CL 131/6

Council

Table of Contents

I. ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS

II. SPECIAL FORUM

III. ASSESSMENT OF THE WORLD FOOD SECURITY SITUATION

A. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

IV. INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE AGAINST HUNGER (IAAH)

V. OTHER MATTERS

A. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR AGRARIAN REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (ICARRD)

B. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

C. ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE THIRTY-THIRD SESSION

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

APPENDIX C

APPENDIX D

APPENDIX E

MATTERS REQUIRING ATTENTION
BY THE COUNCIL

I. ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS

1. The Committee on World Food Security held its Thirty-second Session from 30 October to 4 November 2006 at FAO Headquarters in Rome. The Session was attended by delegates from 116 out of 132 Members of the Committee, by observers from 6 other Member Nations of FAO, the Holy See, the Sovereign Order of Malta, by representatives from five United Nations Agencies and Programmes; and by observers from three intergovernmental and 41 international non-governmental organizations. The report contains the following annexes: Appendix A - Agenda of the session; Appendix B - Membership of the Committee; Appendix C - Countries and organizations represented at the session; Appendix D - List of documents and Appendix E – Chairperson’s Summary of the Outcome of the Special Forum. The full list of participants is available from the CFS Secretariat.

2. The Session was opened by Mr Søren Skafte (Denmark), the outgoing Vice-Chairperson of the Committee, who thanked the members of the Committee and the Secretariat for the support extended to the outgoing Bureau.

3. The Committee elected by acclamation Professor Michel Thibier of France as Chairperson and H.E. Tomas F. Mandlate, Minister of Agriculture, Mozambique; Mr Kazi Abul Kashem, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Bangladesh; Mr Christer Wretborn, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Sweden to FAO and Mr Yüksel Yücekal, Alternate Permanent Representative of Turkey to FAO as Vice Chairpersons for the 2006-2007 biennium.

4. Monseigneur Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See conveyed a special message of the Pope and the Deputy Mayor of Rome, Maria Pia Garavaglia, welcomed the participants to Rome for the Mid Term Review of the World Food Summit Plan of Action. The Director-General welcomed the Special guests and delivered his statement. His Excellency, Ali Mohamed Shein, Vice President of Tanzania; His Excellency Dominique Bussereau, Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, France; His Excellency George Wallace, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Liberia; His Excellency Ernest Akobour Debrah, Minister for Food and Agriculture, Ghana; His Excellency Andrés Botrán, Secretary for Food Security, Guatemala and His Excellency Tomas Frederico Mandlate, Minister for Agriculture, Mozambique delivered their statements.

5. The Committee appointed a Drafting Committee composed of the delegations of Belgium, Brazil, Burundi, Cuba, Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, Indonesia, Japan, Libya, San Marino, Switzerland and the United States of America under the chairmanship of Mr Noel de Luna (Philippines).

6. The Committee welcomed the Russian Federation that participated as a full member of FAO for the first time.

II. SPECIAL FORUM

7. The Special Forum was conducted as a multi-stakeholder dialogue according to Commitment Seven of the World Food Summit (WFS) Plan of Action and the further guidance provided at the 30th and 31st Sessions of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS).

8. The multi-stakeholder dialogue assembled the Committee and representatives of over 100 Civil Society Organizations of farmers, fishers, Indigenous Peoples, Alliances against Hunger, NGOs, the private sector, youth and women from worldwide, and of representatives of Inter-Governmental Organizations. The outcome of this dialogue is presented in the Annex as the Chairperson’s Summary of the Multi-Stakeholder Special Forum Discussions on “A World Free of Hunger: Progress and Prospects for Achieving the World Food Summit Plan of Action”.

9. The Chairperson’s Summary was neither negotiated nor agreed upon by the participants in the Special Forum. It is therefore not binding to the Committee, its Members or to the Civil Society or other Organizations which participated in the Special Forum.

10. Some members of the Committee strongly objected to the use of the term “global public goods” in the documents as they considered it to be contrary to the principles of the Rio Declaration and other international environmental agreements, especially with regard to national sovereignty over natural resources. Other members were supportive of the use of the term, which in their opinion refers to benefits and services from resource management that accrue to the entire global community.

11. In response to questions from some members, the Secretariat noted that the term “food sovereignty” has no recognised definition at FAO.The term makes reference to the capacity of Nations to manage the food supply of their populations in order to: (a) develop their own agricultural production, and (b) facilitate access of producers to local, national, regional and international markets.

