Thursday, September 16, 2021
News and Views from the Global South
Food and Agriculture
Golden Rice: Triumph for Science
After almost two decades, Golden Rice was approved last week by the Philippines authorities for use as food. This together with the approval of the bioengineered Bt eggplant represents a landmark victory of science over misinformation; it will provide consumers with improved nutrition (Golden Rice) and safer food (Bt eggplant).
Stepping Up to Meet Low-Income Countries’ Pandemic Recovery Needs
Low-income countries have been hard hit by the pandemic. Their large financing needs are only likely to grow as they deal with the crisis and its economic aftermath.
Protecting Plants Will Protect People and the Planet
Back-to-back droughts followed by plagues of locusts have pushed over a million people in southern Madagascar to the brink of starvation in recent months. In the worst famine in half a century, villagers have sold their possessions and are eating the locusts, raw cactus fruits, and wild leaves to survive.
Beware UN Food Systems Summit Trojan Horse
Undoubtedly, the world needs to reform existing food systems to better serve humanity and sustainable development. But the United Nations World Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) must be consistent with UN-led multilateralism. For the first time ever, the World Economic Forum (WEF), a partnership of some of the world’s most powerful corporations, is partnering the UN in launching the Summit, now scheduled for September, with its ‘Pre-Summit’ beginning today.
Rwandan Farmers Pin Hopes on New Tech to Tackle Food Losses
Rwanda is trying to reduce post-harvest loss by relying on new technologies to increase the amount of food available for consumption and help smallholder farmers confront some challenges caused by the overproduction of staple crops.
The Future of Food is in Our Hands
With its political and economic clout, the G20 should lead in delivering sustainable food systems as the world grapples with rising hunger, malnutrition and inequality.
Striving for Sustainability in Global Food Systems
As the global community gears up for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit in September, it is significant that preparations are also underway by Global Reporting Initiative to deliver a new sector reporting standard for agriculture, aquaculture, and fishing.
Fighting COVID-19, But Thinking About the Post-COVID-19 World
Europe, the United States and other countries have made important progress in reducing the dramatic impact of COVID-19 in key sectors of the economy and population. However, in some parts of Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East, the devastating effects of the pandemic continue to severely affect these sectors. One sector in particular, the food and agriculture sector, has been deeply impacted.
“If Only the Fighting Would Stop “ A Sudanese Woman’s Wish
With her bare hands, Roda clears debris and forages scraps from her wrecked teashop after attackers scorched Gumuruk, a town in the Greater Jonglei region where conflict frequently disrupts daily life and stifles progress.
Q&A: UN Food Systems Summit Opportunity for the World to Unite on Healthy, Fair & Sustainable Food Systems
Before the COVID-19 pandemic upended every sphere of life, the world was lagging on a goal to end hunger by 2030. According to the United Nations, more than 820 million people had already been categorised as food insecure, meaning they lacked access to reliable and sufficient amounts of affordable, healthy food.
“The Critical Importance of Ecosystem Restoration”
June 2021 marked the launch of UN Decade on Ecosystem restoration. This effort aims at reversing the damage that us humans have caused and are still causing to Nature. It is clear that we have to reverse course and spare no effort into making this ‘Decade on Ecosystem Restoration’ a success. Preserving Nature and maintaining its services are critical for our survival on this planet and for our livelihoods.
Agroecology as the Centrepiece of Sustainable Food Systems
In three weeks, the United Nations will bring together farmers, scientists, policymakers and civil society for the last major event ahead of the September UN Food Systems Summit.
Why we Need to Build Economies– not Walls– to Stop Migration
If you speak to farmers in El Salvador, many will tell you about the time they were driven to head north across Central America towards the US. The routes to the border are many, but the origins are so often the same: desperation and hope that better employment opportunities can be found elsewhere.UN Food Systems Summit Releases Potential Solutions for Local, Regional and Global Action
The UN Food Systems Summit has revealed the 15 action areas with more than 50 solution clusters that will inspire discussions at the Pre-Summit in Rome from July 26-28.
