes, in their cities and villages.
That means breathing new life into rural communities through: support
to small-scale farmers so they can produce more, sustainably, and have
markets to sell to; cash transfers and cash for work programmes; rural
employment creation; and targeted safety nets that put money in people's
pockets, help to make sure their kids are well fed and go to school.
Social and productive policies can and should be linked, to complete
a virtuous cycle in which local consumption and production feed off each
other.Another aspect to consider in global and regional food balances is
food consumption. Almost one person in two on this planet is either not
eating enough, eating badly, or eating too much.
On top of the world's 925 million hungry, more than a billion people
suffer from micronutrient deficiencies while another billion are
overweight or obese. Then again roughly one third of the food produced
in the world for human consumption every year -- approximately 1.3
billion tons -- is lost or wasted.Cutting that waste would help keep
food prices down, reduce pressure on natural resources and contain
greenhouse gas emissions -- and make people healthier too.
Of course ending hunger in Asia or indeed at global level requires a
concerted international effort, which lends special significance to
FAO's 31st Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific taking place in
Hanoi this week, with delegates from 40 countries.
Regional cooperation is key in addressing hunger, especially through
South-South cooperation, which enables developing countries to benefit
from the expertise of other developing or emerging economies.
FAO has 47 South-South cooperation agreements so far in the Asia
Pacific region, with more than 1500 experts and technicians from 13
countries sharing what they know in 35 host countries. Bangladesh,
China, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines and Viet Nam have been
among the providers of South-South support.
Working together as part of the global community the Asia-Pacific
region can ensure that its impressive economic advance is matched by
rapid progress towards a hunger-free region.
José Graziano da Silva is director-general of the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. |