III. ASSESSMENT OF THE WORLD FOOD SECURITY SITUATION

A. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

12. There was general concern that at the current rate of progress the WFS goal of halving the number of the world’s hungry by 2015 will not be attained. Emerging threats such as transboundary animal and plant diseases, and rising fuel prices, among others, could exacerbate hunger and poverty. Innovative and flexible approaches are needed to meet these emerging threats and to achieve the WFS goal.

13. The Committee acknowledged the work of the Secretariat in preparing the document (CFS:2006/2) describing the current world food security situation, hunger hotspots, and especially the timely focus on the growing threat of Avian Influenza (AI) on food security.

14. The Committee noted that some thirty-nine countries worldwide are in need of external food assistance, with the most urgent cases occurring in drought-affected southern and eastern Africa. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) now affects a large number of countries in different regions of the world, many of which have large concentrations of poor and food-insecure people. Commendable efforts have been made to control the spread of the disease and this type of interagency collaboration should continue.

15. The Committee felt that economically, socially and ecologically sustainable bio-fuel production offers a potential alternative to meet increasing fuel demands, offer novel development opportunities and become an avenue for mitigating chronic food insecurity in some regions. However there is a need for an in-depth analysis of the multiple challenges and opportunities offered by bio-fuels.

16. Many members recognized that the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security could be used as a tool for national governments and civil societies, to fight against hunger and ensure access to adequate and healthy food. They also advocated the mainstreaming of the Voluntary Guidelines in FAO’s work.

RECOMMENDATIONS

17. The Committee called for urgent action to tackle the root causes of food insecurity in the most food insecure countries over the short and long term and made the following recommendations:

For Governments to:

• build capacity and institutions for better planning, coordination, implementation and monitoring of food security programmes, including the collection of disaggregated data by gender and age;
• improve early warning and disaster preparedness mechanisms integrated into national development plans;
• strengthen veterinary services and raise biosecurity standards to enable efficient prevention and rapid response to trans-boundary diseases;
• incorporate compensation mechanisms for smallholders and other vulnerable groups that experience losses from mandatory culling and control programmes;
• empower women and promote their access to productive resources;
• for African Governments, take concrete measures in order to ensure the implementation of the Maputo Declaration to allocate 10% of the national budget to the agricultural sector;
• create an enabling environment for investments in agriculture and rural development;
• promote good governance; and
• implement the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security.

For FAO to:

• continue to develop and implement food security analysis and assessment tools such as the FAO Integrated Food Security & Humanitarian Phase Classification (IPC);
• assist governments in elaborating and implementing food security strategies and programmes;
• strengthen the newly established FAO/OIE Crisis Management Centre to fight Avian Influenza and other major animal health or food health related emergencies;
• refine the framework and methodology for assessing the impact on food security of trans-boundary diseases;
• conduct specific detailed surveys and multi-disciplinary analysis to understand the linkages between food security and trans-boundary diseases, in particular Avian Influenza, in relation to different food insecure groups;
• continue to work with at-risk and affected countries to enhance strategies for HPAI control through inclusion of livelihoods and food security concerns; and
• explore the implications of bio-fuels for food security as a special issue for the 33rd Session of the CFS.

For all concerned parties to:

• improve partnership of multiple stakeholders and interagency collaboration in the fight against hunger;
• promote, support and follow regional food security initiatives such as the Latin America and Caribbean without Hunger 2025;
• ensure cooperation and coordination on emergency response and long term policies in regard to trans-boundary diseases;
• enhance sustainable agriculture and rural development, especially in Africa within the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) framework;
• make trade work for the poor;
• enhance Official Development Assistance (ODA)and investment flows to the agriculture and rural sector;
• promote women as equal and full partners;
• promote South-South cooperation as a partnership tool for food security programmes;
• integrate food security in the fight against HIV/AIDS; and
• strengthen countries’ capacity in water management for agriculture, respecting relevant international obligations.

IV. INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE AGAINST HUNGER (IAAH)

18. The Secretariat presented the origins and evolution of the IAAH, formally established on World Food Day in 2003 upon the mandate of the World Food Summit: five years later, in 2002. FAO maintains the Secretariat of the IAAH, facilitating a Working Group also including IFAD, WFP, IPGRI and NGOs. Interest has been expressed in the creation of 95 National Alliances, of which 49 are currently operational or in the process of constitution.

