– With 42 percent of the world’s population, the group of countries that make up the BRICS are in a position to shape agricultural policies that would strengthen global food security and transform rural societies and livelihoods, Kundhavi Kadiresan, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said today.

Kadiresan made the comments during the 2016 meeting of the BRICS Agriculture Ministers in the Indian capital New Delhi. The group, formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, brings together five countries whose economies have expanded rapidly in recent decades.

Despite the rapid growth, not everyone has benefitted, particularly the rural poor and small-holder family farms that produce the vast majority of the food we eat. Reforming agricultural policies in an inclusive way can respond more directly to the needs of these disadvantaged groups.

“Inclusive agricultural policies, if pioneered by the BRICS, could have a remarkable impact on sustainable agricultural production and global food security, while at the same time improving nutrition and livelihoods of the very people that produce our food,” said Kadiresan. “Many developing countries welcome present agricultural initiatives among BRICS members, such as south-south cooperation and knowledge transfer. Further reforms can act as a bridge to more inclusive economic growth.”

Investing in the family farm sector has proved to be at least twice as effective in reducing poverty compared to growth resulting in other sectors of the economy. 

Triple challenge of malnutrition

Most of the world’s 795 million undernourished people live in developing countries yet those countries will also need to increase their food production by nearly 80 percent by 2050, when the global population is expected to exceed nine billion.

FAO is a steward of SDG 2 – the Sustainable Development Goal to eradicate hunger by 2030. Kadiresan noted that with political will, and the right policies in place, the BRICS group can help lead the world to achieving that goal, making our generation the Zero Hunger Generation.

But, in order to do so, agriculture must first rise to overcome a triple challenge.

It will be necessary to increase the production of safe and nutritious food, in a sustainable way, to meet a growing demand driven by the population increase. But as incomes rise the composition of diets and the type of food that will be demanded will also change, for example from consumption of grains to more protein-rich foods. While fighting undernutrition is key to achieving zero hunger, addressing the growing rate of obesity is also a priority.

Adapting agriculture to climate change

Climate change represents a serious threat to all aspects of food security, and agriculture must play a major role in improving the management and conservation of natural resources. Climate change already affects the livelihoods of millions of people worldwide, especially the most vulnerable.

“This means we should create more resilient food production systems that are sustainable and better adapted to the changing climatic conditions,” Kadiresan said. “Given the size of the BRICS’s combined population and industrial base, incremental changes could have a positive impact.”

FAO and BRICS

To meet these multiple challenges, a renewed focus is needed on investments and policies, institutions and partnerships that actively seek to expand the potential of agriculture and include vulnerable groups, in particular women and smallholders.

At the global level, BRICS members provide significant contributions towards meeting these challenges, including through South-South Cooperation, agricultural innovations and technology adoption, efforts to reduce food loss and waste, and support to social protection systems.

FAO already has excellent working relations with all BRICS countries, and to strengthen this collaboration even further, the Organization stands ready to advise on the policies and technologies that can contribute to achieving the SDGs and make our generation the Zero Hunger Generation.