World Rural Women's Day 2004
Food, power and biodiversity
The World Food Day was celebrated in Sweden with a conference on the theme "How is biodiversity important for food security" arranged bu the Swedish FAO-committee and a follow-up conference at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Short-sighted and careless use of biodiversity can create problems. But there are also many examples of how human use has contributed to increased diversity, for example through the demand for a large number of different seed varieties or through farming methods which have stimulated an increased number of species in Swedish permanent pastures. All over the world, women play and have played an especially important role as the primary users and custodians of biodiversity, and thus hold important knowledge. National as well as international speakers highlighted the complexity of biodiversity, among them Dr Sarala Gopalan, vice chair of IFAPs Women Committee, Mrs Caroline Trapp, Chair of Federation of Swedish Farmers and IFAP DCC, Urban Emanuelsson, Swedish Biodiversity Centre, James Dargie, FAO/IAEA, Devinder Sharma, journalist and researcher, Paul Tenning, Syngenta, Hans Herren, ICIPE and the Minister of Agriculture and Fishery, to mention some of them.
Food, power and biodiversity
Stockholm, Thursday 14 October 2004
BACKGROUND
How is biodiversity important for food security?
Biodiversity has always been the basis for human survival. During most of our history we have made our living as plant collectors, hunters and fishermen. Agriculture, animal husbandry and aquaculture later were built on a selection of the species we found most useful. Well functioning ecosystems are a necessity, for example to maintain soil productivity and water management. Biodiversity and nature sets the limits for how much we can use of the world's resources, and how.
Shortsighted and careless use of biodiversity can create problems. But there are also many examples of how human use has contributed to increased diversity, for example through the demand for a large number of different seed varieties or through farming methods which have stimulated an increased number of species in Swedish permanent pastures. All over the world, women play and have played an especially important role as the primary users and custodians of biodiversity, and thus hold important knowledge.
Today we face great challenges and changes regarding our possibilities to achieve future food security without destroying an important part of its basis – biodiversity.
▪ A constantly growing world population needs food. But at the same time, hunger and food shortages today are to a great extent a question of food distribution. In many poor areas there is food but the poor do not have the means to buy it.
▪ Our "nature capital", the ecological basis of food production, is threatened. This is true both for biodiversity, through losses of ecosystem services, agrobiodiversity and species, and for other imporant natural resources such as farmland and water. In addition, some observers warn that climate change can lead to a 1/3 reduction in the number of species within 50 years.
▪ The concentration of power in the food sector is increasing. A small number of corporate actors increase their strength, while farmers both South and North are under growing pressure.
▪ New technology comes with both problems and solutions. Many view the development of modern technology as a precondition for meeting the food security challenge, while others view it as one of the greatest threats both to ecosystems and to the rights and development possibilities of small farmers. Technical development can in addition to high technology also offer simpler technology distributed through local advisory services, such as water conservation, composting and more efficient tools for plowing and weed control.
▪ Present political incentives often contribute to the problems, for example the trade and agriculture policies of the EU and the US. Changes are necessary, and well designed political and economic incentives can in the future give a constructive contribution to conserving and developing biodiversity.
▪ International commitments. Together with many other countries, Sweden has signed a number of important commitments which create the preconditions and the potential for development. Some of the most important ones are a) the Convention on Biological Diversity, b) the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, c) the Millenium Development Goals which concern for example poverty reduction, improved health and food security, d) the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development which agreed that losses of biodiversity must be substantially reduced by 2010, f) international trade agreements, etc.
There is today considerable knowledge and many positive examples of how increased food production can be combined with conserving – or increasing – biodiversity. It is true that there are strongly diverging opinions about whether a completely organic agriculture – without industrial inputs – can achieve global food security. But there is more consensus that the use of chemicals in agriculture must be reduced.
What is needed for us to start acting on the knowledge we have so that we can meet the long term needs of the world population? Who has the power to initiate the necessary changes? What can one do as a consumer? This is what we want to discuss on 14 October with the help of a number of highly qualified speakers from different parts of the world and backgrounds ranging from practical food production to research.
PROGRAM
Moderator:
Lisa Henkow, Swedish Radio
09.00 Registration and coffee
09.30 Welcome
Ingrid Petersson, State Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, and Chair, Swedish FAO Committee
09.35 Biodiversity: a prerequisite for world food security
James Dargie, Director, Joint FAO/IAEA Division, Italy
10.05 The importance of ecosystem services for productive landscapes
Urban Emanuelsson, Director, Swedish Biodiversity Centre (CBM)
10.30 Biodiversity-based agriculture in practice:
potential and problems from an Indian perspective
Sarala Gopalan, International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP), India
11.00 Biodiversity and food security: a Swedish perspective on a global challenge
Ann-Christin Nykvist, Minister of Agriculture, Sweden
11.15 Pause
11.35 Food and biodiversity: the importance of fisheries and aquatic resources
Niki Sporrong, The Fisheries Secretariat, Sweden
12.05 Questions and discussion on the morning presentations
12.30 Lunch
13.30 Concentration of power in the food sector: a threat to farmers and biodiversity
What is the impact of globalisation, international trade agreements and increasing power concentration in agrobusiness on biodiversity and food security?
Devinder Sharma, journalist and researcher, India
14.00 The role of industry
Can agricultural input industries convert to more biodiversity-friendly technologies? Can large corporations use their power in a responsible way?
Paul Tenning, Head, Global Biotech Regulatory Compliance, Syngenta, Switzerland
14.30 The role of a Swedish farmer
What an individual farmer can and cannot do
Anders Munters, dairy farmer, Sweden
15.00 The role of research
Can production be increased with biological methods? Who decides the research agenda today, and what influence is there for farmers?
Hans Herren, Director-General, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Kenya
15.30 Coffee
16.00 Panel discussion:
What should Sweden do – agriculture policy, trade policy, industry, farmers...?
Caroline Trapp, Chair, National farmers' union (LRF), Sweden
Devinder Sharma, India
James Dargie, FAO, Italy
Niki Sporrong, The Fisheries Secretariat, Sweden
Hans Herren, ICIPE, Kenya
16.50 Conclusion
Ingrid Petersson, State Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, and Chair, Swedish FAO Committee
17.00 End