The uncertainties that lie ahead in the coming year present a challenge to the ability of governments to navigate the challenges that the recession will present to the less well off members of their population. Worry over food insecurity arises from the fact that sluggish job creation and income growth effect the access of the poor to food.

The Trimestral Food Security Bulletin of the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) reports that the current international situation is marred by the persistence of the sovereign debt crises in various EU countries. If recession strikes the euro zone, world demand will be effected and in turn sap the growth rates of emerging countries, which until now have been maintaining global growth.

The atmosphere of uncertainty has effected growth projections for the world economy, which have been lowered for 2012 from 6.2 to 5.4 percent for developing countries and from 2.7 to 1.4 percent for high income countries. Averaged, the overall world growth rate is expected to be 2.5 percent for 2012.

Slower growth would mean that international trade would also decrease, which would probably drive down commodity prices. The World Bank calculates that world exports of goods and services grew by 6.6 percent in 2011 (half of the rate for 2010, which was 12.4 percent) and estimates they will drop to 4.7 percent in 2012.

International food prices fell by 10 percent between June and December 2011. Between December 2010 and December 2011, sugar prices fell 18 percent, prices of oils and fats fell 14 percent, and the average price of cereals -an essential component of the human diet- dropped by 8 percent, while prices of milk products slipped 3 percent. It is likely that this downward tendency -which effects the expectations of agents of the international markets- will compound increases in the availability of food and generate a prolonged phase of price fluctuation for 2012, though within a narrower band.

However, it should be pointed out that fluctuations in international food prices do not carry over directly into individual countries: Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) did not experience the increase in prices and it is not expected that the projected decreases will be felt there either. This is not to deny the effects of international price fluctuations but merely to point out the importance of national and local dynamics in pricing.

The record for food availability in 2011 was one of the primary reasons for the drop in prices in the last months of 2011. Supplies of cereals were ten million tonnes larger in 2011 than in 2010. Production also increased and FAO’s latest projections for cereal harvests in 2011/2012 are for a record of 2.3 billion tonnes, a 3.5 percent jump from 2010/2011. Wheat production is projected to rise by 6.5 percent though secondary grains and rice are expected to experience a slight drop.

The LAC countries maintained a relatively low rate of inflation (7 percent) according to FAO’s January LAC Price Report, and annual food inflation shows signs of closing 2011 at 8.5 percent, down from 9.6 percent in 2010. Many countries in the region saw significant reductions in inflation rates between 2010-2011, while in some inflation even dropped to levels from before the 2008 global food crisis.

In terms of production, LAC prospects have worsened in Argentina where drought has caused projections for cereal production to be lowered by about 12 percent. Brazil’s wheat harvest is projected to be 16 percent smaller than that for 2010/2011 because of freezes and reductions in planting. Parts of Mexico and Central America are expected to see lower corn production.

In 2012, the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean responded adequately to food price volatility. Some countries expanded income supplementation programmes that guaranteed a significant percentage of the poor access to food. For the coming year, it is essential that these countries not lower their guard and carefully monitor the threat that a recession might pose for the food security of their poorest citizens, who always bear the brunt of international price volatility. (END/COPYRIGHT IPS)

(*) Alan Bojanic is the interim representative for Latin America and the Caribbean of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)

By Alan Bojanic and Gustavo Anriquez
SANTIAGO, Mar 8 2011 (IPS)

On the occasion of the 100th celebration of International Women’s Day, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) presented a surprising and alarming assessment of the situation of rural women, based on a comprehensive analysis of men and women farmers around the world.

Credit: Claudius/IPS

Female-headed households are not necessarily poorer than male-headed households.

In its annual report “The State of Food and Agriculture 2010-2011,” which focuses on “Women in agriculture: Closing the gap in development,” FAO reveals that women farmers have unequal access to and use of a wide range of agricultural resources -including land, livestock, and mechanical tools-, inputs -such as fertilisers, pesticides, and improved seeds-, and financial and extension services -such as agricultural credits and technical know-how and training.

What is new and surprising about this assessment is that it found that, although in varying degrees of intensity, this imbalance is observed in every region of the planet and is repeated under different national, cultural, political, and religious conditions.

When these gender gaps in access and use are considered in light of several field studies that provide solid evidence that women are not intrinsically less productive than male farmers, it is evident that this unfair distribution of assets and resources affects production.

The UN agency’s report estimates that if women had the same access to agricultural assets, inputs, and services as men they could increase yields on their farms, and this increase could raise total agricultural output in developing countries by roughly 2.5 to 4 percent.