19. The Committee noted the rapid expansion in the number of National Alliances and the emergence of regional cooperation, twinning between Alliances, and both North-South and South-South collaboration. Members highlighted as an example of a regional activity of public awareness and cooperation the Initiative “Latin America and the Caribbean Without Hunger 2025”. They stressed how such an initiative can serve as an example of a regional Alliance against hunger. They requested the CFS to monitor and follow up the initiative.

20. In their interventions national delegations and regional groups reaffirmed their support for the IAAH. Members provided details on how National Alliances had been established and had worked in their countries. The interventions highlighted the diversity of situations. Members also noted the major role that governments play in Alliances building on the commitment and direct engagement of civil society and the private sector.

21. The Committee emphasized that FAO has a crucial role for coordination, communication, advocacy and capacity building of National Alliances. It encouraged Rome-based UN food and other agencies to continue providing essential support both at National and International levels. Many members considered that efforts should be undertaken to strengthen the dialogue with other existing entities, and with regard to resource mobilization to avoid competition with the already existing resource channels.

22. Members recommended that the monitoring of the IAAH remain the responsibility of the CFS. It was also suggested that FAO’s monitoring and evaluation of the IAAH are best placed within the scope of the CFS. Several members recommended that the IAAH Secretariat should proceed with a periodic evaluation of the alliances and report on their activities and impact. The IAAH Secretariat will also assess its progress and performance in facilitating National Alliances. Members also supported the initiative to make the IAAH increasingly self-supporting through resource mobilization and fund raising. The Secretariat noted the availability of comparable information on the different National Alliances on the website.

23. Some Members recommended that in the future a Forum on the National Alliances be held immediately before and in relation to the CFS.

24. The Committee commended the Secretariat for its report and emphasized that its role is fundamental to the ongoing success of the emergence and development of the National Alliances and of the IAAH as a useful mechanism for achieving the WFS Plan of Action and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). There was also a call for further development of new National Alliances.

V. OTHER MATTERS

A. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR AGRARIAN REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (ICARRD)

25. The Committee extended its thanks to Brazil for generously hosting the International Conference for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD).

26. The Committee recognized the importance of agrarian reform and rural development for achieving the goal of eradicating hunger and poverty. In this light, the ICARRD Declaration was considered an important accomplishment for placing these issues on the current international agenda. The Committee also stressed the significant and unique role of FAO in supporting the recommendations of the Declaration through various means including strengthening national institutional capacity and empowering women through access to land.

27. Many members acknowledged their continued support of the Joint ICARRD Working Group composed of FAO, IFAD and the International Planning Committee (IPC). Some members expressed the view that the current FAO Reform process should in no way diminish the role of FAO in relation to agrarian reform and rural development. In line with this view, they pointed out that the Sustainable Development Department and Rural Development Division of FAO should continue to support the implementation of ICARRD.

28. Many Members stressed the need to establish a multi-stakeholder platform at global, national and regional levels to institutionalize social dialogue, cooperation, monitoring and evaluation of progress on agrarian reform and rural development as stated in the ICARRD Declaration. Many other Members cautioned against creating new reporting mechanisms and platforms, citing FAO’s limited resources and the burdens that it may pose to individual countries. They suggested that countries may report on the implementation of the ICARRD recommendations on a voluntary basis within the regular CFS reporting process.

29. Many Members also recommended the establishment of a data base on land tenure and agrarian reform, which would bring together information on land issues and best practices on agrarian reform and rural development policies. This data base would make use of gender and age disaggregated data. Some members however stated that they could not support these proposals.

30. The Committee recommended that the Committee on Agriculture (COAG), at its next Session, consider the ICARRD recommendations and submit to the CFS, if appropriate, relevant recommendations for consideration at its Thirty-third Session in 2007.

B. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

31. The Committee recognized the positive impact of the Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS) in some countries and highlighted the importance of this programme as a concrete example of South-South cooperation and as a mechanism for mobilizing resources.

32. The Committee requested a complete document on the special, national, regional and other relevant FAO food security programmes to be presented at the 33^rd Session of the CFS. This document should also reflect to what extent FAO’s involvement in food security programmes, including SPFS, contributes to achieving the WFS goals.

33. A decision on whether to adopt special and national programmes on food security as a regular standing item on the CFS agenda will be taken after that review.

C. ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE THIRTY-THIRD SESSION

34. The Committee agreed to hold its Thirty-third Session at FAO Headquarters in Rome at a time to be determined by the Director-General in consultation with the Chairman.

35. The Committee also recommended that the Thirty-fourth Session of the Committee in 2008 be held in close coordination with the World Food Day celebrations, to the extent possible.

APPENDIX A

AGENDA

I. ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS

1. Election of Chairperson and Vice-Chairpersons
2. Adoption of Agenda and Timetable
3. Statement by the Director-General or his Representative
4. Keynote Address
5. Membership of the Committee

II. SPECIAL FORUM

III. ASSESSMENT OF THE WORLD FOOD SECURITY SITUATION

IV. INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE AGAINST HUNGER

V. OTHER MATTERS

1. International Conference for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD)
2. Any Other Business
3. Arrangements for the Thirty-third Session
4. Report of the Session

APPENDIX B

MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE ON WORLD FOOD SECURITY
(as of 3 November 2006)



Afghanistan Albania Algeria Angola Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bangladesh Belarus Belgium Benin Bhutan Bolivia Brazil Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Canada Cap Vert Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Congo Costa Rica Côte d’Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Democratic Republic of Congo Denmark Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia European Community Finland France Gabon Gambia (the) Germany Ghana Greece Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq Ireland Italy Japan

Jordan Kenya Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Mali Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Moldova Morocco Mozambique Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Norway Pakistan Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Republic of Korea Romania Russian Federation San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic (the) Thailand Tonga Turkey Uganda Ukraine United Kingdom United Republic of Tanzania United States of America Uruguay Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) Zambia Zimbabwe

APPENDIX C

COUNTRIES AND ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTED AT THE SESSION

UNITED NATIONS AND SPECIALIZED AGENCIES

INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA

UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION

UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT OF THE PERMANENT FORUM ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES

WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME

OBSERVERS FROM INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF CENTRAL AFRICAN STATES

LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES

WEST AFRICA ECONOMIC AND MONETARY UNION

OBSERVERS FROM INTERNATIONAL NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

ACTION AID INTERNATIONAL

AD HOC GROUP

AGENCY FOR CO-OPERATION AND RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENT

ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD

CARITAS INTERNATIONALIS

COMMISSION OF THE CHURCHES ON INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

CONCERN WORLDWIDE

CONSUMERS INTERNATIONAL

FIAN INTERNATIONAL – FOOD FIRST INFORMATION AND ACTION NETWORK

FIMARC

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH INTERNATIONAL

INTERMEDIATE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT GROUP

INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE AGAINST HUNGER

INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF WOMEN

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION IUS PRIMI VIRI

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LIONS CLUBS (LIONS CLUBS INTERNATIONAL)

INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC RURAL ASSOCIATION

INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION FOR HOME ECONOMICS

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE MOVEMENTS

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF WOMEN IN LEGAL CAREERS

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

INTERNATIONAL NGO/CSO PLANNING COMMITTEE

MORE AND BETTER CAMPAIGN

MOVIMIENTO AGROECOLÓGICO DE AMERICA LATINA Y CARIBE

OXFAM INTERNATIONAL

RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY

ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL

SOUTHEAST ASIAN REGIONAL INITIATIVES FOR COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT

THIRD WORLD NETWORK

VIA CAMPESINA

WOMEN’S INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM

WORLD FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS

WORLD FORUM OF FISH HARVEST AND FISH WORKERS

WORLD FORUM OF FISHER PEOPLE

WORLD ORGANIZATION OF THE SCOUT MOVEMENT

WORLD SUGAR RESEARCH ORGANIZATION

APPENDIX D

LIST OF DOCUMENTS

APPENDIX E

CHAIRPERSON’S SUMMARY

OUTCOME OF THE MULTI-STAKEHOLDER SPECIAL FORUM DISCUSSIONS ON
“A WORLD FREE OF HUNGER: PROGRESS AND PROSPECTS FOR ACHIEVING THE WORLD FOOD SUMMIT PLAN OF ACTION”

The participants noted with regret that, ten years after the World Food Summit, no progress had been made towards the WFS target even though progress has been made towards the MDG target. One in six of the developing world’s population is chronically hungry. Efforts to reach the WFS target must be stepped up and new approaches will be needed.

