Regional alliance against hunger
On the occasion of World Food Day 2004, representatives of regional technical commissions, bodies and networks from the region sponsored by or collaborating with FAO were invited to the second round table discussion on a Regional Alliance Against Hunger (RAAH), specifi- cally on the theme of networking of networks. The meeting was held on 18 October 2004 at the FAO regional office in Bangkok, chaired by M.A. Abdul Razak, with Marangattli M. Nampoothiry and Pedro Bueno as vice-chairs.
The meeting noted with concern that despite significant economic development and growth in food and agricultural production, poverty and food insecurity still remain a problem in the region. Successes of the Green Revolution also brought about challenges of environmental sustainability. Loss of biodiversity is a major problem along with land degradation, depletion of rangelands, growing scarcity of water, declining forest cover, over-exploitation of fishery resources, over-use of pesticides and deterioration of the ecosystem. Country experiences show that increased food production is not adequate in addressing widespread hunger. Economic access to available supply is an equally, if not more, important factor in ensuring food security. It was also recognized that gender issues in agriculture have not yet received full attention. The issues related to choice of technologies - GMO/non-GMO biotechnology, organic farming etc. - as well as food safety, sanitary and phytosanitary standards, patents and other property rights issues over genetic materials and level of support to the agriculture sector have emerged as complex issues no more confined to national decisions but as matters of international negotiations and agreements with profound implications for the agricultural sector and the overall economy. Addressing these issues in totality requires a holistic view integrating interdisciplinary contributions focusing on different dimensions within a broader framework emphasizing growth, equity and sustainability as the core components of a strategy for agricultural development.
The participants noted that although the problems are inter-related, they are addressed in a fragmented manner both nationally and regionally. There is considerable synergy in activities carried out by different parties which remains largely unexploited under the piecemeal approach generally. Lessons from this experience point to the possibility that networking of networks can help address this issue at the regional level and contribute to the promotion of this approach at the country level. However, the networking should be based on clear identification of the value added from such efforts and focus on a common theme. Hunger reduction is uniquely qualified as the common theme for the regional technical networks active in the disciplines of agriculture.
In light of the above, the participants complimented the FAO regional office for taking the initiative to organize a round table towards promoting interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration among the regional commissions, bodies and networks to address the food security issues confronting the region. The meeting strongly supported the idea of building a regional alliance of networks through networking of networks and committed to participate actively in related follow-up activities.
Several possible areas of inter-disciplinary collaboration were cited as the minimum common programme (CMP) for the activities of the network:
conservation of critical fishery habitats, such as wetlands, coral reefs, mangroves and alien species, for biodiversity;
methodologies for assessing risks of biodiversity depletion;
policies for biodiversity conservation based on assessment of the incidence of costs and benefits to different participants;
empowerment of women and consideration of gender issues in natural resource management;
trade facilitation, specifically capacity building in WTO compliance, harmonization and upgrading of quality standards and safety of products; and
information sharing and the creation of statistical databases.
The participants presented various ideas with respect to the objectives and functions of the network of networks:
sharing of information on activities of different networks and experiences from the network’s activities;
sharing of results of studies/assessments on thematic issues such as globalization, emerging trends and traditional knowledge;
mechanisms for an information clearinghouse;
provide a forum for regular meetings and a reporting system;
promotion of dialogue among the networks to identify interdisciplinary activities;
enhancement of interdisciplinary approaches in general and joint visioning and programming of activities;
coordination, monitoring and assessment of joint activities; and
resource mobilization, training, capacity building and advocacy for critical but inadequately supported activities.
A number of suggestions were received on how to promote networking of networks. These included:
prepare an inventory of existing regional networks working in relevant fields;
install an appropriate coordination system among specific subnetworks and an interdisciplinary umbrella network with well defined objectives, activities, resources and accountability for results;
the umbrella network should organize itself also in terms of coordination, planning, reporting, communication and regular assessment of progress;
resources must be drawn into the collective activities of the network;
sources of funding should be identified and appropriate cost-sharing arrangements developed; and
use modern ICT for sharing information through the creation of a web site of the umbrella network with URL links to the constituent networks and relevant organizations.
The round table recommended the following actions to promote networking of networks. The FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific should initially designate a senior officer as the focal point for the establishment of a network of networks with provision of initial funding for the secretariat to facilitate the development of the umbrella network. The secretariat of the network of networks should prepare a proposal for the umbrella organization, its objectives, functions and funding; and the preparatory activities should be completed and a web page launched by World Food Day 2005.
