Aid Trade Workshop Report

Workshop Report

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Workshop Report: The food crisis and aid issues Thursday, July 9, 2009 International Aid & Trade, Washington D.C. By Vaishali Honawar

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lglobal food crisis that exploded last year is far from over, and unless checked, could escalate to a point where a third of the world’s population could be food insecure by 2025, speakers warned during a workshop titled “The food crisis and aid issues.” The number of people going hungry has risen from 850 million to 1 billion in a single year, as a result of high food prices and the global economic downturn, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. Hansjoerg Strohmeyer, the Chief of the Policy and Development Branch of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (OCHA), said that in 80 per cent of the countries, the price of food is 50 per cent higher today than it was in 2004, and they are never again expected to drop to pre-2004 levels. OCHA, in partnership with other international

agencies, mobilizes humanitarian support during disasters and emergencies. The increasing price of oil has also further impacted the food crisis, Mr. Strohmeyer added. “The moment oil prices climb beyond a certain level, it will have serious implications on agriculture. “The buzzword is volatility,” he said. “No one can predict which way this will go.”

“The number of people going hungry has risen from 850 million to 1 billion in a single year, as a result of high food prices and the global economic downturn.” In laying out solutions, Strohmeyer pointed to a Comprehensive Framework of Action to combat the food crisis that was produced last year by a task force convened by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. This task force included several U.N. agencies as well as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and the World Trade Organization. The Comprehensive Framework for Action calls for a multi-step approach to combat the food crisis, including emergency food assistance for those affected, assistance for small farmers to boost local food production, and adjusting trade and tax policies.

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Speakers Hansjoerg Strohmeyer Chief of Policy and Development Branch, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) Finbarr Curran Director of Field and Energency support Office (FESO), UN World Food Programme (WFP) Gary Clements Director, Office of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Textile Trade Affairs Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs, U.S. Department of State Dr. Shaun Ferris Senior Technical Advisor for Agriculture and the Environment, Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Silke Pietzsch Food Security Advisor, Action Against Hunger

Workshop report from the 2009 Aid & Trade Event

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Workshop Report “We were trying to draft an innovative approach to [resolve the food crisis],” Mr. Strohmeyer said, adding: “Although the crisis is now a year old, most of the problems are still valid.” Finbarr Curran, director of the Field and Emergency Support Office (FESO) of the World Food Programme (WFP), the U.N.’s frontline agency in the fight against global hunger, said the problems that created the crisis will continue. “High prices of food are here to stay; the high price of fuel is here to stay. There are issues of water [shortage] and soil erosion…we realize we are facing a very different world.” He detailed the holistic approach being taken by the World Food Programme is taking to combat the crisis. In 2008, the WFP supplied food to 102 million people, and bought US $1.1 billion worth of food in 73 developing countries. The WFP’s Purchase for Progress program, or P4P, gives smallholder and low-income farmers the know-how and tools to maximize crop production. Further, it helps hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers gain access to reliable markets to sell their surplus crops at competitive prices. “This helps not just farmers but the whole community and ultimately the whole world,” commented Curran. P4P initiatives will now be piloted in 21 countries over the next five years including Asia, Africa and Latin America. The food, WFP cought by from farmers will go toward feeding the hungry in the same country. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Howard G. Buffet Foundation have committed $79 million to P4P.

that would implement a comprehensive plan to address global hunger and increase food security. The bipartisan ‘Roadmap to End Global Hunger and Promote Food Security Act of 2009’ bill outlines a comprehensive plan for the short, intermediate and long term.

“In 2008, the WFP supplied food to 102 million people, and bought US $1.1 billion worth of food in 73 developing countries.” The comprehensive strategy includes emergency response and management, safety nets, nutrition and agricultural development. The bill also proposes appointment of a coordinator on Global Hunger and Food Security in the White House and creates a bipartisan, bicameral select committee on hunger within Congress to focus on global hunger.

you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.” The Obama administration is now working on a strategic initiative to increase agricultural productivity and end world hunger. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is spearheading this effort, has said that this would include improving farmers’ access to quality seeds, fertilizers, irrigation, tools and credit, improving food storage and processing facilities, and supporting women farmers, Clements said the President has also announced a doubling of aid for agricultural growth in developing countries to more than US$1 billion in 2010. The need is to find sustainable agricultural solutions, including increasing agricultural productivity with a focus on the small farmer. “Our goal in the long term is to reduce emergency aid by making countries more self-sufficient,” he added.

Gary Clements, director of the Office of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Textile Trade Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, offered a sobering statistic: half of all children’s deaths in the developing world stem from malnutrition.

Silke Pietzch, Food Security Advisor with Action Against Hunger, a New York-based organization that has programs to fight malnutrition in 40 countries, emphasized the importance of preparing in advance for emergencies.

Mr. Clements reminded the audience of President Barack Obama’s commitment to fight poverty and hunger. During his inauguration address in January this year, President Obama said, “To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside

Donor and funding cycles, she said, need to change so that those affected get aid soon after an emergency, when it is needed most. “Working before emergencies is much more effective and cheaper than after,” warned Ms. Pietzch.

Bruce White of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), a faith-based group based in the United States that works on alleviating disease and poverty globally, said the only positive outcome of the food crisis was that it grabbed the world’s attention. “The U.S. policy is that both [former president George W. Bush] and [President] Obama have embraced ending hunger and poverty by 2015,” he said. However, he added, the U.S. government does not have a comprehensive strategy on fighting world hunger. White explained that CRS is supporting a bill recently introduced in Congress 2

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