change language
you are in: home - press review newslettercontact uslink

Support the Community

  
May 17 2012

G8 Summit: Putting Food on the Table Through Investing in Small Farmers

 
printable version

Today, hunger stalks the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, while some parts of the African continent cope with conflict and civil unrest. In other regions -- from Bolivia to Pakistan -- millions of people are malnourished.

It is against this backdrop that G8 leaders are meeting this week at Camp David. When they gather, we hope that they will take the opportunity to address the global food security crisis which is even wider and deeper than the financial and economic crisis that has been grabbing headlines across the globe.

Italy has long stressed the importance of tackling poverty and hunger and today it is host to the three major U.N .food agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

It was in Italy, at the L'Aquila G8 summit in 2009, that food security and agricultural development were finally put back at the top of the international agenda after decades of neglect during which governments and the international community turned their attention away from agriculture. Now we must make sure that they now stay at the top of the agenda, and that the commitments made at L'Aquila are fulfilled.

Investing in agriculture in developing countries is the single most effective method of improving food security for the world's poorest people while also stimulating economic growth. Growth generated by agriculture is at least twice as effective in reducing poverty as growth in other sectors. And there is evidence that every dollar spent on agricultural research produces $9 worth of additional food in developing countries.

More than 95 percent of agricultural holdings in developing countries are less than 10 hectares, and in sub-Saharan Africa about 80 per cent of farmland belongs to, or is cultivated by, smallholders. And experience in developing countries repeatedly shows -- in Burkina Faso, China, Ethiopia, India, Thailand, Viet Nam and elsewhere -- that smallholders can lead agricultural growth.

In many countries we have seen how successful small and medium-sized farms can transform rural landscapes into vibrant economies, resulting in local demand for locally produced goods and services that also spur non-farm employment in services, agro-processing and small-scale manufacturing. This demand, in turn, leads to a dynamic flow of economic benefits, and the cultivation of new relationships between rural and urban areas.

In order for these small farms to thrive -- and to help lead the way to a more successful, profitable agricultural sector -- smallholder farmers need better linkages and access to markets, technology and information. They need mechanisms to manage the inherent risks of farming, particularly at a time of exceptionally volatile weather and prices. They need domestic and international investment in rural areas that is sustainable -- economically, environmentally and socially. This includes significant improvements in basic infrastructure and services, access to water, and better governance. They need legal empowerment and protection of their rights to the land they farm. And they need support in forming farmers' organizations and co-operatives to give them more bargaining power.

When rural small farmers are connected to markets they can sell more and better-quality food at higher prices, eat a more diversified diet, and improve household food and nutrition security. With increased income they can pay for essential medicines, send their children to school and improve their lives. Gender equality is important here as well: we know that giving women equal access to agricultural resources and inputs is one of the most powerful ways of reducing poverty and hunger.

Recognizing small farmers and their organizations as primary stakeholders in development means more than paying lip service to them in global meetings. Truly acting upon this recognition requires genuine collaboration and inclusive processes, which cannot be an afterthought but need to start from the very design of responsible investments in agriculture.

We have high hopes that this year's G8 meeting will lead to tangible support for smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. As the current crisis of hunger and malnutrition in the Sahel shows, we cannot wait. We must act decisively and we must act now. It is our responsibility to make this investment now, for the sake of future generations.

Prof. Andrea Riccardi is Minister for International Cooperation and Integration Policies of the Italian Republic and Dr. Kanayo F. Nwanze is President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), an international financial institution and a specialized UN agency based in Rome.


 ALSO READ
• NEWS
October 10 2017

On 15th World Day Against the Death Penalty let us visit the poorest convicts in Africa

IT | EN | DE | ID
October 9 2017
ROME, ITALY

Dialogue among religions and commitment to refugees in the talks with the Foreign Minister of Indonesia at Sant'Egidio

IT | EN | NL | ID
October 9 2017
ROME, ITALY

German President Steinmeier visits the Community of Sant'Egidio: ''make the world a peaceful place''

IT | EN | DE | ID
October 4 2017
ROME, ITALY

A Conference remembering the 25 years from the signing of the peace in Mozambique: The Italian model that has given hope to Africa

IT | EN | DE | PT
October 4 2017

25 years of peace in Mozambique: the history of a country getting out of war and poverty

IT | EN | ES | DE | PT | ID
September 29 2017

Sunday of the Word of God, a celebration that puts Bible at center of liturgy and life

IT | EN | ES | DE | CA | NL
all the news
• PRESS
February 11 2019
Vatican Insider

Riccardi: tra Italia e Vaticano c’è freddezza ma non rottura

February 24 2018
Avvenire

A spasso per Milano aiutando l'Africa

February 22 2018
Famiglia Cristiana

La preghiera sia un urlo contro le guerre

February 22 2018
Br-Online

Interview mit Sant'Egidio Mitgründer Andrea Riccardi

February 21 2018
Famiglia Cristiana

I 50 anni di Sant'Egidio. L'abbraccio.

February 21 2018
Famiglia Cristiana

La rivoluzione dell'amore e della tenerezza, l'unica necessaria #santegidio50

the entire press review
• NO DEATH PENALTY
October 31 2014

Inaugurata a Bukavu la campagna "Città per la vita"

October 12 2014
All Africa

Africa: How the Death Penalty Is Slowly Weakening Its Grip On Africa

September 20 2014
AFP

In Ciad rischio criminalizzazione gay, ma abolizione pena morte

September 20 2014

Ciad: il nuovo codice penale prevede l'abolizione della pena di morte

go to no death penalty
• DOCUMENTS

''Entente de Sant'Egidio'': Political Agreement for Peace in the Central African Republic

Libya: The humanitarian agreement for the region of Fezzan, signed at Sant'Egidio on June 16th 2016 (Arabic text)

all documents