The lessons learned are that:

• political will is essential for hunger reduction;
• agriculture-led growth is critical;
• peace, stability and good governance are essential;
• safety net programs for meeting immediate hunger needs are crucial; and
• development assistance should be better targeted to the needy

The participants in the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue recommended the following actions:

• focus on hunger hotspots;
• follow a twin-track approach that combines the promotion of broad-based, sustainable agricultural growth and rural development, with targeted programmes to ensure that hungry people who have neither the capacity to produce their own food nor the means to buy it can have access to adequate supplies;
• empower smallholders, especially fisherfolk and women farmers;
• promote pro-poor policies and strategies;
• coordinate and enhance allocation of domestic and international resources to agriculture and rural development;
• resolve conflicts;
• strengthen institutions for promotion of food security;
• protect human rights;
• fight corruption; and
• implement the Monterrey Declaration

On the following points, there were significant differences of opinions:

• enhance productivity of smallholders through transfer of appropriate technology;
• create an environment for private investment; and
• make trade work for the poor

The Multi-stakeholder dialogue also urged all parties to pay special attention to the following and act upon as appropriate:

• promote and support national alliances against hunger and facilitate international networking;
• strengthen the capacity building of small producers;
• promote food sovereignty;
• place farmers at the centre of national and international policies and strategies;
• implement the rights of the Indigenous Peoples;
• apply the Voluntary Guidelines on the Right to Food in the context of National Food Security;
• link relief to rehabilitation and development;
• enhance the role of women and their access to productive resources;
• take care of marginal and neglected areas ;
• target vulnerable groups;
• involving NGO/CSO and private sector in monitoring WFS Plan of Action at the national levels;
• reflect the contribution of NGO/CSO and the private sector in the implementation of national food security plans; and
• involve youth in the formulation of the policies and interventions affecting their lives.

Action by FAO is essential in supporting national policies related to these points and in the defense of the role of small farmers and fisherfolk for food security.

Panel on Aid and Investment

The participants expressed great concern about the reduction of global investment in agriculture.

It was stressed that there is the need to:

• boost both aid and investment in agriculture as an essential step to reducing hunger and food insecurity in the world;
• give a central role to the voices of the poor;
• support a more holistic approach to the issue of hunger reduction, viewing hunger in a wider context of the world’s struggle against poverty;
• provide strong support for greater coherence, coordination and harmonization of efforts at international level to make aid more effective, including the creation of interagency task forces at country level;
• build new partnership arrangements and strengthen existing ones between governments, the private sector, civil society organizations and local producer organizations; and
• enhance stakeholder policy dialogue in order to promote good governance (a key to fighting food insecurity), bring about effective pro-poor reforms and create an enabling pro-poor policy environment.

Regarding investment, a number of participants stressed the need for:

• targeting the poor and most vulnerable rural populations who form the bulk of the world’s agricultural producers;
• creating and strengthening of agricultural cooperatives and farmers organizations as essential in promoting food sovereignty as a key principle in achieving hunger reduction;
• building capacities in rural areas to absorb investments and to empower smallholder groups/organizations to define their own agenda, to exchange knowledge amongst themselves and to press for their rights and interests in the political arena;
• addressing the food chain, especially in post production activities and linkages to markets and rural infrastructure;
• encouraging the local private sector to invest in rural areas; and
• promoting investments in rural infrastructure and services. Key areas for investment mentioned included: physical rural infrastructure; local markets and market linkages; rural micro-finance services; basic low-cost technologies that are adaptable to the needs of the poor, especially women farmers.

There was also general agreement about the need to:

• intensify efforts to understand poor people’s livelihoods (including indigenous people and other minorities), their constraints, needs and priorities, and to make development interventions more people-centred and demand-driven; and
• plan aid initiatives carefully, in order to (a) avoid distorting local markets, and (b) promote country and community level ownership of programmes and projects.

Some disappointment was expressed in relation to technical assistance being inadequately responsive to local skills and potentials. Farmers Field Schools were cited as a positive example (to be upscaled) of how to promote self-reliance, instil ownership and enhance the capacity of poor farmers to make sustainable use of aid and investments. Questions were raised that merit further examination, including a) effective participation of fishers in fisheries policies, and b) the impacts of trade liberalization, biofuels and GMOs on poor farmers’ livelihoods.

There was convergence on strong support to FAO - both politically and financially – to maintain its important role in:

• identifying best practices and proposing partnerships for the reduction of hunger and food insecurity;
• developing capacities of governments to implement agricultural investments and aid programmes;
• facilitating donor coordination and taking the lead in disaster mitigation as well as in meeting key MDG goals on reducing hunger; and
• providing valuable information to poor farmers - drawn on the Organization’s knowledge and experience – through initiatives such as Farmer’s Field Schools and participatory community projects.

