Asia-Pacific countries urged to rapidly transform agrifood systems as hopes fade for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030
07.10.2022 11:17 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) —
At a symposium convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on agrifood systems transformation in Asia-Pacific, governments, the private sector and other stakeholders are being urged to massively accelerate transformation of their agrifood systems, or risk worsening malnutrition and environmental degradation in the world’s most populous region. Rising food prices, floods, drought, water scarcity, increasing climate-related disasters, the global pandemic and conflicts, are driving food insecurity across the region. These challenges directly impact the most vulnerable people, including smallholder farmers, others depending on the land for their livelihoods and millions of urban poor. Changes in rainfall patterns, crucial for agriculture in the monsoon region and in the frequencies and timings of pest and disease outbreaks have combined to lower yields. Asia and the Pacific already experiences 60 percent of global fatalities and 40 percent of economic losses due to multiple hazards and risks. In summary, the region’s complex agrifood systems are under enormous strain.Asia-Pacific region first out of the gate following UN Food Systems Summit Last year, caught in the grip of a global pandemic, world leaders pledged to transform their agrifood systems to make them more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable. Speaking at the beginning of a three-day Asia-Pacific symposium, the world’s first since the UN Food Systems Summit, which aims to fast-track agrifood systems transformation in this vast region, FAO’s Director-General, QU Dongyu, said the region’s transformation needs to focus on outcomes that result in better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life for all ensuring no one is left behind. FAO has mapped out four priority areas in which acceleration is needed: 1. Providing immediate support to the vulnerable through social protection systems, especially in rural areas and among vulnerable groups; 2. Boosting agricultural production by ensuring that family farmers have affordable access to seeds and fertilizers, working capital and technical assistance, and links to markets; 3. Facilitating trade in agricultural products and inputs to prevent further disruptions to food production; and 4. Investing in climate-resilient agriculture to address and reverse the effects of the climate crisis. The Director-General warned that the SDG’s would not be achievable unless there is a collective will to defeat hunger, as a priority, in a post-pandemic region. Ongoing crises, including the impacts of COVID-19, the climate crisis, droughts and floods, conflicts and war have disrupted the world’s supply of grains and other essential commodities, Qu noted. The result is «economic downturns and loss of jobs that pushed undernourishment from 8% to almost 10% during the first year of the pandemic, with the number of undernourished that has now grown by 150 million. The majority of this increase is in Asia and the Pacific, accounting for nearly 85 million more people in hunger, as well as in Africa and Latin America,» the FAO Director-General said. «To achieve the SDGs we need a major transformation one that begins with the transformation of our agrifood systems to ensure they can meet the present and future needs of all stakeholders and consumers.»Asia-Pacific region dangerously backsliding on SDGs According to the recent UN 2022 Asia and the Pacific Sustainable Development Goals Progress Report the region is so off course, it would need until 2065 to achieve all 17 Sustainable Development Goals a delay of 35 years. The recent disruption to supply chains, lives and livelihoods has come together to produce a crisis of five ‘Fs’ lack of food, feed, fuel, fertilizer and finance, and a prediction that there could be reductions in cereal output next year due to fertilizer shortages in some countries in the region. However, the backsliding predates even the pandemic, with successive annual editions of FAO’s flagship publication, the State of Food Security and Nutrition warning the fight against hunger and malnutrition was failing in this region. In 2021, more than 400 million people in Asia-Pacific were malnourished, most of them in South Asia, with 40 percent of all inhabitants unable to afford a healthy diet. In Asia and the Pacific, now is the time to accelerate the agrifood systems transformation to leave no one behind More than 80 percent of the world’s smallholders and family farmers live off the land in this Asia-Pacific region, and the Symposium was told their interests and livelihoods must be safeguarded by measures including social safety nets and reskilling programmes to improve employment prospects. FAO called for bold action by all stakeholders to transform the region’s agrifood systems, saying governments must provide leadership; the private sector must broaden its customer base to provide affordable solutions for smallholders; civil society must work more proactively with policymakers and the private sector; academia must accelerate research, while resource partners must make this transformation their top priority, with FAO committed to helping its Members and partners achieve these objectives.
