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UN seeks a Green
Revolution in food The following article
was published in the South-North Development Monitor (SUNS) #6644,
Development: UN
seeks a Green Revolution in food New
York, 18 Feb ( "Changing
the ways in which food is produced, handled and disposed of across the
globe - from farm to store and from fridge to landfill - can both feed
the world's rising population and help the environmental services that
are the foundation of agricultural productivity in the first place,"
says a new study titled "The Environmental Food Crisis" released
by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). With
the steep increase in food prices in 2008, the number of chronically
malnourished has reached a staggering 963 million, mostly in the world's
poorest countries. Anuradha
Mittal, director of the US-based policy think tank Oakland Institute,
says the findings of the latest UNEP study have to be seen in the light
of its report released last year which offered evidence that organic
agriculture can increase yields, improve soil, and boost incomes of
farmers. A
crisis of this proportion raises major questions about industrial agriculture
and how best to address the needs of the hungry, she said. "Unfortunately,
the widespread hunger and poverty is being used to make the case for
increasing agricultural production through technical solutions such
as genetically engineered (GE) crops and chemical-based agriculture,"
Mittal told However,
UNEP's research demonstrates that organic small-scale agriculture can
deliver the increased yields without the environmental and social damage
that has resulted from the industrial model of agriculture. "We
need to pay heed to these findings and start crafting a different vision
for agriculture which works with nature and not against it," said
Mittal, an international expert on issues relating to trade, development
and agriculture. A
briefing paper by the Oakland Institute released Tuesday also confirms
the success of the organic model, noting that on average, in developed
countries, organic systems produce 92% of the yield produced by conventional
agriculture. In developing countries, organic systems fare even better,
producing 80% more than conventional farms. In
a study released last week, the Geneva-based UN Conference on Trade
and Development (UNCTAD) said that despite the economic crisis, organic
agriculture would continue to grow, representing an opportunity for
developing country farmers including those in The
report said that sales of certified organic produce could reach close
to $70 billion in 2012, up from $23 billion in 2002. "We
need a Green revolution in a Green Economy but one with a capital G,"
says Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. "We
need to deal with not only the way the world produces food but the way
it is distributed, sold and consumed, and we need a revolution that
can boost yields by working with rather than against nature," he
added. The
UNEP study released Tuesday says that unless more intelligent and creative
management is brought to the world's agricultural systems, the 2008
food crisis - which plunged millions back into hunger - may foreshadow
an even bigger crisis in the years to come. The
major findings of the study include: --
The 100-year trend of falling food prices may be at an end, and food
prices may increase by 30-50% within decades, with critical impacts
for those living in extreme poverty who spend up to 90% of their income
on food. --
Up to 25% of the world's food production may be lost due to "environmental
breakdowns" by 2050 unless action is taken. Already, cereal yields
have stagnated worldwide and fish catches are declining. --
Today, over one third of the world's cereals are being used as animal
feed, rising to 50% by 2050. Continuing to feed cereals to growing numbers
of livestock will aggravate poverty and environmental degradation. --
The amount of fish by-catch currently discarded at sea - estimated at
30 million tonnes annually - could alone sustain more than a 50% increase
in fish farming and aquaculture production, which is needed to maintain
per capita fish consumption at current levels by 2050 without increasing
pressure on an already stressed marine environment. --
Losses and food waste in the --
In --
Food losses in the developing world are also considerable, mainly due
to spoilage and pests. For instance, in The
study, compiled by a wide group of experts from both within and outside
UNEP, also warns that climate change has emerged as one of the key factors
that may undermine the chances of feeding over nine billion people by
2050. Increasing
water scarcities and a rise and spread of invasive pests such as insects,
diseases and weeds may also substantially depress yields in the future.
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