Geneva, 18 September 2008 - Greater efforts are needed to boost farm productivity in poor nations if the food crisis is to be eased, and developing countries should have a larger role in international economic decision-making to reduce their vulnerability to the spreading global financial crisis, representatives of civil society and the private sector told UNCTAD´s Trade and Development Board this afternoon.
Two representatives from civil society and the private sector led the discussion on the food crisis at the Board´s annual civil society hearing. Among the themes sounded by these speakers were that governments should devise programmes to enhance food security that include broad social participation and that emphasize the production of a wider variety of crops and the protection of water supplies. The current "enormous wastage" of foodstuffs - as much as 30% during harvesting, transport, packaging, storage, and distribution - should be reduced, and more should be done to provide farmers around the world with greater access to credit, technology, collaborative extension services, and links to global markets.
Two lead discussants launched the debate on the financial crisis and its impact on sustainable development. Among their remarks were that economic liberalization and de-regulation has left poor nations vulnerable and that new structures and partnerships are needed to temper these forces. Rules are necessary to control speculation in finance and currencies so that fragile economic progress in developing countries cannot be destroyed by rapid shifts in capital and exchange rates. Governments should have clear rights to regulate investment within their borders to achieve the goal of stable, long-term development. Profits under globalization were private, these speakers said, but losses were public and took a toll on citizens and governments.
Representatives of civil society organizations provided the bulk of the afternoon´s debate, with most addressing the food crisis.
Among their remarks were that development and export policies over the past two decades have neglected agriculture and that the international community must now invest more in the farm sector to make up lost ground; and that it is imperative to develop a global strategy to address the food crisis. They cautioned against efforts that do not take account of local knowledge and practices. Participants added that financing, marketing, and export schemes should build on local traditions and social structures. It also was noted that the food crisis is an opportunity to address wider problems posed by international economic interdependence. In agriculture as in other sectors, speakers said, more attention must be paid to boosting the productive capacities of poor nations so that farmers can brings goods on competitive terms to world markets, thus increasing food supplies and raising their own living standards at the same time. Speakers noted that emphasis on economic liberalization of food markets in developing countries in recent years has not been matched by measures to help local farmers cope with increased competition.
Practical suggestions offered for coping with mounting food costs included providing better warehousing for the crops of small farmers in developing countries; the construction of roads to enable cheaper transport of goods to market; and the revitalization of farmers´ cooperative societies.
On the global financial crisis, speakers said among other things that an international framework must be established for dealing with financial turmoil, which seems to surface in some form or other every few years. They said more intensive international discussion is needed on the causes and effects of the current situation. The crisis and its effects on developing countries should be monitored carefully. They expressed concern over the current emphasis on quick profits rather than sustainable or long-term development and over the extent to which profits earned by foreign direct investment in developing countries are often repatriated overseas. Some speakers said speculators are making the current financial turmoil worse than it might be, and that the international community should consider steps to limit speculation.
The following civil society organizations addressed the meeting: Instituto de Estudos Sócioeconômicos (INESC); the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC); L´Organisation Camerounaise de Promotion de la Coopération Economique Internationale (OCAPROCE); Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS - Geneva Resource Centre); Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP); Coordination des ONG Africaines des Droits de l´Homme (CONGAF); Village Suisse ONG; International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM); Centre du Commerce International pour le Développement (CECIDE); Centre for Trade and Development (CENTAD); L´ Office Africain pour le Développement et la Coopération (OFADEC); Uganda Consumers´ Protection; Third World Network; Synergy for Development and International Partnership (SYFODIP); Global Traders´ Conference (GTC); International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW); La Commission Africaine des Promoteurs de la Santé et des Droits de l´Homme (CAPSDH); and International Gender and Trade Network.