25.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
09:45 |
Parliament approves a revision of the EU’s common agricultural policy |
23.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
16:23 |
MEPs approve trade support measures for Ukraine with protection for EU farmers |
17.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
18:08 |
Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food predicts this year’s harvest of grains and oilseeds at about 74 million tonnes |
16.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
12:12 |
West Africa Cocoa Shortage Pushes Up Prices |
11.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
23:48 |
U.S. Soybean Meal Exports Forecast at Consecutive Records in 2022/23 and 2023/24 |
|
23:10 |
EU Wheat Exports Challenged by Russia’s Growing Dominance |
|
11:30 |
Country of origin of honey must be clearly visible on the label. EU honey traceability system to be developed |
10.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
15:59 |
Commission starts setting up the Agriculture and Food Chain Observatory |
|
15:33 |
Commission approves ˆ2.2 billion German State aid scheme to support the decarbonisation of industrial processes to foster the transition to a net-zero economy |
|
13:17 |
Donau Soja urges EU for clarity on EUDR implementation |
09.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:44 |
Ukraine remained the third source of EU imports in 2023, with a value of EUR 11.8 billion |
06.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:04 |
World cereal output seen up in 2023/24 |
|
09:55 |
FAO Food Price Index rises in March |
05.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:04 |
Shellfish Crop Insurance Program Offers Oyster Producers Needed Protection from Environmental Challenges and More |
03.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
23:01 |
Croatian horseradish root ‘Ludbreški hren' added to register of Protected Designations of Origin |
02.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:15 |
FAO and chef Fatmata Binta announce new project to empower women fonio producers in Ghana |
28.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
12:55 |
Council compromise on Ukraine ATMs – Only a half step forward in the right direction |
|
09:18 |
Commission approves amendment to Italian State aid scheme to support companies in Friuli Venezia Giulia in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine |
26.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:55 |
Projected famine in Gaza: FAO urges immediate access to deliver urgent and critical assistance at scale. About 1.1 million people are experiencing catastrophic food insecurity |
|
08:44 |
EU makes major step forward in the delivery of 2024 humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza* |
25.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
16:17 |
Commission approves ˆ86.9 million Bulgarian State aid scheme to support farmers in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine |
21.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
11:15 |
Commission takes action to boost biotechnology and biomanufacturing in the EU |
20.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
11:13 |
Deal to extend trade support for Ukraine with safeguards for EU farmers |
19.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
09:43 |
CAP - The Commission proposes simplifications that safeguard agricultural transitions! |
18.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
23:10 |
The European Union and Switzerland launch negotiations to deepen bilateral relations |
|
10:05 |
Commission proposes targeted review of Common Agricultural Policy to support EU farmers |
15.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
23:36 |
Cargill Power CanolaTM Program Helps Farmers Take Advantage of Growing Bioenergy Market Opportunities for Canadian Canola |
|
23:19 |
FAO will provide Ukrainian farmers with soybean and sunflower seeds for spring sowing campaign |
13.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
23:27 |
FAO urges more cooperation in banana sector, significant for some least developed and low-income food-deficit countries and smallholder farmers |
|
16:51 |
The European Commission sets out key steps for managing climate risks to protect people and prosperity |
12.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
20:25 |
Coreper and COMENVI approve the provisional agreement on EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework |
|
20:24 |
INTA MEPs fail EU producers by dismissing potential improvements to Ukraine ATMs |
|
08:10 |
Soybean meal is expected to be a more competitive feed ingredient on higher global supplies. |
11.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
09:11 |
U.S. Corn Exports Shift Destinations as Brazil Captures China Market |
08.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
15:20 |
Conflicts push acute food insecurity higher |
|
13:21 |
FAO Food Price Index declines further in February |
|
13:14 |
Packaging: Council and Parliament strike a deal to make packaging more sustainable and reduce packaging waste in the EU |
|
11:45 |
Commission approves ˆ61.3 million Bulgarian State aid scheme to support farmers, producers of grain and oil crops, in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine |
07.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
20:41 |
First go-ahead to renewing trade support for Ukraine and Moldova |
05.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
15:55 |
Commission proposes to prolong road transport agreements with Ukraine and Moldova and introduces updates to the agreement with Ukraine |
02.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
07:31 |
Heroes of deserts and highlands: Nourishing people and culture |
23.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:21 |
BASF’s financial strength supports proposed stable dividend of ˆ3.40 per share for the 2023 business year |
|
10:17 |
The Council has chosen to ignore farmers' concerns regarding Ukraine ATMs; it is now imperative for the European Parliament to take action |
20.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
20:27 |
South Asia is anticipated to import nearly 14 million tons wheat in 2023/24 |
19.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
13:00 |
Cargill and ENOUGH expand partnership to provide consumers with innovative, sustainable protein options |
17.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
17:47 |
Global Environment Facility approves new FAO-led projects and programs benefiting 46 countries |
16.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
09:10 |
The EU is at a crossroads with the Ukrainian agricultural issue - COPA-COGECA, AVES, CEFS, CEPM, CIBE, EUWEP |
13.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
17:31 |
European farmers exempted from rules on land lying fallow |
12.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
16:45 |
India Wheat Stocks Plummet to Lowest in 15 Years |
03.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
17:35 |
Mandarins. Global production for 2023/24 is forecast to rise to 38.0 million tons |
Also available:
|