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Feeding the world - views from Johannesburg

Feeding the world - views from Johannesburg

In the wake of rising food prices, diminishing natural resources and climate change, the question of how the world's rapidly growing population will feed itself in the future is more pressing than ever before. And given that 60 per cent of fallow arable land is in Africa, the continent looks set to take centre stage as the debate about how to boost food production intensifies. It is against this backdrop that The Economist hosted its Feeding the World summit, entitled Africa's Role in Solving the Global Food Crisis, in Johannesburg, South Africa, on November 15 and 16, 2012.

In her opening address, Foundation for Community Development (FDC) President Graca Machel welcomed the audience of global leaders from the agribusiness, government, scientific and NGO communities. She reminded them that the challenge facing the global community is not only to produce more food, but better quality, more nutritious food with fewer resources, available to everyone at a reasonable cost.

Boosting yields - less in, more out

Intensifying agriculture sustainably is vital, if we are to feed more people with finite resources. "Currently, one litre of water is used to produce one calorie of food. In 50 years we are going to need produce two calories with just half a litre of water," said WWF's Vice President, Jason Clay. That will come at a cost. While we may achieve the necessary doubling of food production by 2050, finite resources such as water will have to be paid for.

There was broad consensus that empowering smallholder farmers, particularly women, will be the key to scaling up food production in Africa. Eighty per cent of food production, trading and processing is done by women, yet they own only two per cent of land. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that women's agricultural yields are 30 per cent lower than those of men, in the developing world, because of poor access to land, credit and agricultural inputs such as seed and fertiliser.

Women are also the key to encouraging healthier diets, reducing malnutrition and obesity. Emile Frison, director general of Bioversity International urged: "We have to empower people to feed themselves with a diverse and nutritious diet." Only three crop species provide 60 per cent of nutrition today, he said, compared with the 7,000 that have been cultivated throughout history. There are no silver bullets, he warned, though genetic modification could offer "one part of the technology package."

Where the buck stops

A key area of concern raised by delegates was the apparent lack of political will by governments to invest in agriculture. Machel pointed out that of all the African Union members who pledged to increase agricultural budget allocations to ten per cent by 2008 under the Maputo Declaration of 2003, only five have done so. Jay Naidoo, Chairman of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), also raised the issue of accountability.

"Who is the elephant in the room?" he asked. "It is our governments. The policies are there. The resolutions are there. But the question is, will the governments act on them?" Shenggen Fan, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), said no government in the world has a department accountable for nutrition. He also suggested a tax on unsustainable, environmentally-unfriendly farming methods, including a tax on meat, particularly those rich in saturated fats.

Africa has been disappointed by its own leaders, said Linus Opara, chair in post-harvest technology at Stellenbosch University. "Africa has been left behind by itself. People come to the continent to buy land to make food to sell to the African people," he said. "We must re-engage Africans to work on technology for Africa. Our local crops - yam, sorghum - who is working on them?" he asked.

Solving it together: partnerships

However, there was no doubt over the role of governments as a linchpin in boosting productivity on the continent. Jane Karuku, president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), said governments must strengthen post-harvest, extension and education services, as well as tackle the politicised nature of input supply, particularly fertiliser. "Until it's a win-win for everybody we will not be in a position to scale up," she warned.

Pieter Mulder, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in South Africa, where farming is 85 per cent commercial, said capacity gaps should be addressed through public-private partnerships to develop small enterprises. His view was reiterated in the private sector, where the need to promote farming as a business was emphasised. "People say agriculture is not sexy," said Pamela Chitenhe, African regional director for DuPont Pioneer. "But money is sexy. If you can prove there is money in agriculture, people will do it."

The urgent need to intensify production among smallholders was, however, a matter of concern. Recommending large amounts of fertiliser and improved seeds will not solve the problem, argued Greenpeace campaigners. "Nobody has focussed on the fact that many smallholder farmers simply cannot afford them," said agricultural consultant Stephen Carr, adding, "There is no point in talking about new technology if you are not willing to talk about subsidies for poor people."

With broad consensus that the world is at a tipping point, the way we produce food has to change. But, as noted by Carl Hausmann, managing director of Global Government and Corporate Affairs at the agribusiness corporation, Bunge, a win-win solution is a must, even if the benefits are not always equal.