Moreover, such a growth in agricultural production could in turn bring 100 to 150 million people out of hunger – that is about 12 to 17 percent of the 925 million undernourished people that exist in the world according to FAO’s latest estimates.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, the issue of rural women has traditionally been left out of gender and policy debates.

However, in recent decades there have been profound economic and social changes with lasting implications. As in cities, more and more women living in rural areas have abandoned unpaid domestic work, including family farming, to enter the labour market as farm labourers and workers in industries directly or indirectly connected with agriculture.

This significant transformation in social and economic conditions does not only affect job markets, it has also changed rural households, as it has empowered women, who now have a greater say in decision-making.

There has also been an improvement in family welfare indicators such as nutrition and education, as a result not only of the additional income women bring in, but also of the fact that when women have greater control over household budgets, a significantly larger share of income is spent on food, health, and education.

These are all welcome changes, as they improve the well being of women, their children, and their homes, and lead nations to make better use of its human resources, both male and female.

There is still much to be done, however.

While the proportion of crops controlled by women in the region has grown notoriously, women farmers in Latin America, as in other parts of the planet, have less land than men and a limited access to other agricultural resources, services, and inputs.

Closing this gender gap is in everyone’s interest.

The recipe is fairly universal. In the first place it requires eliminating all forms of legal discrimination. But it is not just a matter of legislation, as government, judicial, and law enforcement officers need to be trained to deal with gender differences.

Lastly, non-discrimination cannot exist merely on paper. Efforts need to be directed towards raising awareness of the gender-specific obstacles faced by women, including the time constraints imposed by their double role of workers/producers and heads of household. Also, more public and private services, such as extension and credits, need to be easily available to women farmers.

* Alan Bojanic is FAO’s Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean. Gustavo Anríquez is an economist at FAO.

(Originally published by Latin American newspapers that are part of the Tierramérica network. Tierramérica is a specialised news service produced by IPS with the backing of the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme.)

Excerpt:

A more equitable distribution of agricultural assets, inputs, and services between men and women could increase overall food production in the developing world by 2.5 to 4 percent.

- Claudius

Female-headed households are not necessarily poorer than male-headed households.

In its annual report “The State of Food and Agriculture 2010-2011,” which focuses on “Women in agriculture: Closing the gap in development,” FAO reveals that women farmers have unequal access to and use of a wide range of agricultural resources -including land, livestock, and mechanical tools-, inputs -such as fertilizers, pesticides, and improved seeds-, and financial and extension services -such as agricultural credits and technical know-how and training.

What is new and surprising about this assessment is that it found that, although in varying degrees of intensity, this imbalance is observed in every region of the planet and is repeated under different national, cultural, political, and religious conditions.

When these gender gaps in access and use are considered in light of several field studies that provide solid evidence that women are not intrinsically less productive than male farmers, it is evident that this unfair distribution of assets and resources affects production.

The UN agency’s report estimates that if women had the same access to agricultural assets, inputs, and services as men they could increase yields on their farms, and this increase could raise total agricultural output in developing countries by roughly 2.5 to 4 percent.

Moreover, such a growth in agricultural production could in turn bring 100 to 150 million people out of hunger – that is about 12 to 17 percent of the 925 million undernourished people that exist in the world according to FAO’s latest estimates.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, the issue of rural women has traditionally been left out of gender and policy debates.

However, in recent decades there have been profound economic and social changes with lasting implications. As in cities, more and more women living in rural areas have abandoned unpaid domestic work, including family farming, to enter the labour market as farm labourers and workers in industries directly or indirectly connected with agriculture.

This significant transformation in social and economic conditions does not only affect job markets, it has also changed rural households, as it has empowered women, who now have a greater say in decision-making.

There has also been an improvement in family welfare indicators such as nutrition and education, as a result not only of the additional income women bring in, but also of the fact that when women have greater control over household budgets, a significantly larger share of income is spent on food, health, and education.

These are all welcome changes, as they improve the well being of women, their children, and their homes, and lead nations to make better use of its human resources, both male and female.

There is still much to be done, however.

While the proportion of crops controlled by women in the region has grown notoriously, women farmers in Latin America, as in other parts of the planet, have less land than men and a limited access to other agricultural resources, services, and inputs.

Closing this gender gap is in everyone’s interest.

The recipe is fairly universal. In the first place it requires eliminating all forms of legal discrimination. But it is not just a matter of legislation, as government, judicial, and law enforcement officers need to be trained to deal with gender differences.

Lastly, non-discrimination cannot exist merely on paper. Efforts need to be directed towards raising awareness of the gender-specific obstacles faced by women, including the time constraints imposed by their double role of workers/producers and heads of household. Also, more public and private services, such as extension and credits, need to be easily available to women farmers.