With a Little Help, Local Communities Rack up Record Success with Heritage Rice Grains
Madhuri Roy left the famous Kamakhya temple in Guwahati, Assam. She had sought the goddess’s blessings for the safe delivery of her youngest daughter's baby, which was due in a few weeks. Shanty shops lined the temple outside and Roy’s eyes fell on a stack of black rice packets. All through her daughter’s pregnancy she had craved her childhood favourite black rice pudding. But during the country’s COVID-19 lockdown Roy could not procure it even though Meghalaya, her Himalayan home state, grew it.
Why Pacific Island Nations, like the Federated States of Micronesia, need Climate Change Finance for Food Security Now
Robby Nena is one of the many farmers and fishermen on the frontline of climate change in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), where coastal flooding and erosion, variable and heavy rainfall, increased temperature, droughts and other extreme weather events are becoming all too common.
Weaponizing Science in Global Food Policy
In July, the United Nations will convene “Science Days”, a high-profile event in preparation for the UN Food Systems Summit later this year. Over the course of two days, the world will be treated to a parade of Zoom sessions aimed at “highlighting the centrality of science, technology and innovation for food systems transformation.”
Southeast Asia and Food Price Inflation: Double Whammy
In 2020, Southeast Asian countries were already facing varied challenges that affected the region’s food supplies and prices. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic later in the year exacerbated the region’s food insecurity and poverty. Southeast Asian countries need to take a hard look at food security, even as the double challenges — climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic — continue to fester.
Water Harvesting Strengthens Food Security in Central America
At the school in El Guarumal, a remote village in eastern El Salvador, the children no longer have to walk several kilometers along winding paths to fetch water from wells; they now "harvest" it from the rain that falls on the roofs of their classrooms.
Sowing Water: A Cuban Farm’s Bid for Sustainability
Cuban farmer José Antonio Casimiro found in the ageold technique of sowing water an opportunity to meet his farm's water needs and mitigate the increasingly visible effects of climate change.
Africa Can Be Self-Sufficient in Rice Production
Every year, people in Sub-Saharan Africa consume 34 million tons of milled rice, of which 43 percent is imported. But the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly hampered supply chains, making it difficult for imported rice to reach the continent. Indeed, if immediate action is not taken, the supply shortfall will further strain the region’s food systems which are already impacted by the pandemic.« Previous Page — Next Page »
Fixing food systems while mitigating the impact on climate change are critical challenges in the spotlight as the world gears up for the UN Food Systems Summit in September 2021. The devastating irony of our world is that while, according to the World Food Programme, 690 million people go to bed on an empty stomach each night, the world grows enough food to feed everyone on the planet. The messages are clear. Food systems should be inclusive for all – smallholder farmers, women, indigenous people and youth – and should be robust. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the fragility of the food systems, and it’s clear the world needs more inclusive and resilient food systems. What is required to make this a reality? The UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls for collective action of all citizens to radically change the way we produce, process, and consume food. The summit will see debates on crucial issues to make this a reality, including how science and policy can work together. Many experts believe social protection should be expanded for the poorest, thereby raising the purchasing power of the poorest two billion people, impacting local economies. There is expected to be a strong emphasis on child nutrition, particularly during a child’s first 1000 days. Experts believe that the world should push for infrastructure provision – from roads to storage facilities to open new avenues for producers to participate in the market. There will be a significant call to reduce food waste which costs the global economy about $1 trillion a year. While science and technology are needed, so are the inputs of smallholder farmers and indigenous people whose ancient food practices are seen as a route to sustainability. Inter Press Service (IPS) newswire has been at the forefront of writing about these challenges – from intense reporting in the field with the most vulnerable communities to ensuring the key messages of how to feed people and preserve the planet are disseminated. Working on key information from agencies like the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Barilla Centre for Food and Nutrition (BCFN) IPS been a forum for debate about what’s needed to fix food systems. This collection brings together the best of these stories written by journalists working in the field in Africa, Asia and elsewhere in the Global South to experts from each of these organizations.
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