Panel on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development

The participants noted that, twenty-seven years after the World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (WCARRD, 1979), Agrarian Reform and sound land policies for rural development are still essential conditions for social cohesion, conflict reduction, food security, poverty eradication, and environmental rehabilitation. They agreed that some of the key current challenges lie in implementation, the need to mobilize resources and political will.

The lessons learned are that:

• family farms and rural communities are key actors for sustainable rural development;
• rural producers - including women, pastoralists, Indigenous Peoples, tenants and the landless - need legal certainty about their rights, institutional strengthening and social empowerment;
• reforms promoting equity, rule of law and good governance in land administration are essential;
• equitable land rights for rural women need to be strengthened and legally secure; and
• the rights of specific groups, such as Indigenous Peoples, deserve special attention and equitable treatment.

The participants in the panel and many speakers stressed the need to:

• promote dialogue at all levels, instead of confrontation, with a greater awareness of the different and complementary roles of States, Civil Society, and the private sector;
• consider the diversity of situations, and the necessity to design context specific solutions in part through disaggregated information on gender and vulnerable groups;
• learn from experiences, through knowledge sharing, research and dissemination of good practices;
• address water scarcity and the linkages between access to water and access to land;
• empower smallholders, particularly women farmers, fisherfolk, pastoralists and Indigenous Peoples;
• promote diversified approaches, including legal support to common property regimes and not only individual titling;
• consider that agrarian reform and land rights are defined through national legislations, and that country ownership of land policies is important; and
• consider and address the fact that land policy choices are politically sensitive and that changes may require strong political willingness from governments.

A number of participants in the panel and speakers also recommended to FAO and its partners to consider the following actions:

• strengthen the supportive role of FAO in the follow-up of ICARRD, notably through: (i) expert advice and dissemination of good practices and lessons learned;
  (ii) the establishment of a lasting platform and reporting mechanisms;
• encourage and support Rome-based organizations working together either through existing or new mechanisms;
• create a special fund to mobilize resources for rural development; and
• work at country level for the follow-up actions, in addition to international level.

Trade and Globalization Panel

Panelists stated that improving productivity levels in small scale agriculture is critical in achieving poverty reduction and enhancing food security through agriculture-led growth. They differed widely in their views on the influence of greater openness to trade on the scope for such improvements:

• downward trends in real agricultural prices are driven to a greater extent by changes in the structure of demand and by the emergence of lower cost suppliers. These trends will occur irrespective of changes in agricultural domestic and trade policies, as well as a WTO agreement;
• the impact of further liberalization is unclear in the short to medium term. There is no simple relationship between greater openness to trade and poverty or food security levels. Trade is necessary but not sufficient for agricultural growth and poverty reduction;
• the concentration of marketing chains is a continuing trend. Views differed on the extent to which changes in trade rules contribute to further concentration and on the extent to which local chains are negatively impacted by greater exposure to international competition;
• there will be winners and losers from further openness to trade – the losers were generally identified as being small farmers, particularly women, while winners were identified as those with capital to invest. Poor producers risk losing market share through their inability to access markets on favourable terms and to meet increasingly stringent standards; and
• current levels of protection vary widely by country, with poorer countries offering less protection to agriculture. Historical evidence suggests that, as countries develop, protection to agriculture relative to manufacturing increases. Countries are concerned to maintain the policy space to provide appropriate support to agriculture as their economies develop.

In this context, issues such as increasing protection as a means of supporting productivity growth, the relative benefits of food sovereignty, and the mechanisms by which agriculture can adjust to changing circumstances require further debate.

Against such issues, several roles for International Organizations such as FAO were identified:

• objective information and analysis of globalization trends;
• assessing the potential impact of trade agreements;
• assisting governments to develop policies appropriate for the stage of development of their agriculture sectors;
• assisting governments in promoting changes to the trade environment to make it consistent with their agriculture sector development objectives;
• contributing to appropriate investments in public goods both to enhance productivity levels and rural investment opportunities – these include infrastructure, water control, meeting standards, creating improved investment environments through improved institutions;
• programmes to assist the emergence of farmer organizations to help increase returns to producers; and
• programmes to enhance local processing opportunities.